Vanna White Hires ‘Aggressive’ Attorney To Secure Big ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Raise After Pat Sajak Retirement: Report

etcanada.com:

Vanna White is reportedly making a power play at “Wheel of Fortune” following news of longtime host Pat Sajak’s impending retirement.

A new report from Puck claims that White has hired “an aggressive new lawyer” to negotiate a long-overdue salary increase. That lawyer, Bryan Freedman, is known to be a bulldog for his clients when it comes to wringing out the biggest possible payday, with previous clients including ousted cable news hosts Tucker Carlson and Chris Cuomo, and Mike Richards, former producer of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel”, who was fired from his short-lived stint as Alec Trebek’s “Jeopardy!” replacement. READ MORE: Pat Sajak Retiring From ‘Wheel of Fortune’: Look Back At His Best Game Show Moments With Vanna White According to the report, White earns $3 million per year for flipping letters on the show — which is a mere fifth of Sajak’s $15 million per year.

Freedman is reportedly seeking to decrease that seemingly sexist disparity. Also at issue is the fact that White’s salary has remained static for some time; in fact, if she does negotiate a pay increase it would be her first raise in 18 years. READ MORE: ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Bosses Not Planning ‘To Eliminate’ Vanna White’s Role Despite Rumours, Source Says As the story points out, the issue for producers will be whether they want to make a fresh start with the show after Sajak’s departure by ditching White and hiring a new team, or if it’s wiser to keep her in place to provide continuity for viewers.