Thanks to her long-running stint on Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White is well-known in the entertainment industry. Since 1982, White has appeared as a co-host on Wheel of Fortune alongside Pat Sajak. The powerhouse duo has worked on thousands of episodes of the show over the years, but Sajak's run is slated to end in 2024 with his retirement.
The interesting thing is that after so many years co-hosting the show together, Vanna White is worth quite a bit more than Pat Sajak. There's a simple explanation for the discrepancy, but it's true that Vanna White has a higher net worth than TV veteran Pat Sajak.
Vanna White Is Worth About $85 Million
It might not be the most glamorous career in Hollywood, but Vanna White has made about $85 million during her time in the industry. What's more, White clearly earns multiple millions per year from her TV gig; her net worth jumped from $70M in 2021 to $85M in 2023, despite her millionaire spending habits.
For a TV star who once thought she would never land the Wheel of Fortune gig in the first place, that's an impressive accomplishment. Currently, some sources claim Vanna makes $10 million per year on Wheel of Fortune.
Yet others suggest she makes only $3 million, leading to conversations about pay discrepancies between hosts and "hostesses."
Though she makes less than Pat Sajak, whose salary is rumored to be $14 to $15 million per year, Vanna somehow built her net worth higher than her co-star's. Turns out it's not only the co-hosting opportunity that has earned Vanna her millions.
Pat Sajak Is Worth Around $75M
Like Vanna White, Pat Sajak has amassed many millions from his TV career. However, he may have had a bit of a head-start on Vanna as he hosted a talk show prior to joining Wheel of Fortune.
Then, he continued to earn more money each year and somehow surpassed Vanna's salary.
It's unclear why the two earn different salaries given that they are "co-hosts," but it could be chalked up to good old-fashioned pay disparities between men and women in Hollywood.
Regardless, Pat makes more money than Vanna, though her net worth wound up being much higher.
Why Is Vanna White So Rich?
How is Vanna White richer than Pat Sajak? It comes down to math and some interesting business opportunities.
Vanna may be best known for her game show hosting prowess, but she has taken on other gigs over the years, too. It's likely these 'side jobs' and opportunities that helped her build a net worth that puts Pat Sajak's millions to shame.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, both Sajak and White have licensed their images to casinos for slot machines based on Wheel of Fortune. Those royalties amount to a decent pile of cash, and the deals started way back in 1996 with the advent of the Wheel of Fortune slot machines in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Apparently, Pat and Vanna make at least $15 million per year from these licensing agreements. It's unclear whether Pat will continue to reap this financial benefit after he retires from the show, or if his replacement (Ryan Seacrest) will negotiate a new deal.
Vanna Has Dabbled In Real Estate And Other 'Side Gigs'
What pushed Vanna over the top in terms of earnings is somewhat murky. It's known that Vanna, along with her ex-husband George Santo Pietro, had some luxe real estate that they sold for profit at one point. Vanna has also won at least one lawsuit over her image and likeness being used without permission, though the winnings were less than half a million dollars in total.
But with all the branding opportunities Vanna has taken on, including a partnership with a yarn company (she talked about her love of crocheting in a late-night interview), she was able to finesse her way into a ranking higher than Pat's despite making a rumored one-fifth of his earnings.
As for her real estate dabbling, Vanna has also admitted she enjoys flipping houses, but it's not clear how often she does so.
That's not the end of Vanna's list of jobs, though; she also appeared in various films and TV shows, although none were necessarily blockbusters. Over the years, White participated in various projects that likely earned her a nice side income between Wheel of Fortune tapings, seemingly more than Pat Sajak seems to have taken on.
How Is Vanna White Worth More Than Pat Sajak?
The very simple explanation for why Vanna White is worth more than Pat Sajak is simply the amount of work she has taken on over the years.
Though Sajak may very well have a side income of his own, Vanna's penchant for picking up gigs, both in the TV and film industry as well as on the side thanks to her passions for real estate and crocheting, served her well financially.
And if Vanna continues to work on game shows in Hollywood, it's likely she'll continue earning more money; she recently asked for a raise to renew her contract following Sajak's departure.
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