After I wrote about Wheel of Fortune on Sunday and the impending retirement of host Pat Sajak, a Sony TV source reached out to note one thing I missed: Vanna White, Sajak’s co-host for four decades, is negotiating to continue on Wheel beyond when her deal ends at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. I’ve since confirmed that fact (a Sony rep declined to comment on that and other new details reported here), and it led me down a wild path about “America’s Game” and what’s going on behind the scenes.
White currently makes about $3 million a year for her duties on the syndicated Wheel, per multiple sources. Sajak makes almost five times as much. Sure, OK, he’s the host, she’s the co-host, and—cue the voice of the Bobs from Office Space—What would you say that Vanna… actually… does… here? An OK point. White doesn’t even turn letters anymore, instead tapping the lighted rectangles and silently cheering on contestants from her perch. Ed McMahon and Andy Richter made way less than Johnny Carson and Conan O’Brien, respectively. Analogous? There’s no real comp for what Vanna does, which means she’s not exactly Jennifer Lawrence or Michelle Williams when it comes to shining examples of pay disparity in Hollywood.
But… that’s a pretty shortsighted way of assessing value, in my opinion. White spends the same time on set as Sajak—more, actually, due to hair, makeup, and wardrobe obligations, my Sony TV source noted. She does way more publicity for the show than Sajak. She’s a personality, part of the show’s look, feel, and, let’s be frank, appeal. Her enthusiasm and silly button segments with Sajak at the end of each episode are fan favorites. And at this point, she’s arguably become more associated with Wheel of Fortune than Sajak is. The duo are in all the Wheel marketing together (unlike the late-night shows), and Sony’s own research shows Vanna’s appeal to women helps drive the show’s older, female viewership. In short, she arguably adds just as much value.
It’s one of those weird Hollywood things: Wheel of Fortune just works, it’s worked for 41 years, and it works in part because of the dynamic between Pat and Vanna. So it was a bit surprising to hear that some at Sony have even suggested eliminating the “Vanna role” when the new host is chosen. The thinking, as it’s been conveyed to me, is that a big name like Ryan Seacrest (or whoever ends up hosting) might not need an old-fashioned spokesmodel co-host. Yes, Vanna White might even get Dunkleman-ed.
That probably won’t happen, though, hence the current negotiation for a new deal. But amid all the uncertainty, White recently made a curious move: I’m told she hired Bryan Freedman, the super-tenacious litigator for everyone from Tucker Carlson to Chris Cuomo, and who represented the ousted Jeopardy! and Wheel producer Mike Richards during Sony’s botched Alex Trebek transition. I’m told Freedman is hitting the pay discrepancy issue hard with Sony, as well as possible gender discrimination with respect to White’s salary. According to three sources, White hasn’t had a raise in 18 years. Yes, 18 years. She got some bonuses along the way, but never a straight pay increase. I know she’s hardly a ditch digger or school bus driver, but given her longevity and profile, and the increased value of the Wheel asset to Sony, that seems nuts to me.
Vanna, now 66, does make more for ABC’s primetime Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, and she’s allowed to do outside endorsements, like a recent deal with IGT to plug a Wheel casino, though that arrangement doesn’t exactly break the bank, according to two sources. A new season of Celebrity Wheel is about to start filming its 20 episodes for the 2023-24 season. Perhaps because Freedman is now involved, Sony has offered White a raise on that show, from $55,000 an episode to $66,000, or 20 percent. Sajak makes about $300,000 an episode for primetime (inclusive of a bonus), per the three sources. Any increase White negotiates for the primetime show would presumably be used as precedent to get White closer to Sajak on her deal for the syndicated show. Or so she hopes.
This isn’t actually the first time Sony has flirted with eliminating the Vanna role. Back in the late ‘90s, when Wheel and Jeopardy! were considered geezer Ambien and weren’t the cash cows they are today, an exec proposed cost cuts including White. People freaked internally, fearing the fan backlash, and Sony ultimately decided against the move. But Vanna—who, by all accounts, is super nice and doesn’t court conflict—has always felt vulnerable, and she’s bought into the idea that she’s lucky to have the job. She also had a lawyer, Joe Horacek, who didn’t do much to help dissuade her. (Sajak also used Horacek for a time, but switched to attorney Bob Madden.)
Now, as I noted Sunday, the Wheel/Jeopardy! combo is considered a financial juggernaut in a declining TV market. Before the syndication deals with ABC were up at the end of 2022, Fox and CBS stations both approached former Sony chief Mike Hopkins to bid to take over the show at a much higher price. Negotiations got pretty far with current Sony leader Tony Vinciquerra and team, but I’m told a personal call from Disney C.E.O. Bob Iger—and perhaps a veiled threat that Sony does a lot of TV business with Disney outlets—sealed the renewal at ABC, with hefty fee increases.
Now, with Sajak leaving, White and Freedman likely see an opportunity to remedy the salary issue. If some at Sony might want to can her, others recognize she’s consistency at a time of change in a genre of TV that doesn’t like change. We can argue about what Vanna should be making after four decades of looking and acting fabulous on Wheel of Fortune. But like everything in Hollywood, the question is what should Vanna be making relative to both Sajak and the studio that produces the show. And 20 percent of her male co-host seems low to me. Hopefully Sony will fix this situation faster than the best Wheel contestants can buy up all the vowels.
