In all the years she’s worked with Pat Sajak on “Wheel of Fortune,” Vanna White says they’ve only had one argument that has left him, ahem, “voweling” mad. Pat Sajak has admitted to getting behind the Wheel drunk. In an on-air interview with ESPN2's Dan Le Batard Tuesday, the 65-year-old “Wheel of Fortune” host was asked if he ever did the show. Pat Sajak and Vanna White are one of Hollywood's longest-lasting on-screen duos. After co-hosting 'Wheel of Fortune' for 40 years, the pair tells Access Hollywood's Zuri Hall whether or not they. The 62-year-old former pageant queen and actress has been flipping letters on the popular game show since 1982 — just one year less than co-host Pat Sajak. And given Wheel of Fortune 's continued.

• Pat Sajak Vanna White Date
• Vanna And Pat Kiss
• Vanna And Pat Age

Icons October 26, 2019

Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak has had a wild ride to the top of the game show world, but the Chicago native wasn’t always gunning for a role as the Lord of the Wheel. The TV host mostly keeps to himself, but he’s lived a really interesting life that’s taken him from Vietnam to the TV stages of Hollywood. Who is this host that millions of families welcome into their homes every day? What’s his life like? And just exactly how long does he spend taping episodes of the Wheel? We’ll get into all that and more at this in-depth look at Pat Sajak.

He's Got A Great Schedule

Pat Sajak Vanna White Date

Wheel of Fortune is on every day so Sajak’s life must be an unending cycle of listening to contestants guess letters, right? Not so. He actually doesn’t have to work all that hard thanks to the tried and true system that the show’s crew worked out in its early days. Sajak and his co-host Vanna white work four days a week for nine months out of the year, which makes up an entire year’s worth of programming. Sajak said:

It's the closest thing you can do in pretending you have a full-time job. In dog years I've only done this show about nine years.

A day at the wheel works out like this - the first audience comes in to watch three episodes, the crew and Sajak take a break for work, and then a third audience comes in to watch the taping of the last three episodes. That’s six episodes a day.

He And Alex Trebek Swapped Roles For April Fool's Day In 1997

It turns out that gameshow hosts love a good April Fool’s prank just like the rest of us. On April 1, 1997, he and Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek traded gigs for the day. While Sajak hosted Jeopardy!, Trebek took to the Wheel of Fortune stage where he hosted a special episode that featured Sajak and co-host Vanna White as the contestants competing for different charities. To make things even more twisted, Trebek’s cohost was none other than Leslie Brown, Sajak’s wife. Knowing that the episodes are filmed long before they’re edited, the audience that day must have lost their minds when Alex Trebek walked out on that stage.

Sajak And Vanna Like To Have A Drink During The Show

Before the Wheel’s crew got the show down to a science it used to take them at least an hour to shoot a 30-minute show. Sajak says that during the ‘80s he and White would get so bored with the show that by lunchtime they were in dire need of a drink - and luckily, they knew a great place to get margaritas, According to the host, he and White were so into their lunchtime ritual that they even filmed a few shows when they were tipsy. He said that he and White would get so toasty that sometimes their post-lunch shows wouldn’t pass a field sobriety test. He said:

So Vanna and I would go across and have two or three or six [margaritas] and then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet.

He's A Vietnam Vet

Before coming to Los Angeles to see his fortune on television, Sajak served in the military and did stints in the Vietnam War. He worked as a deejay for the troops and hosted a show called Dawn Buster that has quite a history. The show was originally hosted by Adrian Cronauer, the inspiration for the film Good Morning Vietnam. When Sajak took over the role he continued the tradition of announcing “good morning Vietnam!” How great would it be to hear Sajak open up an episode of the Wheel with that catchphrase just once? He’s got to still have the pipes for it. Sajak has spoken about how he feels lucky to have been a DJ, but that he knows the importance of providing entertainment for the folks fighting for America. He explained:

I used to feel a bit guilty about my relatively 'soft' duty. After all, I was billeted in a hotel, and there were plenty of nice restaurants around. But I always felt a little better when I met guys who came into town from the field and thanked us for bringing them a little bit of home. I always thought it was strange that they should be thanking me, given what so many of them were going through on a daily basis.

