ENTERTAINMENT TV Vanna White in Talks to Continue on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ — with a Raise! – After Pat Sajak Retires
Vanna White is looking to stay in the game!
The Wheel of Fortune co-host, 66, is in negotiations to renew her contract and stay on the long-standing game show following Pat Sajak’s retirement, PEOPLE has learned.
The details of the deals have yet to be reached, according to Entertainment Weekly.
White has been flipping and revealing letters on the show for more than four decades beside Sajak, who recently announced his time on Wheel of Fortune would be coming to a close at the end of the show’s 41st season.
Per Puck, who first reported the news about White’s plans, she is looking for a pay raise in her new deal. Her last pay increase reportedly came 18 years ago, though she’s gotten a few bonuses during her time. She makes $3 million a year while Sajak makes five times her salary, the outlet reported.
Earlier this month, Sajak, 76, announced that he would be retiring from his position.
“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” the television personality shared on Twitter. “It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)”
Suzanne Prete, the EVP of Game Shows at Sony Pictures Television, also confirmed Sajak’s upcoming retirement, and noted that he would serve as a consultant on the series for the next three years in a statement to PEOPLE.
It’s not a total surprise that White is planning to stay on the game show. Back in December, she told PEOPLE she wasn’t ready to leave Wheel of Fortune behind.
“I don’t even want to think about that. I mean, we’re a team,” she said at the time. “That’s depressing. I don’t even want to think about it.”
White also acknowledged that it’s hard to imagine a world without herself or Sajak hosting the game show series.
“I just visualize us just being there. I can’t think beyond that,” she said.
“I can’t imagine,” she continued. “Everybody relates Wheel of Fortune to Pat and Vanna. We’re like Ken and Barbie, you know? We’ve been in everybody’s homes for 40 years, so it would be weird having somebody else turn my letters.”
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