Ryan Seacrest Is ‘Walking Around With a Huge Swagger’ as ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Ratings Soar

Ryan Seacrest is bona fide top dog on Wheel of Fortune now that ratings have surged, and it’s looking likely he’ll be empowered with changing anything he wants down the line, which has sources worried over Vanna White’s future.

“Ryan’s walking around with a huge swagger after his ratings success on Wheel of Fortune, now he’s talking about implementing changes to ‘improve’ the flow of the show,” an insider exclusively tells Closer. “He’s giving people more responsibility, and the fear is it puts Vanna in more peril even if she doesn’t realize it. They both play nice but make no mistake he’s the one getting all the credit here.”

In Ryan’s debut week as Wheel of Fortune host, which began on September 9, the show brought in its largest premiere week audience in five years, per Nielsen. The show averaged 8.31 million viewers during premiere week in season 42, rising to the No. 1 show in syndication.

“The incredible numbers speak for themselves,” the source adds. “If he wants to bring a younger, more modern hostess he probably can do that even if Vanna has done a deal. The pressure is on to keep the numbers up and what Ryan’s brilliant at is flogging people around him to do his bidding.”

But that’s not all. Ryan’s very first episode of season 42 was the game show’s highest-rated season premiere audience in nine years, with 9.63 million total viewers tuning in to see him assume the hosting role with Vanna, 67, by his side. As for how this compares to season 41’s numbers, Pat Sajak brought in 5.68 million viewers during the premiere episode last season.

“At the end of the day, as long as the numbers are high, Ryan can do what he wants, and if he wants to push Vanna out, it’s possible he’ll get the greenlight,” the insider adds. “It’s no secret it annoys him that she’s been sneaking off for lunches with Pat Sajak. He’s going to act charming but ultimately people know he’s as ruthless as they come.”

Vanna was spotted hanging out with Pat, 77, for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen in Encino, California, on September 3. She opened up about their friendship a few weeks later.

“We’re friends, and we’ll remain friends, and we’ll still go out to dinner and hang out for sure,” Vanna told Parade in an interview published on September 20.

While the letter-turner was sad to see Pat exit Wheel of Fortune after his final episode aired in June, she did not feel like it was the right time for her to retire along with him.

“I enjoy it. I love coming to work. I love watching people win. I love changing people’s lives,” Vanna told the outlet of why she decided to stay. “There’s a lot of stuff on TV that is so dramatic, and this is a half-hour of family fun and escape from so much. It’s such a positive family show. I love being part of that. So I’m not ready to leave.”