Wheel of Fortune seemed to be on the right track, rolling right along to a drama-free hosting transition, with the announcement that Ryan Seacrest would succeed Pat Sajak upon his retirement following the 2023-24 season. Maybe that would have been the case if Sajak were the only host the show had to worry about, but it turns out Vanna White’s contract is set to expire in 2024. Those negotiations may be where the classic game show runs into trouble, and an insider explained why Sony Pictures needs to pony up and pay the longtime letter-turner what she’s asking for.
Both Vanna White and Pat Sajak have been the faces of Wheel of Fortune for over four decades, and while the head honchos at Sony reportedly have no plans to eliminate White’s role on the show upon Sajak’s retirement next year, the two sides reportedly aren’t seeing eye to eye when it comes to the pay increase White is asking for. This is a mistake, according to an insider for Life&Style, who said:
Vanna deserves more money. The network needs to do the right thing. If they were to replace her, it wouldn’t look good, and fans would be furious.
Vanna White has been turning the letters on Wheel of Fortune’s big board since 1982, and at this point she’s nothing short of a national treasure. The source argues that not doing right by her in her contract would upset her longtime fans.
It’s reported that she makes $3 million a year before bonuses and hasn’t received an official pay bump in 18 years. Pat Sajak, meanwhile, is reported to make five times that much at $15 million. Vanna White has lawyered up to allegedly request half of her colleague’s earnings — but more than doubling her current salary — with $7.5 million.
It’s unknown how much Ryan Seacrest was offered to accept the hosting gig, but it’s probably safe to say he’ll make at least as much as Pat Sajak, and it’s easy to see how denying his co-star half of that could leave a bad taste in some viewers’ mouths. The show’s alleged hesitancy to compensate their 41-year employee also makes it understandable why Vanna White reportedly feels “replaceable” in the eyes of the producers.
Wheel of Fortune seemed to make a sensible choice with Ryan Seacrest — bringing in a host with tons of experience who its audience is likely familiar with from his multiple other jobs. So now the question appears to be whether they want to pay Vanna White to maintain some consistency following Pat Sajak’s retirement, or do they want to overhaul the whole operation in one fell swoop? White has made it clear she doesn’t want to leave, and with 40-plus years under her belt, she’s certainly earned the right to have some say in her future, right?
With no knowledge of what discussions are being had behind closed doors, the insider seems to make a good point that Wheel of Fortune might be best to simply pay the co-host what she wants and avoid a public relations mess, because if there’s one thing in all of this that we do know, it’s that America sure loves Vanna White.
Check your local listings to see when Wheel of Fortune airs in your area.