Vanna White hasn’t had a pay raise in 18 years, she’s negotiating her contract now
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.