Vanna White, the beloved co-host of “Wheel of Fortune,” has recently negotiated a new deal with the show. However, it seems that the negotiations only pertain to the celebrity version of the show, not the syndicated one. Sources with direct knowledge of the situation have informed TMZ that Sony, the production company behind “Wheel of Fortune,” has made it clear that they are not receptive to Vanna’s demands.
Vanna’s lawyer, Bryan Friedman, handled the negotiations for her role on the celebrity version of the show. While her contract for the syndicated show still has another year left, they wanted to address the celebrity version first. However, Sony refused to disclose the salary of Vanna’s co-host, Pat Sajak, for the celebrity version of the show. It is known that Pat makes just over $400,000 per episode. In the end, Vanna settled for $100,000 per episode, which was a significant increase from her previous contract.
Negotiations for the syndicated version of “Wheel of Fortune” have been put on hold due to the ongoing writers’ strike. However, it seems that the parties involved are far apart in their discussions.
TMZ originally broke the story that Vanna had requested half of Pat Sajak’s annual salary, which is reported to be around $15 million. Vanna has been with the show for 18 years and has only made $3 million during that time with no salary increase.
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Vanna’s lawyer proposed that a third party who specializes in the game show industry evaluate both Pat and Vanna’s roles and determine a fair figure for their salaries. However, Sony rejected this request.
One of the issues in the negotiations is that Sony believes they may have overpaid Pat Sajak and do not want to use his salary as a basis for comparison. This has not been well-received by Vanna and her team.
To illustrate the situation further, TMZ included a video in their report. The video shows Vanna and Pat in action on “Wheel of Fortune” and serves as a reminder of the importance and popularity of the show.
As the negotiations continue, tensions are rising. A source close to Vanna stated that “It’s gonna get ugly if they [Sony] don’t get more serious.” It remains to be seen how this situation will be resolved and what the future holds for Vanna White on “Wheel of Fortune.”
