Vanna White, the beloved game show icon, has recently negotiated a pay raise for her role on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, according to a new report. While she remains in talks to continue on the show after Pat Sajak’s departure, her pay for the regular Wheel of Fortune show is still undetermined.
For White, this deal represents a significant increase from her previous contract, as she had reportedly not received a raise in 18 years. However, the discussions surrounding her payment for the main Wheel of Fortune show, which she helped popularize since its debut in 1982, have hit a roadblock. Currently earning $3 million, just a fifth of Sajak’s salary, White has requested 50 percent of Sajak’s $15 million annual earnings. Negotiations concerning this matter and her potential cut from the $400,000 weekly salary for Celebrity Wheel of Fortune are still ongoing.
Despite settling on the $100,000 per episode deal for the spinoff, discussions about White’s continued role on the original game show remain unresolved. Sajak is set to retire at the end of the upcoming season, with Ryan Seacrest slated to take over the hosting duties, earning a staggering $28 million per year.
Efforts to evaluate the importance of both Sajak and White’s roles on the show through a third-party mediator were also rejected by Sony, the studio behind Wheel of Fortune. It appears that the studio believes Sajak’s pay had already reached an excessive level by the end of his 48-year tenure, making the $15 million benchmark irrelevant to the ongoing talks.
While Sajak’s retirement announcement and Seacrest’s quick replacement were unfolding, White received a less enthusiastic response, leading her to believe that the show’s producers considered her “replaceable” and lacked respect for her. The situation has left her “disappointed” in the decision-making process.
Meanwhile, as for “Jeopardy!” – another popular game show – it is currently in its 39th season and is scheduled to conclude at the end of July 2023. However, no date has been set for the upcoming season.