Vanna White Reaches Partial Deal Amid Negotiations To Continue On ‘Wheel Of Fortune’
After weeks of negotiations, the TV personality reportedly reached a ‘partial’ deal with Sony for her ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’ contract on Jul. 20.
Vanna White, 66, the Wheel of Fortune co-host, has reportedly reached a new contract deal for the Celebrity Wheel of Fortune part of ABC’s hit game show. A source told TMZ on Jul. 20, that the blonde beauty’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, allegedly told Sony that Vanna wanted “50% of what Pat [Sajak] was making,” however, they would not oblige. The longtime wheel spinner reportedly “settled” for a contract that will pay her $100K per episode.
Pat, who has hosted alongside Vanna for decades, reportedly makes more than $400K per episode. As such, Vanna will reportedly be making $300K less than the 76-year-old for each Celebrity Wheel of Fortune episode. Her contract for the syndicated Wheel of Fortune is not up for another year. Despite this, those negotiations have reportedly been “halted” amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
Last month, TMZ reported that Vanna was negotiating her Wheel of Fortune contract and had allegedly requested to be making “half” of what Pat makes. The tabloid claimed that Pat makes around $15 million per year. As for the mother-of-two, she is reportedly taking home around $3 million each year. Despite her millions in earnings, Vanna has reportedly not earned a single raise in the last 18 years. “After 41 years as a model employee and more the face of that show than him [Pat], asking for 50% of what he makes seems like a no-brainer,” an insider told the outlet on Jun. 29.
The outlet’s source claimed that the negotiations with Sony are “very difficult” as the two parties are not in agreement. A separate source even told TMZ that, Vanna sees this as a “bigger” issue. “She feels like it’s a statement for all women,” they alleged. Sony is also in a “tough spot” as Pat is leaving the show after the 2023 – 2024 season. Longtime TV personality Ryan Seacrest, 48, is set to take Pat’s place once the Wheel of Fortune ends his decades-long run next year. Given that major change, Sony reportedly does not want to “lose Pat and Vanna at the same time.”
Vanna has been a host on the hit game show for over four decades and celebrated her 40th anniversary on the show in Dec. 2022. At the time, she took to Instagram to commemorate the milestone with Pat. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but 40 years ago today I taped my first episode of @wheeloffortune It’s been a wonderful 40 years, too!”, she gushed in the caption. “I’m so grateful to those of you who watch and everyone behind the scenes who make us look good. We wouldn’t still be here without all of you! (And the cake was delicious!)” Fans can re-visit the sweet moment in the video above.