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What is Vanna White’s Net Worth and Salary?
Vanna White has an estimated net worth of $85 million. She is the puzzle-board turner and hostess of the iconic game show Wheel of Fortune.
Vanna’s net worth of $85 million as of this writing places her roughly $15 million ahead of her co-host Pat Sajak (net worth of $70 million). The difference is partly due to real estate investments made with her ex-husband, George Santo Pietro, a real estate developer/restaurateur. Alex Trebek was worth $75 million when he died in 2020. Vanna is/was thus the wealthiest of the three.
Vanna White’s annual “Wheel of Fortune” salary is $10 million. Still, as we’ll see later in this article, that’s only one of her primary sources of income. Every year, she and Pat Sajak earn more money licensing their images to casino slot machines than they do from the game show itself.
| Net Worth | $85 Million |
| Salary | $10 Million |
| Date of Birth | Feb 18, 1957 (65 years old) |
| Place of Birth | Conway |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.67 m) |
| Profession | Presenter, Actor |
| Nationality | United States of America |
Vanna White Bio
Vanna White was born on February 18, 1957, and is now 65. She was born in Horry County, South Carolina, in North Myrtle Beach. Joan Marie and Miguel Angel Rosich, her parents, raised her. Her mother and stepfather, Herbert White Jr., raised her after her parents divorced when she was an infant. Her stepfather is a well-known real estate agent. After graduating from high school, she relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. She also began her modeling career at a young age. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1979 to pursue her modeling career more seriously.
After completing her education, she began working on her career. She married restaurant owner George Santo Pietro in 1990. She appeared on the television show “Vanna’s Pregnancy” in 1992, where she announced her pregnancy. Because of this show, she has been able to build a successful career in television.
Early Life
Vanna Marie Rosich was born in Conway, South Carolina, on February 18, 1957. She is Joan and Miguel Rosich’s daughter. When she was a child, her parents divorced. Herbert White, Jr. was her mother’s second husband. Vanna assumed his surname. She grew up and attended North Myrtle Beach High School. She relocated to Atlanta to pursue a degree in fashion design at the Atlanta School of Fashion and Design. As a college student in 1978, she attempted to win the title of Miss Georgia USA. she relocated to Los Angeles in 1979 to pursue an acting career. Her appeared as a contestant on “The Price is Right” in June 1980.
IMPORTANT FACTS
- Wheel of Fortune pays her $10 million per year.
- Has been driving since 1982.
- Beat out 200 other candidates for the position.
- Earns $34,722 per episode taped.
- Due to multiple tapings, he makes $208,33 per workday.
- Casino image licensing generates $15 million per year.
- Has contributed millions of dollars to St. Judes.
- Previously owned Beverly Hills real estate worth $50 million.
Career
Vanna had a cameo role in the 1981 film “Looker” and also appeared in the horror film “Graduation Day.” White was hired as one of three “Wheel of Fortune” substitute hosts in October 1982. White took over as the show’s regular hostess on December 13, 1982, and has been the hostess ever since. There were over two hundred young women who applied, but she was the one picked.White and Pat Sajak continue to co-host the evening version of the show. Her contract will expire in 2022. While on “Wheel of Fortune,” White has worn over 6,700 dresses, with no repeats. She is not allowed to keep her show wardrobe. White’s gowns are typically borrowed from designers and returned once the show is completed.
On the May 24, 2013, episode of “Wheel of Fortune,” White received a Guinness World Record. Her world record for “most frequent clapper” is held by her. As of January 31, 2013, she had clapped at least 3,480,864 times across the show’s 30 seasons.
“Wheel of Fortune” tapes six episodes per day, which means White and Sajak will only be on set four days per month.
She has appeared in several television shows, including “Just Shoot Me,” “Married With Children,” “The King of Queens,” and “The A-Team.”
Education
She graduated from North Myrtle Beach High School. Then she studied fashion and modeling at The Atlanta School of Fashion and Design. She finished high school and began her modeling career.
