Vanna White is celebrating a career milestone.
Tuesday night’s episode of “Wheel of Fortune” marked White’s 40th anniversary on the show. She took to Instagram to celebrate the big accomplishment by posting two pictures of her and co-host Pat Sajak.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but 40 years ago today I taped my first episode of @wheeloffortune It’s been a wonderful 40 years, too,” White wrote. “I’m so grateful to those of you who watch and everyone behind the scenes who make us look good. We wouldn’t still be here without all of you! (And the cake was delicious!)”
During the taping of her anniversary episode, the crew presented White a “Wheel of Fortune” cake, featuring the iconic letter board, which spells “Vanna,” and a number of cutouts of White in beautiful gowns she’s worn over her decades on the show.
Vanna White and Pat Sajak have been on “Wheel of Fortune” together for 40 years.
(Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images)
HOW MANY DRESSES DOES VANNA WHITE OWN? INSIDE THE ‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ CO-HOST’S WARDROBE
The official “Wheel of Fortune” Instagram account also posted its own tribute to White, sharing a behind-the-scenes video of the moment the crew surprised her with the cake.
She could be seen wearing a pink dress, saying in the video that she was “overwhelmed,” and Sajak can be heard congratulating her.
“It was 40 years ago … this young lady walked into the studio, trembling, and did her first ‘Wheel of Fortune’ … happy 40th, my dear,” Sajak said.
White first stepped onto the “Wheel of Fortune” stage in 1982, and she has since become a household name.
“Take a look behind the scenes of Vanna’s 40th Anniversary Celebration! Only the best for our favorite fashion icon, letter-turner, and person with a soul as beautiful as she is,” the show captioned its post. White took to the comments section, responding, “It seems like only yesterday!”
Over the past four decades, White has worn more than 7,000 dresses while appearing on the show. In a video posted to the “Wheel of Fortune” website, White talks about the process of picking a dress to wear, saying that she tries on 50 of them on the day before filming and then picks one on the day of the show.
“I don’t get to keep them, unfortunately. Designers let me borrow them, and then they take them back,” White says in the video.
Over the course of 40 years, White has worn over 7,000 dresses on the show.
(Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images)
While White is now the master of the letter board, she spoke on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” about the time she unveiled the wrong letter when she was new, and it wasn’t a digital screen.
“I was mortified. I don’t even remember which was the correct puzzle. It was either ‘Dr. Spock’ or ’Mr. Spock’ and I turned the ‘M’ or the ‘D’ and I was like, ‘That’s the wrong letter! Oh, my gosh!” she told Kelly Clarkson.
In 1997, the show switched to the digital letter board, with White saying now, “I won’t touch them unless they light up,” so if the wrong letter is revealed, “the mistake will not be mine.”
Throughout her 40 years on the show, Sajak and White have formed a very close bond, with White revealing a few years ago that they have only fought once in their entire working relationship. White explained to Fox News Digital that the argument, “believe it or not,” was about “putting ketchup on a hot dog.” She felt that both ketchup and mustard go well on a hot dog, while Sajak only likes mustard on his.
Sajak and White have only gotten into one disagreement over their 40-year friendship, and that was about whether ketchup belongs on a hot dog or not.
(Ricky Middlesworth/ABC via Getty Images)
White wasn’t afraid to admit that the argument was strange, saying, “I agree, it is [weird].”
Last year, White and Sajak signed on to continue “Wheel of Fortune” through the 2023-2024 season.
