Why Wheel of Fortune‘s Vanna White Thinks Pat Sajak’s Daughter Is a “Good Replacement” for Her

As Pat Sajak prepares to say goodbye to Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White exclusively shared with E! News how the host’s 28-year-old daughter Maggie Sajak could be her “replacement” one day.

It’s no puzzle: Vanna White is a fan of Maggie Sajak.

In fact, the Wheel of Fortune star believes the 28-year-old, who is currently serving as the game show’s social media correspondent, is ready to step up and handle the puzzle board as her dad Pat Sajak prepares to retire as host after four decades.

“I think she’s a good replacement if I can’t be there for some reason,” Vanna told E! News’ Francesca Amiker during an exclusive interview about her Wheel of Fortune-inspired makeup collection with Laura Geller Beauty. “She’s been around it her whole life, so I think she can fill in for me for sure.”

The 66-year-old also noted that Pat’s signature charm has certainly “rubbed off” on Maggie, who turned letters on the puzzle board earlier this year when Vanna was a contestant on an episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. “She’s precious, she’s beautiful, she’s very good,” Vanna raved of Maggie. “I think she learned a lot from her father because he’s such a good interviewer.”

The Vanna Speaks author added, “I think she’s good for our show.”

Pat, 76, announced his plans to leave Wheel of Fortune in June, sharing that “the time has come” as the long-running series’ 41st season would be his last. Ryan Seacrest was soon named his successor, with Vanna extending her contract through to what would be the radio host’s first season of the show.

So, how does Vanna feel about this changing of the guards? “There’s definitely sadness and it is absolutely bittersweet for me,” she shared, joking that she’s grown “very attached” to Pat due to their 41-year working relationship. “It’s going to be really hard for me after all these years.”

Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images

However, that’s not to say Vanna isn’t excited to see Ryan’s spin at hosting Wheel of Fortune. As she noted, “He is a kind man. He is professional. He’s good at what he does. He likes to have fun.”

“He even said to me, ‘I’m not trying to replace Pat by any means. I just want to go in and do a good job,'” Vanna shared. “So, that’s what he’s going to do and I think he’s going to be just fine.”

And at the end of the day, all Vanna wants is for Wheel of Fortune to be remembered as “one of the best shows on TV.”

“I don’t mean that in an egotistical way,” she said, explaining how the show has continued to provide comfort at times of “craziness” in the world. “There’s so much drama everywhere. You turn on Wheel of Fortune and you get half hour of family fun.”