What is Vanna White’s net worth? What is her salary on ‘Wheel of Fortune’?

Most of you will be familiar with the basic premise of Wheel of Fortune: contestants spin a big wheel made up of boards with different quantities of money on them, and have the chance to win the quantity of money they randomly ‘land’ on depending on how many letters they can correctly guess from a well-known concept on the puzzle board, controlled by Vanna White.

But if reports by Puck are to be believed, White herself may feel as if she’s been playing along for the best part of two decades.

Pat Sajak and White’s salary discrepency

White has been a co-host on the show since 1982, joining Pat Sajak at the start of its second year on our screens. Sajak, of course, has been there from the beginning but announced this month that he would be retiring at the end of the 41st season, which starts in September and finishes in June 2024.

But while the pair’s Wheel of Fortune longevities have been similar, their salaries are anything but, with Puck revealing that Sajak earns “fives times as much” as his co-host.

White reportedly earns €3 million per year, not including bonuses, a figure which hasn’t increased in 18 years. For comparison, the inflation rate in the United States between 2005 and 2023 is 56.21% (which means $1 then is the equivalent to $1.56 now).

Ryan Seacrest named as new Wheel of Fortune host

If White doesn’t already feel as if she deserves a raise – and she does, having allegedly hired an “aggressive new lawyer” to negotiate a new contract to stay on the show – then the revelation that Ryan Seacrest has been picked as Sajak’s replacement will have her casting envious glances across the studio.

Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, some reports suggest that Seacrest stands to earn a staggering $28 million per year on the show. If these figures are indeed true, he would join the ranks of television’s highest-paid personalities. “I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White”, the American idol star said on Instagram.

Vanna White’s wealth away from the screens

Despite White’s bizarrely “low” - don’t miss those quotation marks - salary by comparison to Sajak, the 66-year-old has actually amassed more of a personal fortune than her long-time sidekick thanks to other ventures.

As of 2023, White’s net worth is estimated at $85 million, $10 million more than Sajak. The majority of her wealth comes away from the screens and as a result of real estate investments she made with ex-husband, a real estate developer called George Santo Pietro.

No matter how “aggressive” her new lawyer is, however, there is little chance of her catching up with future co-host Seacrest, whose hosting, TV production and lucrative business ventures have combined to make him one of the US’ most successful entertainment personalities. That’s how you play the game.