While I can’t stand Wheel of Fortune, millions of Americans watch the show and most of those Americans love Vanna White. I’m one of those people – I love Vanna White. She probably has one of the highest Q-scores on television, she’s an American institution, she’s unproblematic and naturally glamorous and she seems like an incredibly normal person. Vanna White’s job is co-hosting the show and touching the letter blocks as she struts back and forth on the stage. She’s non-judgemental and supportive of all the contestants. While it’s not a difficult gig, Vanna White has owned that stage since 1982, which is when she was selected as the permanent hostess. Well, Pat Sajak is finally retiring after forty years as the main host of WoF, which led Puck to do some reporting on whether Vanna is staying. As it turns out, Vanna wants to stay and she’s currently trying to negotiate a new contract… with a pay raise. Because Vanna hasn’t had a pay raise in 18 years!!! From Puck:
Vanna White Would Like a Raise: The longtime ‘Wheel of Fortune’ co-host hasn’t had a pay increase in 18 years. Yes, 18 years. And now, with Pat Sajak leaving, she’s hired an aggressive new lawyer and is finally asking for more.
After I wrote about Wheel of Fortune on Sunday and the impending retirement of host Pat Sajak, a Sony TV source reached out to note one thing I missed: Vanna White, Sajak’s co-host for four decades, is negotiating to continue on Wheel beyond when her deal ends at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. I’ve since confirmed that fact, and it led me down a wild path about “America’s Game” and what’s going on behind the scenes.
White currently makes about $3 million a year for her duties on the syndicated Wheel, per multiple sources. Sajak makes almost five times as much.
…There’s no real comp for what Vanna does, which means she’s not exactly Jennifer Lawrence or Michelle Williams when it comes to shining examples of pay disparity in Hollywood.
But… that’s a pretty shortsighted way of assessing value, in my opinion. White spends the same time on set as Sajak—more, actually, due to hair, makeup, and wardrobe obligations, my Sony TV source noted. She does way more publicity for the show than Sajak. She’s a personality, part of the show’s look, feel, and, let’s be frank, appeal. Her enthusiasm and silly button segments with Sajak at the end of each episode are fan favorites. And at this point, she’s arguably become more associated with Wheel of Fortune than Sajak is. The duo are in all the Wheel marketing together (unlike the late-night shows), and Sony’s own research shows Vanna’s appeal to women helps drive the show’s older, female viewership. In short, she arguably adds just as much value.
While $3 million per year is nothing to sniff at, it’s bonkers that is her salary after being on the show for FORTY YEARS. As I said, Vanna White is an American institution. She’s extremely popular, she never does or says anything problematic, she’s beloved by viewers and contestants, and (I suspect) advertisers love her. To not get a pay raise for 18 years… well, I hope she’s hired the best agents and lawyers and gets a big pay raise and a rock solid contract extension. Now that Ryan Seacrest is on board to replace Pat Sajak, I kind of hope they’re setting things up for Seacrest to play second fiddle to Vanna. Seacrest will hate that.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Vanna White at the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards – Arrivals, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, CA 04-30-17,Image: 512792646, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Martin Sloan / Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 20: Vanna White attends the 29th Annual Race To Erase MS Gala at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on May 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 693447469, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Vanna White, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
Wow, no pay raise in almost 20 years?! As Kaiser said 3m is no joke, but still.. crazy! Hope she gets a big pay raise.
A dollar today is worth $3.15 back in 1982. Vanna should be making at least $10 million a year.
How terrible is her agent/manager to not be negotiating?
Seriously, 18 years with no pay increase??? Yes she has a big paycheck, but that’s just wrong. I’m assuming Pat has had pay increases in the last 18 years.
Pat was probably sucking up all the compensation.
Right? Where was her agent and attorney all this time? Get what you deserve, Vanna!
$3M in 2005 (18 years ago) is worth 4.7M today.
When Vanna took hosting duties while Pat was recouping from his illness, I watched those shows, to make sure the advertisers knew my eyeballs were on Vanna.
I thought she did fantastic and for sure would move up once Pat was done.
But instead they gave it to someone with the personality of a molded dish rag.
