Vanna White has seen it all during her 40-plus-year career as Wheel of Fortune co-host, including huge money wins, hilarious puzzle blunders, and big-name celebrity guests. However, there is still one thing that gets her heart pounding when it comes to the long-running game show.
The legendary letter turner spoke to Parade on Saturday (October 25) when she appeared at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas for the 2025 World Tournament of Slots. During the conversation, White admitted she doesn’t “get nervous very often” on the show, but her heart rate increases when the million-dollar wedge is in play.
“Every once in a while I do [get nervous],” she told the outlet. “Like if I know we have a million dollars on the wheel, and she picks up the million dollars… it’s not nerves, but my heart is pounding. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just want her to solve it or him to solve it!'”
This particular moment, which White described as pure “excitement,” happened earlier this month when contestant Christina Derevjanik became only the fourth person in the history of the regular version of the show to win the million-dollar prize.
While White is the consummate professional on screen, she confessed to a couple of other moments when nerves struck. “I remember years ago, I was sitting in the makeup chair and Stevie Wonder walked in,” she shared. “So yes, I got nervous when I saw Stevie Wonder.”
She added, “And I also got nervous when I saw Mister Rogers. He came on our show, and I was just so nervous to meet him.”
The late Fred Rogers, better known as Mister Rogers, made a surprise appearance on the show back in September 1998 during Wheel‘s “Pittsburgh Week.” After a contestant solved a “Who Said It?” puzzle, which was Rogers’ catchphrase “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood,” the beloved children’s television host appeared on set.
Wonder hasn’t appeared on the show, but White previously told Closer that the music icon simply showed up backstage one day in the studio makeup room, and the moment has stayed with her ever since.
Wheel of Fortune, Weeknights, check local listings
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