“Wheel of Fortune” star Vanna White has been missing from the past few tapings of the game show — and now fans know why.
Vanna White Misses ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Tapings Due To COVID-19
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During Wheel of Fortune’s 2023 Teacher’s Week, which was filmed in August but is airing this week on ABC, fans noticed that icon Vanna White was missing from the letter board. That is because she was recovering from COVID-19.
“You’ll notice Vanna is not here, and I have to say that Ms. White has tested positive for COVID. That’s the bad news,” Sajak told the audience. “The good news is I talked to her just a little while ago and she feels fine. She has a little sniffle. But she tested positive and that’s the way it goes, so she will not be with us here this week.”
Although the Teacher’s Week episodes couldn’t be rescheduled due to the fact tha the teachers had already arrived in Los Angeles to film, production was able to pause the filming of regular episodes to allow White time to recover, per Entertainment Weekly.
Vanna White Signs New Contract For ‘Wheel of Fortune’
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Vanna White recently cashed in big as she finally signed a huge “Wheel of Fortune” contract worth millions of dollars after negotiations.
The 66-year-old signed a two-year contract extension to continue as co-host of the ABC game show through the 2025-26 season. This new contract takes her two years into co-hosting alongside the new host of the show Ryan Seacrest, who will take over for long-time host Pat Sajak in fall 2024.
Although the specific details of the contract remain under wraps, we know White is getting a big payout after she previously spoke out about her salary demands. Several reports state that there is a “substantial pay increase” in the new deal, from the $3 million per year she was making for nearly 2 decades. Shockingly, she had not gotten a raise for 18 years.
Vanna White‘s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, was in on what is being described as a “very difficult negotiation” with Sony. But, it pays to have the best lawyer in town.
Vanna White Says Goodbye To Pat Sajak
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Vanna White recently opened up about her time on “Wheel of Fortune” alongside Pat Sajak, referring to themselves as a “brother and sister team.”
“I think when Merv Griffin chose both of us, 40 and 41 years ago, he saw something between us — a brother-sister type relationship,” White told PEOPLE. “And I think that is kind of what it is. He saw that we would be able to get along, and we do. We are like a brother and sister team.”
However, when thinking about the end of their “Wheel of Fortune” run, White admits it is “depressing.” “I don’t even want to think about that. I mean, we’re a team,” White said. “That’s depressing. I don’t even want to think about it.”
Continuing on, the 66-year-old said, “I can’t imagine. Everybody relates Wheel of Fortune to Pat and Vanna. We’re like Ken and Barbie, you know? We’ve been in everybody’s homes for 40 years, so it would be weird having somebody else turn my letters.”