‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fans Love Host Pat Sajak’s Praise for Vanna White During Hosting Stint

Pat Sajak showered his Wheel of Fortune co-star Vanna White with praise on Sunday, and fans are loving it. Sajak and White have been the face of the game show for decades now, but this year they proved they could still have firsts in their careers when they switched roles. Sajak was “proud” of the job White did.

This weekend, CBS Sunday Morning did a profile of White and her illustrious career. Host Mo Rocca spoke to the people who know 63-year-old White the best, including 73-year-old Sajak. Sajak praised White for the weeks she took over hosting for him back in November and December, saying that he and the audience were “rooting” for her.

“The fact that she did it speaks volumes about her. It would have been very easy for her to say, ‘I’m sorry, this is not what I do,’” Sajak said. “But the audience was rooting for her and almost proud to see her up there.”

White hosted the show back in the fall and winter while Sajak was out of work for surgery. While she has been the letter-turner on the show for almost 40 years, she has never stood in Sajak’s place. She told Rocca that doing again was not at “the top of my list.”

“I loved being there, I loved doing it, but I was so nervous,” White explained. “Maybe if I did it a few more times I would feel better about it but I’m my worst critic.”

Fans loved seeing White try something new at the time, and they loved hearing Sajak praise her for it now. Here’s what Wheel of Fortune viewers are saying about Sajak’s praise for White.

Replacement

Many fans saw White’s profile as a retrospective on her career and all the places it could have gone differently. They noted that it would not have been surprising for White to be replaced by a younger woman, knowing the TV industry, but they were glad that never happened, allowing her to get to the point where she could host.

“She handled the job quite nicely… so glad that she never got replaced by a younger co host,” a commenter wrote on Facebook. “Vanna and Pat ARE Wheel of Fortune!!”

Ageless

Fans were shocked to see both White and Sajak up close, saying the different angle highlighted how good they look for their ages.

“Here is what everyone has been saying for a good 10 years now… how do these 2 not age?!” a YouTube commenter wondered. “Are pat and vanna robots? I know a lot of women, a lot, ask what kind of skin and hair stuff she uses…”

‘Much Respect’

Reviewing this weekend’s episode of CBS Sunday Morning as a whole, a Twitter user noted that it gave her “much respect” for White that she did not have before. The behind-the-scenes look at her life and the testimonies from loved ones like Sajak spoke volumes about her character.

‘Beautiful Segment’

Similarly, some viewers thought White’s story was the stand-out segment of Sunday Morning this weekend. It had the show’s signature blend of the personal and the universal all rolled into one.

‘Passive Aggressive’

Some fans actually thought that Sajak’s compliments for White were not strong enough, and questioned whether he had some unspoken issue with her.

“I don’t know… Pat Sajak seemed like he had some passive aggressive issues going on re: Vanna,” one person wrote on YouTube.

‘Pat Needs to Go’

Others argued that Sajak should retire at this point, handing the show over to White. After seeing her host last year they are confident that she can handle it on her own.

“I think she did very well. Pat is the one that needs to go. He tries to be funny and he is not. I don’t like the way he talk to Vanna and tries to belittle her,” a Facebook user wrote. “Just my opinion.”

‘More Entertaining’

Finally, some left White’s profile segment feeling that she is “more entertaining” than Sajak overall.

“I thought she was more entertaining than Pat is or ever was. She was a great host. Not that Pat isn’t too,” a fan wrote on Facebook.

White’s full CBS Sunday Morning segment is available above. The show airs every Sunday at 9 a.m. ET on CBS. Wheel of Fortune airs on weeknights at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.