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Two years ago, Vanna White made headlines when she hired a lawyer to help her negotiate a new Wheel of Fortune contract. People were shocked to learn that Vanna hadn’t gotten a pay raise in 18 years and had been making considerably less money than former host Pat Sajak did. Vanna was a class act throughout it, though, and held out for months until she finally got a new contract with a hefty raise. Reportedly, that contract is good through 2026. During an appearance on IHeartRadio’s Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, Vanna shared something else about her WOF contract: she only works 34 days a year.
The lucky winner is … Vanna White.
The co-host of “Wheel of Fortune” revealed the surprisingly low number of days she films the hit game show each year during a recent radio interview with “Elvis Duran and the Morning Show.”
“We film about 34 days a year,” White shared. “That’s it.”
The 68-year-old model spilled the truth about the short production schedule on Wednesday, after radio co-host Nate Marino mentioned that he only recently learned that the show didn’t air live every night.
However, White’s schedule requires her to film “six shows a day.”
The cultural icon, who has co-hosted the show for 42 years, still has to change outfits and shoes multiple times daily between tapings.
“Come on. You could feel bad for me,” she quipped.
“I do not feel sorry for you one bit,” Duran joked. “That sounds like a great job.”
The radio personalities were seemingly stunned that White spends most of her time away from the set, which is based at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif.
“So weird. You have 331 days off a year?” Marino asked.
“Yes, I guess so,” White said.
“And no one deserves it more than you,” Duran said. “You’re just the best.”
I don’t know why I was so surprised to hear about their filming schedule. I have a friend who worked on Steve Harvey’s court show and he said they film multiple episodes a day over a short period of time. I looked it up and Jeopardy has a similar filming schedule, only they shoot about six eps per day for 46 days. It makes sense that WOF does this too, but it’s still rocking my world a little bit! I guess that’s the beauty of a game show with little to no continuity. That is a sweet gig right there. No wonder Vanna has lasted so long and why Seacrest wanted it so badly. Oooh, this means that she got to wear six different gorgeous dresses every day.
When I saw those headlines about Vanna’s salary negotiations, I read that she was in her mid-60s at the time and wondered why she didn’t want to retire when Sajak did and let a new guard take the reins. Hearing that she gets 331 days a year off…it makes perfect sense. Vanna is 68 now, but if she wants to renegotiate and stay at WOF, then I hope she uses that same lawyer and gets another pay bump.
Photos credit: Backgrid, Roger Wong/INSTARimages, Getty and via Instagram
She deserves every penny and I don’t care that she works 34 days a year. No one was tuning in for Pat Sajak and they owe her MILLIONS.
I agree totally! Pat Sajak wasn’t the only talent on the Wheel. They do owe her money.
Sorry, but I disagree. Vanna just needs to fit the clothes, but the host needs to be able to banter with contestants and be ready with quips for whatever a contestant might say. The host’s duties might not be rocket science, but it’s significantly more than just turning letters.
I think she became familiar to the public. In that sense, I think she probably deserved more money, but she didn’t ask for it so maybe she was also unsure about her market value. I think she was smart to keep the job rather than try to prove she could be successful at a “deeper” job.
I feel school told us a pack of lies haha.
If they just needed someone pretty to turn the letters, she’d have been fired when she turned 40. She wasn’t because Vanna White is as much as a viewership draw as Sajak. Just because what she does doesn’t have value to you, it has value to the people who advertise on the show because she brings the eyes that the advertise in front of.
I’m assuming Drew Carey took the Price is Right job because of the schedule. I think they shoot a lot more than WOF, but it’s still a good gig.
And yet, he STILL looks absolutely miserable! If Drew can’t handle screaming people and ridiculous games, he shouldn’t have signed up for the gig. Fake a smile, my guy.
When I was a kid and we watched nightly, I recall Pat making condescending jokes to her. She’d banter with guests and he’d make a joke at her expense. I can only imagine how awful he was offscreen. Get that coin girl!
That’s the way they have produced game shows for decades. They would film a week’s worth of the old Match Game in a day and the celeb panelists would famously get hammered during the lunch break which is why the Thursday and Friday shows were rowdier than the rest of the week.
I envy the flexibility. You sort of don’t realize how important that flexibility is until you get older.
The money is good too but the flexibility sounds nice haha.
Honestly? Good for her.
One of my college friends used to work for the Maury show. They filmed two days a month, 12 hour days. She was a film editor, so she worked the rest of the time editing the show.
Respect.
Damn
This would be a massive upscaling in workdays for the Duchess of Wales.
+1
Exactly what I was thinking!
Wow, still trying to get her off the show (I see you Ryan). Also Seacrest only works 34 days too for a LOT more $$$
Honestly, I do NOT understand why Ryan Seacrest goes out for all shows when the host is leaving. And still less understandable to me is the reason why people keep hiring him! He does an okay job on America Idol but, let’s face it, he’s no great talent. In fact, there’s a bland, white bread quality about him. Does he have compromising pictures of the producers with a goat or something? Unbelievable.
I knew they filmed six shows a day but I didn’t realize that shooting was for only a month a year. Long days but great to have so much time off.