Jan 27
Watch: Vanna White Still Puzzling Over the Internet's Thirst for Her Handsome Son
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Nikko Santo Pietro became an overnight sensation after he and his mother, Vanna White from "Wheel of Fortune," made a cooking video. Nearly two months later, White is still surprised and perplexed by the internet's thirsty reaction to her son.
Us Magazine reported that White related the video and its aftermath to "Wheel of Fortune" host Ryan Seacrest, saying, "I recently posted a video of me and my son, Nikko, cooking and it got a lot of response.... I don't get it."
Seacrest sought to explain that particular video's popularity, speculating that her son's wardrobe choices set the viral vid apart from the other cooking clips the two of them have created together.
"The kids are calling Nikko a thirst trap," Us quoted Seacrest telling White. "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."
The dish was "Uncle Roy's Chicken," Seacrest explained.
The hot meal wasn't the only thing warming fans, and the thirsty response to Nikko took media outlets by storm.
"You're just innocently trying to tell us [about] Uncle Roy's chicken, and the internet is like, 'Vanna, you've been keeping a secret from us!'" host Diedre Behar said when White and her son appeared on Entertainment Tonight to talk about the video's viral success.
"'Vanna where have you been hiding Nikko?' one follower commented," People Magazine recounted at the time.
Another of White's fans "even went as far as to ask if Nikko was 'on the menu too 👀,'" People added.
"Of course, it's flattering," Pietro told Behar, adding that his mother "turned to me and said, 'Is this what viral means?'"
After her tutorial from Seacrest on "Wheel of Fortune," White jumped in with, "I'm going to post another video today. What's it going to be?"
As it turned out, parsnip soup was on the menu, Us relayed. Nikko, who is a realtor and influencer with his own online fandom, assured viewers at home, "Can't go wrong with a simple dish 👌."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
