Pat Sajak is almost an American institution of his own at this point. The Wheel of Fortune host has held his role on the show for an impressive duration — long enough to break a Guinness world record in fact. Given his tenure and the popularity of the show, that leaves some fans wondering — exactly how much do Pat Sajak and his assistant, Vanna White, earn for hosting the show?
How much does Pat Sajak earn?
Pat Sajak was born on October 26, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois, USA as Patrick Leonard Sajdak. He is a producer and actor, known for Wheel of Fortune (1983), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) and The A-Team (1983). He has been married to Lesly Brown since December 31, 1989. They have two children. He was previously married to Sherrill. Vanna White has stepped away from turning letters to host “Wheel of Fortune.” It was announced in November that White would take over for host Pat Sajak after he underwent emergency surgery. Pat Sajak and Vanna White talk with a masked contestant on the set of 'Wheel of Fortune.' The show has slightly redesigned the platform Sajak and the contestants stand at, extending it around the iconic wheel to provide six feet of space between each of them. It stars Pat Sajak and Vanna White as host and co-host. The original version of Wheel was a daytime series on NBC from January 6, 1975, to June 30, 1989, then on CBS from July 17, 1989, to January 11, 1991, and again on NBC from January 14, 1991, until it was cancelled on September 20, 1991, thereby co-existing with the nighttime version from.
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Pat Sajak has become an American game show mainstay. The host of Wheel of Fortune has even cemented his role in game show history by breaking a Guinness World Record for having the longest-running career as a game show host.
Sajak reeled in an impressive 38 years and 198 days on May 8, 2019. And the number will only go up, with Sajak slated to continue hosting the show until 2022.
Wheel Of Fortune Pat Sajak And Vanna White
So, given Sajak’s lengthy tenure on Wheel of Fortune, one would imagine the host makes a pretty hefty salary — and they wouldn’t be mistaken.
Pat Sajak’s net worth sits at around $70 million currently, according to Celebrity Net Worth. What’s more, Sajak earns roughly $15 million annually. In terms of pay per work day, that results in roughly $312,500.
Sajak is known to film several episodes of the show per work day, sometimes up to six shows a day, which means the host is earning about $52,000 per episode of Wheel of Fortune. Certainly farm from anything to scoff at.
Pat And Vanna
What about Vanna White?
Interestingly, Vanna White’s first-ever game show appearance wasn’t on Wheel of Fortune. Pat Sajak’s iconic co-host first appeared on The Price is Right as a contestant.
Susan Stafford left Wheel of Fortune as co-host in 1975, which is when Vanna White had her big break. She was hired as a substitute for a short while, but soon became the regular co-host.
Vanna White has appeared on an impressive 6,000 episodes of the show — not enough to beat Pat Sajak’s record, but remarkable nevertheless. For her work on the show, Vanna white earns roughly $10 million annually.
White’s net worth is impressive as well, amounting to roughly $70 million. White also earns some cash off of her yarn line. The co-host is an avid knitter and crochet enthusiast, and sells her products under the label Vanna’s Choice.
Pat Sajak Vanna White Relationship
How much do ‘Wheel of Fortune’ contestants take home?
Despite the rather impressive salaries Vanna White and Pat Sajak earn, Wheel of Fortune contestants actually take home a somewhat paltry sum. After taxes, the prizes contestants earn lose a rather hefty chunk of their value.
Pat Sajak Vanna White Wheel Of Fortune
For example, Wheel of Fortune winner Matt McMahan earned $31,700 in cash and prizes after his stint on the show. That included $16,400 in cash, and $15,300 in trips. He chose to take two slightly less expensive trips to bolster the cash and reduce taxes, but will still only be taking home about $6,000 in actual cash.
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