Vanna White has been a staple on Wheel of Fortune since her 1982 debut. But as new episodes of the hit game show premiere on television, fans are noticing a major difference about her current appearance on TV. Or rather, her lack of appearance on TV.
As the show airs Teacher's Week throughout the first week of October, viewers got concerned that Vanna was no longer due to her current absence. While various publications noted in August she was working out a new contract ahead of the new season and amid Pat Sajak's impending exit, her current disappearance from Wheel of Fortune has nothing to do with that. Rather, Vanna not appearing on the show is something that people were made aware of earlier this year.
So, where is Vanna? Thankfully, she'll be back, as she signed a multi-year deal to be on the show through the 2025-2026 season. But we did some digging and here's what we know about her not being on the latest group of installments.
Where is Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune?
When Pat addressed Vanna's absence on Wheel of Fortune on October 2, he revealed that Vanna called in sick for five days after testing positive for COVID-19 amid filming in August.
"You'll notice Vanna is not here, and I have to say that Ms. White has tested positive for COVID," he shared with the audience. "That's the bad news. The good news is I talked to her just a little while ago and she feels fine. She has a little sniffle. But she tested positive and that's the way it goes, so she will not be with us here this week."
Pat's announcement coincides with what multiple outlets reported earlier in the summer. Fox News reported on August 11 that the TV personality came down with the illness and couldn't attend the filming of Wheel of Fortune's Teachers Week. Because the daylong taping couldn't be reworked due to the teachers' schedules, the game show asked Bridgette Donald-Blue, a 2023 California Teacher of the Year, to step in and take over Vanna's role during her time away from cameras.
While getting sick is a very understandable reason for not appearing on Wheel of Fortune, this actually marks a first in Vanna's TV career. According to KTLA, this is the first time in three decades that she's missed the taping of an episode. What's more, she's only been away from Wheel of Fortune three other times since her first appearance four decades ago.
Despite Vanna's temporary absence from Wheel of Fortune, the series is gearing up for a monumental season as it'll be Pat's last.
It was announced that Ryan Seacrest will take over the longtime co-host's role starting in September 2024. In addition to the hosting news, Deadline announced in July that Vanna will return to host another season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and it will involve "a significant salary increase."
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
