Is this the end of the road for Vanna White? #VannaWhite #WheelOfFortune #MaggieSajak
Vanna White is sick and she may not make it. Is Vanna White retiring?
The highly popular game show *Wheel of Fortune* is bound to see a temporary change in its co-host lineup as Vanna White, the longtime co-host, takes time off due to her recent contraction of Covid-19. In a unconventional move, the producers have decided to replace her, albeit temporarily, rather than postponing the filming of upcoming episodes. Bridgette Donald-Blue, California’s Teacher of the Year for 2023, has been contacted to step in as her replacement. This change is expected to last for several episodes, likely the typical six episodes filmed in a single day.
White’s absence comes at a peculiar time, as she is still in the process of renegotiating her contract with the series. Over the years, she had been earning a fraction of what her former co-host, Pat Sajak, had made. Despite this, she remained a stalwart presence on the show. The decision to move forward with filming while White takes a brief leave might imply that the show’s producers are playing hardball during contract negotiations. It is worth noting that Filming for the episodes featuring Donald-Blue took place during the show’s Teachers Week block, which gives credence to the possibility that the selection was based on thematic synergy.
White’s temporary absence represents a notable departure from the norm, as she has rarely missed an episode in her more than 30-year tenure. There have been only three instances in the past where she was temporarily replaced. The first occurred in 1986, when her predecessor Susan Stafford filled in following the tragic death of White’s boyfriend in a plane crash. She was absent for two more occasions in 1991, the first being a two-week honeymoon with her former husband, George Santo Pietro, and the second due to a bout of illness. In 2019 and 2023, she was again absent, but for different reasons. In 2019, she filled in for Sajak while he recovered from surgery. In 2023, White temporarily left her regular role to take part as a contestant in *Celebrity Wheel of Fortune*. On both occasions, Sajak’s daughter Maggie skillfully took over the letter board duties.
The current situation on *Wheel of Fortune* sheds light on an ongoing disparity in salaries. Pat Sajak, White’s co-host, earns five times as much as she does, presenting a significant wage gap. White has been actively seeking an equitable raise, reportedly requesting only half of Sajak’s impressive $15 million annual salary. That said, White’s goal of attaining a salary equal to Sajak’s remains substantial given her significant contributions to the show over the past four decades. She is represented by esteemed attorney Bryan Freedman, known for his past representation of notable figures such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. In June, TMZ reported that White had secured a partial deal, earning $100,000 per episode of the spinoff series *Celebrity Wheel of Fortune*. However, negotiations for her compensation on the flagship program were still ongoing.
Undoubtedly, *Wheel of Fortune*’s studio, Sony, has a stance on the matter. They view Sajak’s salary as potentially bloated, and thus deem it an irrelevant benchmark for White’s negotiations. Regardless, it is unprecedented that White’s salary had remained stagnant for an astounding 18 years. While it remains unclear whether White actively pursued better compensation during that period or if the show’s bosses refused to raise her salary, sources close to the negotiations claim that she seeks to equal Sajak’s salary after years of stagnation.
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