They MUST have offered it to her first, right? I thought she’s be a shoo-in too! I hope they offered and she chose to turn it down. Or maybe she’ll start hosting and Ryan can do the letters.
Oof, I think you were in the minority. She was horribly stiff and very uncomfortable. She did not do a good job in my opinion
Women know your worth.
Too many women earn less than men because men dare to ask more.
(I don’t blame this on women as we are so often told we are lesser than).
Excellent point. I listen to the Add to Cart podcast, and one of their recent guests is financial expert, Vivian Tu. She said to ask yourself, ‘what’s in it for me?’ Too many women are ‘loyal’ to their employers when they really should be loyal to themselves. Treat yourself like a lead, per the Ashley Park article.
Sajak made 5 times as much as her? Yeah, no.
THIS part!! It’s not about the $3 million, it’s that she’s considered 1/5 as valuable as Pat. Which, no.
They don’t want to pay her. They want to fire her. They have been trying to fire her and pat for at least 15 years.
However, they will have to pay her mountains of cash this time because she will have to train Seacrest. No way can he do that show without her for at least the first two years. Ryan has never been able to keep the flow going. So Vanna will have to speak more. They use to pay her by how many words she spoke. With Seacrest she might make it to 10 million a year.
I cannot stand Seacrest. Let Vanna be the host, Seacrest can open the squares. I swear Seacrest has cloned himself because he’s everywhere all the time. He’s the guy who will use cryonics to live forever because he thinks he’s so amazing.
Yes! I totally agree, Vanna should be the host
The host is doing more than her, so the pay difference in that regards to me is fine, but not getting continuous raises yearly is fairly ridiculous given how popular the show is. The bigger question to me is whether she ever wanted Sajak’s position and was passed over in favor of another male host.
Then Pat should have been doing the promotional heaving lifting, but no that was Vanna.
All he had to do was show up, put on a suit and tape 2 to 3 shows a day, a couple times a week and bounce.
Vanna was doing everything else.
I agree the difference shouldn’t be so big. Difference is fine. Huge gap that wasn’t adjusted over the years is not. I would ask if other promotional material was compensated differently. If it’s not, then it’s a compounded issue.
More? Sure. $15 million compared to her $3? That’s too big a difference.
I agree. I expected her to be closer to 9-10 million. Difference is fine, but it shouldn’t be such a huge difference that the gap hasn’t closed over time. It’s one thing for him to be paid more because he’s talking and hosting the whole time, but if they were using her anywhere outside of the show and not compensating that separately, that’s a problem.
Vanna does just as much work and her likeness is used MORE than Sajak’s to promote the show. She is even the face of the game app- NOT Sajak. She deserves just as much as he does.
Though I like and have always like Vanna White (her yarn empire impressed me at a young age), that show gives me vibes I never have liked and this bears it out. Sajak is a big old maga and you could practically smell the cigarette smoke streaming off the set.
But gender based wage disparity drives it all home, doesn’t it?
That is just unreal that Sajack was making $15M a year, and Vanna was at $3M.
Where was her agent?
Seacrest is a poor choice.
I can’t believe her agent. No raises for 18 years? Not even COL raises? That’s crazy. Yes she made serious money but it’s the fact she was prevented from earning her full worth.
I wonder if she was too afraid to ask for a raise? Afraid she would be easily replaced with a younger woman? Must be some reason she never asked…or did she ask and was refused?
She must have been represented by UTA. I don’t know what kind of bonuses or other appearance fees have been negotiated into her contract but you think an annual cost of living adjustment would be a baseline. Crap representation, glad she’s got new blood negotiating for her.
How disgusting is that? Pat MAGA has been paid millions and she hasn’t gotten a raise in 18 YEARS?
That’s insane. 18 years without an additional penny more? I mean, it’s a fairly easy job, but still, that company has made millions upon billions with this long running show, and that nutball Sajak made 5xs her pay???
Shame on the show. Shame on her agents/lawyers. And even a little bit shame on her for not advocating for herself and insisting on at least a small increase every year. Maybe she didn’t want to rock the boat, but it may be tougher for her now that Sajak is leaving and her contract is up.
