Vanna White Called ‘The Gold Standard’ By ‘The Price is Right’ Alum Amid ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Shakeup

Many were a bit shocked by reports that Vanna White hasn’t had a raise at Wheel of Fortune in close to two decades, something she’ll be negotiating for as part of her return after Sajak retries. According to TMZ, the feelings of many were echoed by another game show alum who played a supporting role to hosts Bob Barker and Drew Carey.

Gwendolyn Osborne spoke with the outlet about White’s reported pay dispute and the future of , noting that White was the icon for the show and deserved better. “I’m saying it’s about time. Vanna White should have been asking this a long time ago,” Osborne told the outlet. “I am so proud of her to be able to be at the place she’s at today, to have the confidence to say, ‘You know what, whether it’s for me or for the future women in this business, this needs to change. I need more, I deserve more.”

The Puck News report that initially revealed the alleged pay issue, showing the Wheel fixture has been without a raise for 18 years, has received bonuses, but still makes far less than Sajak’s reported $15 million a year. White has reportedly made $3 million per year from the show, despite being introduced as an equal to Sajak at the start of each episode.

Osborne also stressed just how important White has been to the game show world as a whole. “Every time I’ve told anybody I’ve had a career on Price is Right, on a game show, people always ask me about Vanna White, I mean that is the No. 1 name around the world,” Osborne said. “She has opened the door for it to be a conversation now, and so for me, that is a huge deal for all women in this business coming from Vanna White. She holds that power, and she’s started to open the door.”

TMZ host Harvey Levin asked Osborne if she would take the money if placed in White’s shoes, noting she’d take the offer of $4.5 million for five years and then move on. “If I were her, I would take it for that next five years, but I would continue, she’s opened the door.”

Osborne was a big part of The Price is Right history, serving as one of the models presenting prizes from 2005 until 2017. She has also acted a bit, appearing on The Bold and The Beautiful and appearing on Freeform and Hulu’s Grown-ish, the spinoff of Black-ish.