“Wheel of Fortune” letter-revealer Vanna White has a puzzle for her bosses to solve: How to pay her more money so she doesn’t walk.
The venerable game show co-host has threatened to quit if she does not receive more than double her $3 million salary to get closer to the $15 million annual pay of outgoing host Pat Sajak, TMZ reported Wednesday. The entertainment outlet cited “sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations.”
White has pulled down the same annual wage since 2005, Puck reported. Sajak announced earlier this month that he’ll retire after his upcoming 41st season. White has been at his side since 1982. She hosted the show temporarily in 2019 while Sajak recovered from surgery.
Pat Sajak and Vanna White prepare to leave Miami aboard The Wheel Of Fortune Express in 1987.
Amid the announcement that Ryan Seacrest will succeed Sajak, White reportedly retained Bryan Freedman, the entertainment lawyer said to be helping Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson with their breakups from CNN and Fox News, respectively.
And Freedman is playing hardball for White, demanding half of what Sajak pulls in, roughly $7.5 million, TMZ reported. But Sony Pictures Television Studios, which produces the show, has balked during what one source described as “difficult negotiations.”
White has characterized her salary fight as a “statement” for all women, a source told TMZ.
She’s got a point. The gender pay disparity has barely budged over the last 20 years, with women earning an average of 18% less than men in 2022, according to Pew Research.
Puck reported previously that White was seeking a raise in her contract renewal. White, who was bandied about as a possible successor to Sajak, struck a friendly tone after Sajak’s surprise announcement.
“When we started @WheelofFortune who could have imagined we’d still be at it 41 seasons later?” White wrote, adding: “I couldn’t be happier to have shared the stage with you for all these years with one more to come.”
Vanna White Threatens To Quit ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ If She Doesn’t Get Hefty Raise. Vanna White Threatens To Quit ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ If She Doesn’t Get Hefty Raise