Wheel of Fortune star Vanna White was left confused after being called out by social media users son of Nikko Santo Pietro “thirst trap”.
Last month, White, 67, shared video on Instagram in which she and Santo Pietro were seen in the kitchen cooking a chicken dish. After fans used the slang phrase to describe the 30-year-old real estate agent, White appeared unfamiliar with the term’s meaning during Thursday’s episode of the long-running game.
“I recently posted a video of me and my son Nikko cooking and it got a lot of responses,” the TV personality told her co-host Ryan Seacrest as the audience cheered.
Vanna White seemed confused when fans called her son Nikko Santo Pietro a “thirst trap.” (Getty/Vanna White Instagram)
“I don’t get it,” White said with a shrug.
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“The kids call Nikko a thirst trap,” Seacrest, 50, explained.
The “American Idol” host informed her that fans noticed that Santo Pietro was wearing a tight white T-shirt in the video.
“Apparently it was very tight — he went to Baby Gap to buy that shirt,” Seacrest joked. “It was very tight and they found it incredibly good looking and no one knows what you cooked.”
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“What did you actually do?” he asked White.
“We cooked Uncle Roy’s chicken,” White replied.
“Well, thank you Uncle Roy and thank you, Nikko, for that tight shirt,” Seacrest quipped.
White continued to tease that she will release another video on Thursday.
“Oh man!” Seacrest said.
“What will it be?” White said coyly to which Seacrest replied, “We’ll find out soon enough.”
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The Author of “Vanna Speaks”. she later shared another video of herself cooking with Santo Pietro, which received a similarly enthusiastic response from her followers.
After White uploaded the first cooking video in December, fans quickly took to the comments section to rave about her “handsome” son and inquire about his relationship status.
“Vanna where have you been hiding Nikko? He is GORGEOUS,” wrote one person.
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Another commented: “Your son is handsome!!!”
“He’s wonderful!” added one Instagram user.
Fans were delighted with Santo Pietro when he appeared in one of his mother’s Instagram videos. (Vanna White Instagram)
In an interview with party tonight Nikko said the attention was “flattering.”
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“Obviously I had an effusion[ing] from her fans, she’s just really nice and says all kinds of interesting things in the comments,” he said.
Santo Pietro, who works at The Agency, a real estate company owned by Mauricio Umansky, ex-husband of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Kyle Richards, he added: “I’ve always loved being in front of the camera and I’m very active on my social media. It’s a big part of what I do, so it feels natural and good.”
White shares Santo Pietro and daughter Gigi with her ex-husband, restaurant owner George Santo Pietro. (Vanna White Instagram)
However, Santo Pietro was adamant that the praise did not go to his head.
“People see me as this heartbreaker and they’re thirsty for me and all these things. I love all of that, but at the same time, it’s really good to remember the important things in life and just give it back, doing a lot of charity work, working hard every day,” he told the newspaper.
“That’s what it is for me,” Santo Pietro continued. “Influence.”
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White added, “He’s such a good kid!”
She continued: “I’ve always taught both of my kids, you have to work hard to get things, they’re not just given to you. And he does.”
Besides Santo Pietro, White shares daughter Gigi, with her ex-husband, restaurant owner George Santo Pietro.
Santo Pietro said he was “flattered” by the attention. (Vanna White Instagram)
While some fans expressed hope that they would find love with Santo Pietro or reunite him with his daughters, he confirmed that he is already in a relationship.
“I have an amazing girlfriend,” he told ET. “She’s an absolute sweetheart. She’s a singer-songwriter. We’ve been together for a year. She wrote a song about me. It’s so sweet that she did that.
He added that his girlfriend Easae, who wrote a song about him titled “Karaoke”, “apparently revealed the heartbreaking thing before America”.
White confirmed her approval of Easae, saying, “She’s so sweet, she’s real, down-to-earth, loving, giving.”
Nikko’s viral attention also potentially sparks a few more television appearances.
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“I’d love to,” White said when asked if fans can expect Santo Pietro on “Wheel of Fortune.” She pointed out that the daughter of her former co-host, Pat Sajak, Maggie Sajakshe appeared on the show numerous times, including filling in for White while taking over Sajak’s role as host in 2020 when he was undergoing surgery. Maggie has also served as the show’s social media correspondent since 2021.
“I don’t know how well I would play the game, but I would like to participate at some level,” added Nikko.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Stanton contributed to this report.