Personal Existence
Vanna White had only $1,000 when she left North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to pursue her dream of becoming a celebrity. She waited tables and modeled while in college in Atlanta and her early days in Los Angeles as she sought fame and fortune.
Vanna dated “Playgirl” centerfold and Chippendales dancer-turned-actor John Gibson in the 1980s. After getting engaged in the 1980s, Gibson tragically passed away in a plane crash in 1986.
She returned to South Carolina for a brief visit in the summer of 1980 to be with her mother, battling ovarian cancer. Her mother succumbed to the illness.
In December 1990, Vanna married restaurateur George Santo Pietro. Santo Pietro was born into a wealthy Beverly Hills family. His first restaurant opened in the early 1980s. He then opened Sushi-Ko, a popular sushi restaurant for celebrities. They had two children: Nicholas, born in 1994, and Giovanna, nicknamed Gigi, born in 1997. In November 2002, White and Santo Pietro divorced.
When she was five, her grandmother taught her how to crochet. She still enjoys this pastime. She was contacted by the yarn manufacturer Lion Brand Yarns after discussing her love of crocheting on the “Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” The company hired her to create her own yarn line, Vanna’s Choice.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a patron of White. To date, she has donated $1.8 million to St. Jude’s. She intends to continue her charitable efforts after leaving “Wheel of Fortune.”
Highlights of the Wheel of Fortune Salary
Vanna White earns $10 million per year from “Wheel of Fortune.”
Pat Sajak’s annual salary is $15 million.
Wheel of Fortune tapes six shows per day, four days per month. They film on two Thursdays and two Fridays per week. They arrive around 8:30 a.m. on taping days and begin shooting at noon. One audience sees three shows before taking a lunch break. A second audience comes to watch three additional tapings.
In other words, Vanna and Pat work 48 days per year for a total annual salary of $10 and $14 million, respectively. Vanna White makes $208,333 per workday. Pat’s daily wage is $312,500. Pat Sajak earns $48,611 per show, and Vanna White earns $34,722 per show.
But! Vanna’s “Wheel of Fortune” salary isn’t even her biggest annual paycheck, as we’ll explain in the next paragraph!
Profits from Casino Licensing
Vanna White’s salary from “Wheel of Fortune” is not her primary source of income. Vanna and Pat make more money licensing their images to casino slot machines than from the game show itself.
Wheel of Fortune was the first entertainment property licensed for slot machine use. The first Wheel of Fortune branded slot machines were installed in Las Vegas casinos in 1996. They quickly became trendy, and they were licensed to casinos all over the world. Within a decade, Wheel of Fortune-branded slot machines was reported to be the highest-revenue-generating slot machines in most casinos. There are an estimated 20,000 “Wheel” slot machines on casino floors worldwide. Wheel of Fortune slot machines generates over $1 billion in gross revenue in Las Vegas annually. The global device market is worth over $2 billion.
Pat and Vanna earn at least $15 million per year in exchange for licensing their respective images and likenesses for slot machines, primarily from a base royalty payment but also from various bonuses and appearance fees.
Earnings Per Year
Vanna White’s annual income exceeds $25 million thanks to her salary from “Wheel of Fortune” and licencing fees from casinos.
Property Investment
At one point, George Santo Pietro and Vanna lived in The Mulholland Estates, a gated community. They shared an apartment with Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty. They eventually built a 15,000-square-foot spec house in Beverly Park, a gated community. The house was the couple’s home until their divorce in 2002. After their divorce, they left the house and rented it for $175,000 per month for several years. They listed the house for sale in 2017 for $47.5 million. In addition, they owned a house on a nearby block. They eventually separated the two properties and sold them separately. The second piece of land cost $22 million to acquire. Vanna’s mansion’s primary lot sold in June 2020 for $19.3 million. Here’s a video tour of their previous residence:
