‘It’s Gonna Get Ugly’: Sony Execs Scoffing at Vanna White Demand For $7 Million Per Year on ‘Wheel of Fortune'
July 20 2023, Published 10:11 a.m. ET
Vanna White and the executives behind Wheel of Fortune are struggling to come to an agreement — with the higher-ups arguing against a raise because they overpaid Pat Sajak, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to sources close to the situation, White’s powerhouse attorney Bryan Friedman recently worked out a deal with Sony executives for the longtime co-host to continue working on Celebrity Wheel — the spin-off of Wheel of Fortune that she worked on with Pat.
An insider said the deal for the show was up soon. Sajak was being paid $400k per episode of Celebrity Wheel. White’s lawyer convinced execs to increase White’s salary for the spin-off to $100k per episode, which she felt was a win.
However, her contract for Wheel of Fortune has yet to be finalized. As we previously reported, sources claim Sajak was pulling in $15 million per year for his role as host.
An insider claimed White has been paid $3 million per year for over a decade. Sources claim she wants to increase her salary to at least half of what Sajak was making — at least $7 million.
However, sources told TMZ that execs are not being “receptive” to White’s demands. Friedman asked Sony execs to hire a third party to evaluate White’s value to the company, but the studio turned down the offer.
The source claimed they overpaid Sajak and don’t feel the need to increase White’s salary.
A source said, "It's gonna get ugly if they [Sony] don't get more serious." Friedman has previously worked for Megyn Kelly, Gabrielle Union and Mariah Carey.
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As RadarOnline.com first reported, sources close to the situation revealed White wanted to throw her name in the running to take over for Sajak.
Sony execs killed that idea when they hired Ryan Seacrest to take over as host after Sajak retires after the upcoming season.
“The time has come,” Sajak announced in June. “I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last.”
