Vanna White Shares Her BTS Tradition with Ryan Seacrest Ahead of Wheel of Fortune Season 43

White says ‘Wheel of Fortune’ — which Seacrest began co-hosting last year — is her “home away from home” from more than four decades at the game show

Vanna White is celebrating her 43rd season as co-host of Wheel of Fortune — and her second alongside Ryan Seacrest.

The television personality, 68, tells PEOPLE in our first-ever Generations issue, on newsstands Friday, that she is “still having a great time when I come to work” after more than four decades.

“I know everybody, it is one big happy family here,” she says of the beloved game show. “So this is my home away from home, so I feel comfortable here. And it’s to see people win every single day and make them happy, there’s not a better job.”

White has nothing but praise for Seacrest, who took over hosting Wheel of Fortune from Pat Sajak after he announced his retirement in June 2023.

“I’ve known Ryan for over 20 years, but I’ve never worked with him until last year,” she says of Seacrest, 50. “He has great energy, and he wants to do a great job. I mean, when he first started, he goes, ‘Look, I can never replace Pat Sajak. I’m just going to go in and do the best job I can.’ And that’s what he’s done.”

“The transition was flawless,” she adds.

White shares that WOH viewers “get to see the real him too because he talks more and he’s himself, and he’s himself on American Idol as well, but he gets to talk a little more on Wheel of Fortune.”

Since Seacrest took the reins of Wheel of Fortune a year ago, the pair — who also co-host Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which returns to ABC on Sept. 26 — have even developed a sweet tradition backstage.

“Before we go out, I turn to him and say, ‘Do I have lipstick on my teeth?’” she says, adding that “of course” the media mogul is always honest with her during their checks before stepping on the Wheel of Fortune set.

Seacrest opened up to PEOPLE in December 2024 about how his co-host helped him keep his teeth white with a thoughtful gift.

“She’s so super generous and sweet and kind,” he shared at the time. “She even brought me — because I was saying, I drink very strong black coffee and my teeth, sometimes you can see it — she brought me white strips. She brought me white strips. She went to the store the next day. She brought me white strips.”

“She is an institution, an icon,” he added. “She’s amazing. She’s everything you think Vanna White will be when you meet her!”

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune returns on Friday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights (check local listings) and is available to stream the next day on Peacock and Hulu.