Wheel of Fortune has been an American institution for 41 seasons. Delighting puzzle fans and game show aficionados for decades, Wheel and its hosts, Pat Sajak and Vanna White, have become family to many people. However, since nothing lasts forever, changes lie ahead for the famed franchise.
Pat Sajak, now 76 years old, has decided to call it a career in 2024, and Hollywood heavyweight Ryan Seacrest has been tapped to replace the legendary Wheel host. Seacrest was the logical choice to lead the popular show into a new era. Unlike the fiasco that has been Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune producers have taken great pains to keep the show relevant and popular.
That was until they decided to bounce Vanna White over contract issues. White, now 66 but still a stunning beauty, has been turning letters and charming audiences since 1982, but at least for the time being, is being temporarily replaced while contract issues are resolved.
White is a veteran of numerous television shows and movies and has even authored a best-selling autobiography. However, allegedly she hasn’t had a raise in 18 years and is finally demanding a bump in pay.
White, who reportedly contracted covid in late July, was replaced by “Teacher of the Year” recipient Bridgette Donald-Blue until she recuperates and her contract issues are resolved. It is White’s first missed time in more than 30 years, and coincidentally happens when she is demanding a raise.
Allegedly White is demanding fifty percent of what Pat Sajak is making. There have been numerous rumors surrounding her absence and demands, with one unnamed person saying: “Fifty percent of Pat’s salary is so outrageous that no one in their right mind could say that it’s fair. The negotiation is asking for much more than 50% of his salary. It’s asking for the same pay — if not more.”
Whether it is fair or not is debatable, but White’s appeal as America’s game show sweetheart isn’t. White is an institution, and even though her job seems easy, she contends it is hard work: “My position is much more, what’s the word? I work a lot harder. I’ve walked thousands of miles. And he didn’t have to do that. In my heels, no less.”
Whether she is being flippant or not desn’t matter. Sex appeal pays, and White still has it in spades. Considering game show viewers tend to be older people that likely have been watching Vanna since the 1980s, the production company would be well advisd to not cheap out, and pay White what she wants.
With the current writers strike that appears to have no end in sight, non-scripted programs like game shows and reality shows are essentially all the networks have to offer. To short change the last, biggest name in the genre would be akin to admitting that the networks are simply seeking to cut costs at the expense of viewers.
While that may in fact be the case, removing a beloved letter-turner like Vanna White in favor of profit could well end the show, Ryan Seacrest’s charms notwithstanding. They would be well advised to suck it up, write Vanna a check, and buy a vowel before America collectively tunes out for good.
Featured image screen grab from embedded YouTube video
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