Vanna White doesn’t understand how her son, Nikko Santo Pietro, is considered a heartthrob.
“I recently posted a video of me and my son, Nikko, cooking and it got a lot of response,” White, 67, told Ryan Seacrest on the Thursday, January 23, episode of Wheel of Fortune.
White and Nikko, 30, often film culinary videos together. In a December 2024 clip shown on Thursday’s broadcast, the TV star dutifully watched as Nikko peeled and chopped onions. The comments section was flooded with reactions toward Nikko’s physical appearance.
“I don’t get it,” White quipped on Thursday.
Seacrest, 50, stepped in to teach his Wheel of Fortune costar about the online trend.
“The kids are calling Nikko a thirst trap,” Seacrest explained. “Apparently, that was a very tight [top]. He went to the Baby Gap to buy that shirt. It was very tight and they found him strikingly good-looking and no one knows what you cooked.”
While White was confused about her son being dubbed a “thirst trap,” she enjoyed spending time with him in the kitchen.
“We cooked Uncle Roy’s Chicken,” White added during the broadcast.
Seacrest then proceeded to offer his thanks to Uncle Roy for the recipe — and to Nikko “for that tight shirt.”
“I’m going to post another video today,” White replied. “What’s it going to be?”
The mother-son duo went on to teach fans how to make Parsnip Soup.
“We’re back with another recipe,” White captioned her Instagram upload. “Whether you’re a parsnip lover or have never tried them before, we have the perfect soup for you to make at home!”
Nikko, meanwhile, replied, “Can’t go wrong with a simple dish 👌.”
In addition to Nikko, White shares daughter Gigi with ex-husband George Santo Pietro. The kids remain White’s biggest cheerleaders.
“Got to see mom against some of the smartest people in the world, which was interesting,” Nikko said of watching White compete on Wheel of Fortune in May 2023. “She put in the fight, so she did a great job.”
While White is used to the glamour of appearing on the long-running game show, she is happy to have a quieter life at home.
“I did homework with my kids. I go to the grocery store. I don’t know why there’s this feeling of celebrities being different — put up on a higher echelon or something. I’m not quite sure what it is, but I feel very normal,” she said in a 2018 interview with The Believer. “And the only downside is when you go out — it’s not a downside, but you’re always getting recognized, or you — if you go out, say, just looking absolutely horrible, somebody might take a picture of you and put it on social media.”
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