Sajak Hit The Jackpot

Sajak must love his job because he’s got so much money that he doesn’t need to present a fancy game of hangman anymore. He makes somewhere around $15 million a year, which is more than TV personalities like Anderson Cooper, and Conan O’Brien. However, he’s said that he’s not going to stick around forever. Sajak explained:

Well, I'm getting closer to the end. I think once I'm gone, it would be unseemly to keep me as host. I'd like to leave while the show is still popular. That would be nice--to let someone else take over on a show that's still working well. I'd also like to leave before people tune in and go, 'My God, what the hell happened to him?'

Merv Griffin Really Wanted Pat Sajak To Host The Wheel

Before Sajak hosted the Wheel the series was helmed by Chuck Woolery alongside former model Susan Stafford. But when Woolery he asked for more money from NBC, he was out the door in 1981. The show’s producer, Merv Griffin, saw Sajak during his time as a weatherman and knew he’d be perfect for the role. NBC didn’t see Sajak as the host, but Griffin went to bat for him, something that absolutely changed Sajak’s life. In order to force NBC’s hand, Griffin refused to tape more episodes of the show until he had the host he wanted in front of the camera. Not only is that a ballsy move, but it’s also proof that he had absolute confidence in Sajak.

He Says That He’s Only Had One Argument With Vanna White

In the decades that Sajak has worked on the Wheel you’d think that he and co-host Vanna White would have gotten into a ton of arguments -- but, according to him, that’s not the case. While speaking with a publication in Seattle he explained that the only time he and White ever sparred with one another was during a conversation about the kind of condiments that one puts on a hot dog. Aside from arguing over the fact that she puts ketchup on a hot dog, he said that things are so easy going because he has nothing to be upset about. He explained:

I’m very lucky to live in a, to work in a business that they treat you well and they pick you up in limos, fly you around and all that stuff. I’m just lucky enough to be doing it.

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Tags: Game Shows Pat Sajak Vanna White Wheel Of Fortune

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Jacob Shelton

Writer

Celebrity couples are fascinating. They're often either full of drama or madly in love — there's no in-between. From Cardi B and Offset to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, they frequently turn their love into trending topics. Then there are celebrity pairings who you might think are romantically involved, but aren't actually. Among them are Wheel of Fortune hosts, Pat Sajak and Vanna White.

The duo has hosted the game show since 1981 (via History) and been through ups and downs on the show. White had to fill in for Sajak for the first time ever when he had to have emergency surgery for a blocked intestine in December 2019. At the time, White said she was 'excited' and 'nervous' about the experience, per CNN.

Sajak and White's 40-year partnership has lasted longer than many celebrity marriages, and with them having spent so much time together throughout the years, many have wondered why they've never dated.

Pat Sajak and Vanna White are more like family

With Pat Sajak and Vanna White possessing undeniable chemistry on screen, it would be easy for viewers to mistake them for a couple. The truth is, both have been married twice, but never to each other. The reason? They see each other as friends and family, not lovers.

'People see the chemistry between Pat and me,' White told Closer Weekly in 2019. 'We are like brother and sister, and I think that is what makes it work.' Sajak added that their friendship is like 'lightning in a bottle,' and they're so friendly that White said they've 'never had one argument.'

Their unwavering commitment to each other is what has made Wheel of Fortune so popular — so much so that Sajak said that he will only work with White until the show ends. 'My goal is to leave before people turn on the TV and go, 'What the hell happened to him?' Sajak joked on stage at Paley Center for Media in 2017 via Entertainment Weekly. 'I can't imagine being there with someone else.'

Vanna And Pat Kiss

Pat Sajak and Vanna White have families and different partners

Besides treating each other like family, Pat Sajak and Vanna White are also in relationships with other people.

According to People, Sajak was first married to Sherill Sajak in 1979, but they divorced after seven years. While 'fresh [off that] divorce,' he met aspiring actress Lesly Brown at a sports bar in 1998, according to Closer Weekly. The two got married in 1989 and went on to have two children together — son Patrick Leonard Michael James Sajdak Jr. in 1990 and daughter Maggie Marie Sajak in 1995, via Oprah Magazine.

White, on the other hand, was first engaged to Young and the Restless actor John Gibson, who was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1986, per People. White has said his death was 'devastating,' but she was grateful for Wheel of Fortune fans for helping her overcome her grief. 'I heard from so many people who had shared the same experience of losing someone instantly in an accident, and that really helped me,' she said.

Vanna And Pat Age

In 1990, White married restaurateur George Santo Pietro, but they filed for divorce in 2002. Since then, White has been in a few relationships and has been dating contractor John Donaldson since 2012.