Vanna White and Pat Sajak have presented TV’s Wheel of Fortune together since President Reagan was in office. So with Sajak’s announcement this month that he’ll depart the show next year, fans have to wonder whether White will continue to turn the letters.
The good news is that she is in negotiations to stay on Wheel after Ryan Seacrest, who has been named Sajak’s replacement, begins his tenure. A source close to the situation also tells People that Sony Pictures Television “would like to have her back,” which is the opposite of an earlier report from Puck that her job could be eliminated.
According to report, she wants her annual salary of $3 million more than doubled before she agrees to stay. A source told the outlet that so far bargaining had been “very difficult.”
While White’s required salary might seem like a lot, consider that she’s only asking for at least half of what Sajak is making — a whopping $15 million a year, as long ago as 2016. It was further revealed this week that White hadn’t received a pay raise in 18 years, and that she had hired a lawyer to negotiate a renewal of her contract, which expires just as Sajak departs the role that many thought White herself would fill.