I’d be more interested in how much his pay has increased over the years vs the pay difference.
i.e., if his pay also didn’t go up in 18 years all this is kinda meh (we all know how unlikely this is!!).
If Pat negotiated his contract consistently, and she wasn’t able to for whatever reason and the divide between the two salaries grew more and more over the years…that is some next level BS.
I’ve never liked PS and had my feelings confirmed when I found out he was a MAGA. He is rude and dismissive with players, and not funny in the least. I’m glad to see him go even though I don’t watch the show. I certainly won’t be starting now with RS at the helm…who the F is in charge of hiring all these DUDES?
They are never going to keep her. Her contract is up next year and I’d bet $20 it’s not renewed. Ryan isn’t going to want to host a show with an older woman.
I agree with this. Ryan really doesn’t love to share the spotlight. I think they will fire her and won’t replace her. It will just be all automated
Yup. I’m not sure whether it’ll be a flat “the two sides couldn’t agree on terms” non-renewal or whether they’ll offer her a one year contract for 4 million. I hope she invested her money well and can move on to better things.
WoF and Jeopardy must have made tens of millions of dollars in profits over the years + board games + home pc games.
I can’t see RS being able to keep Wheel going long term. What is RS being paid?
Why wasn’t Vanna getting any raises at all in 18 years? I think she will get an increase to keep her on for the first season of RS.
Who thought Sajack was worth 15M in the first place?
I watch WoF because I’m too lazy to reach for the remote after Jeopardy ends. VW is a bore. I think they keep her because she blends into the background. When PS fell ill and she hosted, it was not good. She fulfilled low expectations in an emergency. I think they should pay VW to leave and bring in Maggie Sajak to press the board. Bring in fresh blood; restart.
Oh god…that’s my worst nightmare. Maggie Sajak are you serious??! A nepotism instagram dummy with zero talent?? I can’t stand that Pat pulled strings to allow her to promote herself on the show – she literally asks for people to follow her on her personal social media accounts. Such a joke! At least Vanna is self made. But I have to agree she wasn’t great as the host. A bit stuffy. But that’s the thing that people love her for, being unoffensive and gracious.
I say No to anybody from Pat Sajacks’ family getting any more jobs or money off this show.
Pat has made $15M a year for years, let him pay for his own non talented nepo babies lifestyle!
Did she ever ask for a pay raise though? Like, did she ask and was denied? In the real world, you gotta ask for a raise, not sure how it is in Hollywood though. Also, let’s be honest, her job is so easy lol. Anyone can do it. Does she even talk during the show? She got that job because of her looks. I’m socked they didn’t end her contract a long time ago and bring in another pretty young White woman. That’s usually how it goes right? It’s gross, it’s all gross. She was just eye candy from the beginning.
My elderly parents live with me. Which is another way of saying that we watch wheel of fortune everyday. I know that I’m running behind with dinner if I hear it start and I haven’t put the rice on. I’ve always thought they must secretly hate each other. Sajak is a MAGA asshat and if I’m not mistaken, Vanna has a child that is gay or transgender. Now add to that he makes 5x what she makes!?!? I bet she wants to bop him right on top of his stoopid maga head.
Get your money girl.
@WTF, I love every single thing about your comment. Bless you. 😂
I like her, but I don’t love her. Yes to the pay raise, certainly!!!
Wtf did she stay that long
Holy crap, that woman needs a raise!
She’s a fantastic and prolific knitter. I love her patterns and there are several interviews and videos of her talking about it.
I’m going to call it early – it’s going to be Pat sajak’s daughter replacing Vanna. I have no reason to believe that, just my gut
I want to vomit. Vanna has been a fixture in my life, I was born in 1974. How in the actual fuck has she not had a raise since I was 30?
I am an 80 s baby and i adore Vanna, she is appealing, what can I say. I know she’s not “sparkling” but she seems level headed and just generally lovely. Always thought Sajak seemed like the dismissive bro dad’s of my friends
She deserves better.
I’d be very fortunate for 3 million a year… 3 million is not enough… Hell I would retire at 2 million. Good enough for me. Sheesh where’s the world coming to?