Vanna White and Maggie Sajak swap outfits as WoF fans think co-host will ‘pass her the torch’

VANNA White and Maggie Sajak’s new Instagram post as stirred speculation about the duo’s futures on Wheel of Fortune.

On Thursday, August 22, Pat Sajak ‘s daughter Maggie , 29, posted an Instagram Reel in which she and Vanna , 67, swap glamorous dresses with each other, asking followers to “guess whose outfit is whose.”

Instagram/ maggiesajak

Instagram/ maggiesajak

Instagram/ maggiesajak

The clip is set to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s hit Murder on the Dancefloor and the caption reads, “Not the first time we’ve borrowed each other’s clothes.”

The video opens with Vanna wearing a deep purple, off-shoulder evening dress with a side slit, and Maggie modelling a pink, halter-neck outfit with a cinched waist and ruffle details.

Halfway through the clip, Vanna and Maggie swap clothes, highlighting how the dresses fit them both perfectly.

Maggie’s Instagram post has sparked rumors that Vanna is getting ready to “pass her the torch” after she retires as Wheel of Fortune’s co-host for over four decades.

“Are you going to take Vanna [sic] space when she retires,” one user addressed Maggie. “You would make a perfect one.”

“I am living for this,” another person commented, while others guessed that the pink dress belongs to Vanna while “purple is Maggie’s.”

A NEW WoF ERA

Vanna will reprise her role for Ryan Seacrest’s debu t on the CBS show after the American Idol presenter was named Pat’s replacement last June.

She signed a two-year contract extension to continue as WoF’s puzzle presenter through the 2025-26 season, earlier this year.

Maggie, who has a law degree, has served as the show’s social media correspondent since the 2021-22 season and often takes fans behind-the-scenes on WoF on her Instagram account.

The First Kiss singer has previously hosted the show for a week of episodes that were aired in January 2020.

While Maggie took over Vanna’s job of revealing the answers to WoF’s puzzles on the board, White stepped up as host while Pat was undergoing emergency surgery for a blocked intestine.

At the time, Vanna described the show without her co-host as a “word without vowels” in a tweet in November 2019.

“I’ll fill in the blanks until you return,” she continued. “Rest up and we’ll be solving puzzles in no time. (Don’t worry, your job is safe! Well, pretty safe.)”

Maggie has also hosted one episode of Celebrity Family Feud, alongside Pat, in 2023 when Vanna appeared as a contestant on the spinoff show.

Wheel of Fortune Host Timeline

Although Pat and Vanna have been a staple on the game show for decades, there have been other hosts

Chuck Woolery was the host from 1975 to 1981

He co-hosted alongside Susan Stafford (1975 to 1982)

Vanna White then stepped in as hostess in 1982 and has been ever since

After a contract and salary dispute, the show got rid of Chuck and brought in Pat in 1982

Pat hosted with Susan for one season

He then left the game show in 1989 to host a late-night talk show for CBS

For five months, NFL player Rolf Benirschke took his place

In July 1989, Bob Goen hosted the show on CBS

He hosted for a year and a half until the show was canceled in 1991

The show was then moved to ABC with Pat and Vanna hosting for the foreseeable future

In 2023, Pat announced his retirement and Ryan Seacrest as quickly named as his replacement

Pat announced that he was ending his 40-year reign as WoF’s beloved host in a retirement statement last June, calling his time on the show “a wonderful ride.”

‘NEPOTISM AT ITS BEST’

Thursday’s Instagram post isn’t the first time WoF viewers have suspected Maggie is being “groomed” to take over as a presenter.

In 2022, a fan post on the show’s subreddit read, “They are so grooming Maggie Sajak to take over for Vanna! Nepotism at its best!”

The fan criticism was triggered by Pat’s remark about Maggie’s capabilities after she hosted Wheel of Fortune’s Christmas Trivia with her father and Vanna in December 2022.

“You were actually a good host!” the veteran TV presenter told Maggie at the time, sparking the nepotism accusations.

‘A GOOD REPLACEMENT’

Vanna has previously described Maggie as “a good replacement” for her, in an interview with E! News.

“I think she’s a good replacement if I can’t be there for some reason,” she told the outlet. “She’s been around it her whole life, so I think she can fill in for me for sure.”

The Vanna Speaks author praised Maggie, “She’s precious, she’s beautiful, she’s very good.

“I think she l earned a lot from her father because he’s such a good interviewer,” Vanna continued, adding, “I think she’s good for our show.”

Earlier this month, fans offered different theories about why Maggie may have been passed over for a presenter role after Pat retired under one of her Instagram posts.

“So, why not make Vanna White host and Maggie the new cohost? I’m not even in television and I know that’s a damn slam dunk,” one comment read.

“Maggie’s coming eventually,” replied another. “I’d give Vanna like 5ish more years.”

While working as WoF’s social media correspondent, Maggie also studied law at Georgetown University Law School before graduating in May 2023.

Getty

Getty