Vanna White stays silent on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ future after hopping aboard celeb bus tour
Vanna White, 66, is holding her cards — or, should we say, letters — close to her chest.
On Saturday, the legendary “Wheel of Fortune” letter-turner hopped aboard TMZ’s Celebrity Bus Tour as she was grabbing ice cream with her son, Nikko, 29, in Beverly Hills.
And, while she put on a smile for fans, she stayed silent about her future on the game show amid rumors of a big salary negotiation between herself and the network.
The outlet captured her brief appearance on the bus in a video as she greeted riders, but towards the end, someone asked her whether she would be coming back to the show, or even hosting it.
In response, she just laughed and smiled, cheekily telling them all, “Time to say bye,” as she exited the bus.
The Post reached out to White’s representatives for comment.
In the wake of Pat Sajak’s retirement, which he announced in early June, Ryan Seacrest was named as the new host — leaving White seemingly in the dust.
The star has been a part of the show since 1982, coming in one year after Sajak.
Seacrest mentioned working with White in his statement announcing the new role, but White has reportedly lawyered up and is negotiating for a raise, something that she hasn’t had in 18 years, according to Puck News.
The outlet reported that she has been making $3 million per year since 2005, while a 2016 report from Forbes alleged that Sajak cashes in a hefty $15 million a year for the hosting gig.
She is said to have hired “aggressive” powerhouse attorney Bryan Freedman to broker the deal, per the outlet, and is apparently “holding out” for half of Sajak’s salary, TMZ previously reported — which comes to around $7.5 million.
And although White hasn’t said anything publicly about the future of the show, a recent report from The Daily Mail alleged that the 66-year-old feels like the show’s producers have a “lack of respect” for the star.
One insider claimed to the outlet that White feels “disappointed” because the show’s heads “didn’t give her more of a chance to take over Pat’s job, or that she wasn’t able to give her two cents on the replacement.”
And, although she still has “respect” for the longstanding “American Idol” host, and is “happy” to work with him, there’s more going on under the surface.
“But it just shows a lack of respect in her eyes that they have for her,” the source claimed. “She wants to be with the show for as long as she wants to be on the show, on her terms. She believes she deserves it.”
The source also added that the negotiations are still “ongoing,” but if for some reason the star gets replaced, she will be “heartbroken.”
However, it looks like White has a lot of people in her corner — including former game show stars like “Price Is Right” model Gwendolyn Osborne and “Deal or No Deal” model Claudia Jordan.
“I’m saying it’s about time,” Osborne told “TMZ Live.” late last month. “Vanna White should have been asking this a long time ago.”
She continued, “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.’”
Season 41 of the show is set to begin airing in September.
