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Vanna White has become a household name as one of the co-hosts of Wheel of Fortune. Although the famous lady has become a part of the family for many households, few have had the opportunity to see what Vanna’s like outside of her successful show. Thankfully, Vanna has made a few appearances over the years in various television programs that showcase a different side of the beloved television personality. Join Facts Verse as we reveal a new side of Vanna White. You’ve never seen her like this before!
Vanna White has been the co-host of Wheel of Fortune for well over three decades. Alongside co-host Pat Sajak, Vanna has become a part of the family for many households thanks to her time on the game show. Despite the fact that audiences have become incredibly familiar with Vanna due to her time on Wheel of Fortune, fans haven’t many opportunities to see what Vanna is like outside of the show.
Thankfully, Vanna has made a few appearances on other television programs. In the early 1990s, Vanna made a notable appearance on the hit Fox comedy Married… with Children. At the time, Vanna had already achieved immense popularity after a decade on Wheel of Fortune. She proved an incredible get for the Fox comedy, which took full advantage of her charm and appeal. Any fans of Vanna White that haven’t seen her appearance on Married… with Children should certainly seek the episode out.
The episode of Married… with Children that Vanna appeared on called “The Proposition”. The episode served as a parody of the popular thriller Indecent Proposal, with Vanna playing a counterpart to Demi Moore’s character in that film. As such, Vanna’s character tasked with seducing Al Bundy, the father character from the hit sitcom. The episode aired during Married… with Children’s seventh season.
Vanna’s character in “The Proposition” named Coco. She was Al’s former high school girlfriend, now a successful businesswoman. Coco had regrets about letting Al get away, and offered Al’s wife, Peg, a hefty sum to take him off her hands. Although Al and Peg certainly didn’t always see eye to eye in their marriage and she could’ve definitely used the money, she reluctantly turned the offer down.
Married… with Children wasn’t the only successful sitcom that Vanna appeared on during the 1990s. She also appeared in an episode of Full House. The episode Vanna appeared on was titled “The Test”, and she played the teacher of one of the Tanner kids. Vanna has also made a few appearances in other mediums, such as film.
Due to the fame she had acquired from hosting Wheel of Fortune, Vanna cast in the second sequel to Leslie Nielsen’s hit comedy The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! The third film called Naked Gun 33-1/3: The Final Insult. Leslie isn’t the only funnyman that Vanna has appeared alongside, as she also made an appearance alongside parody musician “Weird Al” Yankovic while the two were performing at an awards show ceremony.
Besides trying her hand at roles outside of Wheel of Fortune, Vanna has also taken other roles within the hit game show. Co-host Pat Sajak put out of commission in 2019 after having to undergo surgery as a result of intestinal blockage. During the period in which Pat couldn’t perform his duties on the show, Vanna filled in for her long-time co-host. Although Vanna had been a staple on the show for just as long as Pat, she found herself getting nervous while filling in for him. However, one can imagine that Pat would also feel out of place if we tasked with turning the show’s iconic letters.
Vanna began her time on Wheel of Fortune all the way back in 1982. Just two years before, Vanna had attempted to play a part on another game show. However, she wasn’t aiming to be a host, but a contestant. Apparently, Vanna had tried to become a contestant on The Price Is Right in 1980. However, she didn’t make it far enough into the process to make it onto the air. Thankfully, she managed to find her way onto a game show another way!
As legend has it, the events that led to Vanna getting her role on Wheel of Fortune started with the taping of an episode of a show called Dance Fever. Vanna was appearing as a dancer on the show. Merv Griffin, the same man that produced Wheel of Fortune, produced Dance Fever. A woman named Janet Jones, who later became the husband of hockey legend Wayne Gretsky, introduced Vanna to Merv’s assistant on the set of the show. Join Facts Verse as we reveal a new side of Vanna White. You’ve never seen her like this before!
