Vanna White: What Is the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Hostess’ Net Worth

Vanna White may have just made history after hosting Wheel of Fortune for the very first time Monday night, but her decades-long career of being the letter turner has earned her a sizable net worth. According to Celebrity Net Worth, White, who has been a staple on the game show since 1982, is worth an estimated $70 million, a slim $5 million more than host Pat Sajak.

Born Vanna Marie Rosich in Conway, South Carolina, White moved to Los Angeles in the late ’70s to pursue an acting and modeling career. Years before stepping onto the set of Wheel of Fortune, she was a contestant on the June 18, 1980 episode of The Price Is Right.

After Susan Stafford left Wheel of Fortune, White was hired as one of three replacements hostesses in October of 1982 and became the game show’s regular hostess in December of that year, remaining the regular hostess alongside Sajak ever since. As of May 2018, she has appeared in more than 6,600 episodes.

Filming just four days per month, filming six shows per day, White’s gig as the beloved puzzle-board turner sees her rake in an annual salary of $10 million. For comparison, Sajak earns a salary of $15 million

As for what White does with all that money, she told Market Watch in 2018 that she does a little investing as well as some donating.

“I’ve used my income to invest in some apartment buildings, and I like flipping houses,” she told the outlet. “I also have my own line of yarn, and in keeping with my mission to give back, I donate half of my proceeds — currently I have donated $1.8 million and growing — to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”

Although White hasn’t teased when she plans to step down from the gig, she already has a few ideas about what she’ll do once she retires.

“After I retire, I will probably do something philanthropic,” she said. “But I have two more years on my current contract with Wheel, and I’m not planning to go anywhere soon. If I could do it forever, I would, because I do love my job.”

Although White is beloved among fans, she sparked renewed interest this week after she hosted Wheel of Fortune for the very first time. Sajak is currently on medical leave after undergoing emergency surgery in early November for a blocked intestine and is not scheduled to return until Monday, Jan. 13. At that time, White will return to the puzzle board, though many are already calling for her to remain as host.