After more than forty years leading one of America’s favorite game shows, Pat Sajak recently announced he’s stepping away. The longtime Wheel Of Fortune host is going to do one more season, then go behind the camera and work as a consultant as a new host is brought in. Some of the details still need to be worked out, but basically, the 76-year old has a loose retirement plan. The same cannot be said for Vanna White. She’s hired a lawyer to help figure out her future on the show, and it sounds like two very different outcomes are possible.
Fans have been speculating about what Sajak’s retirement might mean for White since the announcement was first made, but that speculation has increased quite a bit since Puck dropped a piece with a ton of juicy behind the scenes details about Wheel Of Fortune. Apparently Sajak was making somewhere in the neighborhood of $15M per season, while Vanna White was making around $3M. The outlet claims she hasn’t gotten a traditional raise (though there have been bonuses) in 18 years but is now looking to see an increase. She’s apparently hired Bryan Freedman, who recently represented Tucker Carlson as part of his Fox News exit and conversations are ongoing with Sony to extend her contract, as she’s a decade younger than Sajak.
Whether or not Sony gives her more money or even wants her back, however, is apparently still an open question. Rumor has it that some inside the show are more focused on attracting a big name new host (Ryan Seacrest maybe?), and if that happens, they think it could be a good time to move on from White too and just completely reboot the show. That would save some money (especially if she now wants more), and her exit would help to clearly delineate one era of the show from the other.
But there are also reportedly many within the Sony camp who don’t think such a clear transition is a good idea. Sources close to the show said earlier this weekend that they're actively negotiating to keep her. Wheel Of Fortune has been a cash cow for a long time, and many viewers of regular shows want to see some level of stability. The primary goal is to keep fans watching and supporting the show, and I don’t know a single Wheel Of Fortune fan that doesn’t love Vanna White.
Losing her and Pat Sajak at the same time could be too much. Besides, we’ve seen a lot of other syndicated shows do the slow evolution method to great success, from beloved Jeopardy winner Ken Jennings taking over as co-host of that game show to the slow evolution of Live With Regis and Kathie Lee to Regis and Kelly to Kelly and Michael to Kelly and Ryan to Kelly and Mark.
If these stories are to be believed, the status quo is no longer an option. It seems like there are two possible outcomes. Vanna is either going to come back making more money or the show is going to completely go in a different direction when Pat leaves. As a longtime Wheel Of Fortune fan, I want to see Vanna back. I think they probably will bring Vanna back and hopefully compensate her well for the decades of fun she’s brought to the show, but for now, all we can do is wait and see which letters light up.