After the introduction, Merv’s assistant called Vanna and asked her if she wanted to audition for the role of co-host on Wheel of Fortune. Vanna jumped at the opportunity. The news came on Thanksgiving Day, and Vanna given the job by the end of the year. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! As well, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Although Vanna White is certainly the most iconic letter turner to ever grace Wheel of Fortune, she wasn’t the first. Before Vanna given her co-hosting job in 1982, Susan Stafford fulfilled the role. As legend has it, Susan despised the position, feeling that it was below her. Vanna, on the other hand, was incredibly grateful to take her place. When Merv Griffin asked why he picked Vanna over all of the other women that had auditioned to replace Susan. He said that it because she turned the letters the best.
Besides Vanna’s aforementioned appearances in other mediums, she also appeared in a 1987 issue of Playboy. However, the appearance technically made without the television star’s permission. When Vanna had first come to Hollywood, she had found herself broke and at risk of being kicked out of her apartment. Not wanting to suffer the humiliation of begging to her father for money and admitting failure in Hollywood. Vanna posed for a lingerie photo shoot.
The photos that arose from this lingerie shoot fell into the hands of one of Vanna’s bitter ex-boyfriends. After Vanna rose to fame on Wheel of Fortune, this bitter ex decided that he wanted to try and use her fame to get some money for himself. He took the pictures to Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner, who proved to incredibly interested in them. Although Hugh was supposedly friends with Vanna. He decided to publish the pictures even after she politely asked him not to. Because of this, Vanna never spoke to Hugh again. The television star has since expressed guilt about the grudge she held against her former friend until his death. But it’s hard to blame her after he stabbed her in the back.
Vanna has been married twice in her lifetime, and is still currently married to her second husband. Before marrying her first husband, Vanna was engaged to a soap opera actor by the name of John Gibson. The two were engaged in the 1980s, before John’s tragic death in a plane crash. John died in 1986, and Vanna ended up marrying first husband George Santo Pietro several years later, in 1990.
George Santo Pietro was a restaurateur, and Vanna’s marriage to him lasted for over a decade. The two began trying to have children soon into their marriage, though Vanna suffered a miscarriage after their initial attempt. The couple’s later attempts were more successful, and the pair had two children before their divorce in 2002. Vanna and George’s children are son Nicholas and daughter Giovanna, born in 1994 and 1997, respectively.
After divorcing from George in 2002, Vanna began dating a businessman by the name of Michael Kaye. Soon after dating, the two announced that they were engaged. However, their marriage never panned out. The two ended up splitting up before any ceremony occurred. Several years after this, Vanna wound up with the man that eventually became her second husband, John Donaldson.
Vanna met John Donaldson in 2012, and the two were married that same year. They are currently still together, though they haven’t had any children. Vanna’s only two children are Nicholas and Giovanna from her marriage to George Santo Pietro. John is a successful contractor.
Many have wondered if Vanna has ever hooked up with her Wheel of Fortune co-host, Pat Sajak. However, the two have continuously denied that they have ever seen each other as anything more than friends. Still, the two have a closer relationship than most actual couples. The two have co-hosted Wheel of Fortune together for nearly four decades, and both have expressed that neither is willing to continue their stay on the program without the other.
Given that Vanna and Pat have hosted Wheel of Fortune for almost four decades, fans are constantly speculating about the two hosts’ eventual retirement. For the time being, both Vanna and Pat have expressed that they are willing to continue their stay on Wheel of Fortune for at least the next several years, though any time beyond that seems sketchy. Vanna is currently 64, and could likely keep up the role for several more decades if she saw fit. However, Pat is a decade older, and is likely much closer to retiring. Either way, both have likely had plenty of time on television for one lifetime, and deserve to retire whenever they choose.
Given that Vanna White has been so busy with Wheel of Fortune since being hired as the beloved game show’s co-host in 1982, she hasn’t had many opportunities to make a name for herself outside of her work on it. Because of this, her few appearances in other pieces of media serve as rare treasures for fans. Comment down below to share if you were excited to learn about any of the aforementioned appearances Vanna made outside of Wheel of Fortune, or if there were any you feel we left out of this video! As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
