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George Santo Pietro: What Happened to Vanna White’s Ex-Husband?

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2 days ago

September 22, 2026

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George Santo Pietro: What Happened to Vanna White’s Ex-Husband?

George Santo Pietro is best known as the ex-husband of Vanna White. Vanna is famous for the TV show Wheel of Fortune. But George also built his own career and made a name for himself.

George worked in the restaurant business for many years. He also worked on movie and TV sets. Later he started working with large and costly homes in California.

But what happened to George Santo Pietro after his marriage ended? Here we will look at his early life and career. We will also learn about his marriage to Vanna White and their family.

Who Is George Santo Pietro?

George Santo Pietro is an American businessman. He owned popular restaurants in Los Angeles. He also worked in Hollywood and later became involved in the real estate business.

Many people know George because he married Vanna White. The two were married for about 12 years. Their marriage made George much more famous with the public.

Still George had his own career. His restaurants were popular with Hollywood stars. He also worked behind the camera on TV and movie sets. Later he worked with very costly homes.

George Santo Pietro’s Early Life

George Santo Pietro was reportedly born on December 12 1946. This means he is 79 years old in 2026. His exact early life is not well known.

Some websites say George was born in Beverly Hills California. An old newspaper story described him as being from Brooklyn New York. Because the reports are different his exact birthplace is not fully clear.

George has not shared much about his parents or school life. Some reports say he liked movies when he was young. Still there is little trusted information about this part of his life.

George Santo Pietro’s Restaurant Career

George Santo Pietro became successful in the restaurant business. In the 1980s he owned an Italian restaurant called Santopietro’s. It was in the Bel-Air area of Los Angeles.

The restaurant became popular with Hollywood stars. Famous actors and other people from the movie world reportedly ate there. This helped George meet many people from the entertainment business.

George was also linked to a Japanese restaurant called Sushi-Ko. It was another popular place. His restaurant career shows that George was successful before his marriage to Vanna White.

George Santo Pietro and His Hollywood Career

George also worked in Hollywood. Most of his work happened behind the camera. This means viewers usually did not see him on screen.

He worked as part of camera crews on movies and TV shows. His name has been linked with shows such as Beverly Hills 90210 and They Came From Outer Space.

Some reports also connect him with later TV and movie projects. George was not mainly known as an actor. His work was mostly about helping make shows and movies behind the scenes.

How George Santo Pietro Met Vanna White

Before meeting George Vanna White went through a very sad loss. She was engaged to actor John Gibson. Sadly he died in a plane crash in May 1986.

Later Vanna met George through friends. George already owned successful restaurants. His work also brought him close to many people from the Hollywood world.

George and Vanna started dating. Their relationship soon became serious. Vanna had a very public job on television. George lived a more private life. Still they found happiness together.

George Santo Pietro and Vanna White’s Marriage

George Santo Pietro and Vanna White got married on December 31 1990. Their wedding took place in Aspen Colorado. At the time Vanna was already a famous TV star.

After the wedding they started building a life together. Vanna continued working on Wheel of Fortune. George continued with his own business and Hollywood work.

The couple also wanted children. They hoped to build a happy family together. Their road to becoming parents was not easy though. They went through a very sad loss first.

George Santo Pietro’s Children and Family

Vanna became pregnant in 1992. She was very happy about the news. Her pregnancy was even shared through a puzzle on Wheel of Fortune. It read “Vanna’s Pregnant.”

Sadly Vanna lost the baby soon after the announcement. The loss was very painful. She later spoke about how hard that time was for her.

George and Vanna later became parents to two children. Their son Nicholas “Nikko” Santo Pietro was born in June 1994. Their daughter Giovanna “Gigi” Santo Pietro was born in July 1997.

Why Did George Santo Pietro and Vanna White Divorce?

George Santo Pietro and Vanna White were married for about 12 years. Their marriage ended in 2002. By that time they had built a family and welcomed two children together.

The exact reason for their divorce has never been made very clear. George and Vanna did not share many private details about the split. So it is best not to believe every rumor found online.

Their marriage ended but they still shared an important bond. They were the parents of Nikko and Gigi. Both children were still young when the divorce happened. Their family connection continued after the marriage ended.

What Are Nikko and Gigi Doing Today?

Nikko Santo Pietro grew up and built his own life. He studied agriculture and became interested in plants and farming. In more recent years he has also worked in real estate in Los Angeles.

Nikko also seems to share his father’s love of food. George was known as a good cook during his restaurant years. Nikko has spoken about growing up around food and cooking. It became part of his family life.

Gigi Santo Pietro chose a more artistic path. She studied photography at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She later became a tattoo artist and has worked in the Los Angeles area.

George Santo Pietro’s Real Estate Success

George Santo Pietro did not spend his whole career in restaurants. He later became involved in real estate. He worked with large and very costly homes in Southern California.

One of his best-known projects was a huge Italian-style home in the Beverly Hills area. The house had nine bedrooms and 15 bathrooms. It also had a movie room and a large swimming pool.

The home was first put on the market for a much higher price. It was later sold for about $23.5 million in 2010. The huge sale showed just how big George’s real estate work had become.

George Santo Pietro’s Net Worth and Life Today

Many people want to know George Santo Pietro’s net worth. Different websites give very different answers. Some say around $5 million. Other sites claim his wealth is much higher.

There is no trusted public record that shows his exact net worth in 2026. For this reason it is better not to give one number as a fact. We do know that George has worked with very valuable homes.

George now keeps much of his life private. He does not appear on TV often. He also does not share every part of his personal life with the public. This makes some details about his current life hard to confirm.

What Happened to George Santo Pietro?

So what happened to George Santo Pietro after his divorce from Vanna White? He did not simply disappear. He continued building his life away from the bright lights of TV fame.

Several reports say George later married Melissa Mascari. They are also reported to have a daughter named Chiara. Some websites list other family details too. However not every claim about his private life has strong public proof.

In 2026 George is still best known to many people as Vanna White’s former husband. Yet his story is much bigger than one marriage. His work in food and Hollywood helped build his career before real estate became another major part of his life.

Final Thoughts

George has always been different from Vanna in one clear way. Vanna built a career in front of millions of TV viewers. George usually worked away from the camera and kept his personal life much quieter.

That private style seems to have continued as he grew older. There are far fewer public interviews with George than with Vanna. He also does not appear to chase attention through regular public events.

This may be why people still ask what happened to him. A person can be close to Hollywood without wanting to be a star. George Santo Pietro is a good example of that kind of life.