Vanna White’s ongoing contract dispute with “Wheel of Fortune” producers will reportedly will become even more tense as the female host is set to miss the next few tapings of the daytime game show. Following the news that Pat Sajak will retire from “Wheel of Fortune,” many fans have wondered and speculated about the future of Vanna White on the program.
According to The New York Post, White contracted Covid during filming in late July and was therefore unable to participate in the episodes that are scheduled to air in October. Since it was teacher week on the show, the producers found an apt replacement in teacher of the year Bridgette Donald-Blue.
White has been a mainstay and the show. This absence will be her first in the nearly thirty years that the woman has spent revealing answers to the show’s word puzzles. The NYP supposes that White is making half of what host Pat Sajak made on the show and that she is now looking for a pay raise to keep her annual income in line with his.
When Pat Sajak announced his retirement, fans of the shown were understanding that it was time for the longtime daytime television mainstay to hang up his microphone. He Tweeted, “Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. 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!)”
Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. 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!)
— Pat Sajak (@patsajak) June 12, 2023
Fans flooded the comment section signing praises to Pat Sajak for his years atop the show. Now, with a new host coming into the fold, Vanna White is the only remaining member of the original due that made the “Wheel of Fortune” brand so strong.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Suzanne Prete, Executive Vice President, Game Shows, Sony Pictures Television, offered her thoughts on Sajak’s career. She said, “As the host of ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ Pat has entertained millions of viewers across America for 40 amazing years. “We are incredibly grateful and proud to have had Pat as our host for all these years and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding career throughout the upcoming season.Pat has agreed to continue as a consultant on the show for three years following his last year hosting, so we’re thrilled to have him remaining close to the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ family.”
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Now, with Sajak out of the fold, White is reportedly expecting to receive a major pay increase for next season. And why should she expect anytime different? Without her and Sajak, it is not a surefire thing that this show would have stood the test of time to cross the generational gap on television.