Model Gwendolyn Osbourne and Vanna White (Cover image sources: Facebook | Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune)

As the co-host of “Wheel of Fortune,” Vanna White was as instrumental as Pat Sajak in making the show iconic. But, despite her contribution, White made only $3 million a year for 18 years without any significant increase in her salary. When Sajak announced his retirement in June 2023, White seized the opportunity and brought Sony Studios to the negotiation table to give her a 50% pay hike. “The Price is Right” model Gwendolyn Osborne applauded the move, saying, “Vanna White should have been asking this a long time ago. 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,” according to TMZ.

Osborne praised White for raising the bar for women on television and added, “She has handled herself with class through this whole career on the TV. Every time I’ve told anybody I’ve had a career on ‘Price is Right’ on a game show people always ask me about her. I mean that is the number one name around the world and I’m gonna tell you that because I’ve been around the world.” Osborne first admitted that she would haggle when asked if she would accept a $4.5 million offer from Sony if she were in White’s shoes. However, she acknowledged that she would accept the offer keeping in mind White’s age, prior earnings, and contract timeline.

“If I were her I would take it for that next five years but I would continue she’s opened the door for 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,” the model concluded. TMZ reported that Sony wasn’t giving in to White’s demands, Bryan Freedman, her lawyer then cut out a deal for “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.” Additionally, Freedman requested Sony to consult a third party to evaluate Sajak’s and White’s roles and then come up with a “fair figure,” however, Sony refused to consider the suggestion.

“50 percent of Pat’s salary is so outrageous that no one in their right mind could say that it’s fair,” a source told People. “The negotiation is asking for much more than 50 percent of his salary. It’s asking for the same pay — if not more.” In 2021, White’s contract was extended by three years, with a payout of $100,000 per episode. “Vanna was told, ‘If you fight this, you will lose your job. You’re lucky to have the job.’ And when people tell you that for so long, you believe it,’” the source added. It has been reported that the co-host extended her contract for two seasons in September 2023.

However, White acknowledged that the media exaggerated the problem with her pay. “It was because people just have rumors,” she said. “Everything is so blown out of proportion, not just with my stuff, with everybody’s stuff.” Apart from hosting, the model is also a skilled entrepreneur, and during her free time, she flips houses.