‘Wheel of Fortune’: Is Vanna White Returning for Season 43?

Disney/Eric McCandless

Now Pat Sajak is done with Wheel of Fortune for good after he wrapped up the celebrity version on Tuesday, June 10, which brings up the question of is Vanna White returning to the game show? Vanna was back for Season 42 after Sajak retired and Ryan Seacrest signed on, but could she also soon be headed for retirement?

Fans will be relieved to hear that the beloved letter-turner is definitely coming back for Season 43, alongside Seacrest. A premiere date has not yet been announced, but it typically premieres the first Monday after Labor Day. The duo will also host the next season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune together, which will be Ryan Seacrest’s first celebrity season. Celebrity WOF does not yet have a premiere date. They wrapped up their first season together on Friday, June 6, after 196 episodes. White and Seacrest have known each other for 20 years.

Season 43 will mark Vanna White’s 44th year with Wheel of Fortune. She joined the show in 1982 and spent 42 years co-hosting alongside Pat Sajak.

In an interview with ABC7, Vanna White, 68, shared how it felt working with Seacrest. “This whole season, I have been smiling from day one,” she shared. “He’s so easy to work with. He’s fun. He’s easygoing and he makes my job easy. You come to work and you make people happy. What could be better?”

She doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. However, according to TODAY.com, White only extended her contract through the 2025-2026 season. So, could this be her last?

Along with her contract, Vanna White negotiated a pay raise with Wheel of Fortune since her last one was 20 years ago. According to TMZ, White’s lawyer Bryan Freedman told Sony Pictures his client hoped for for 50% of what Sajak made.

However, a source told People that the previous report was “inaccurate,” including the claim that White accepted an offer of $100,000 per episode to continue the Celebrity edition of the show.

“50 percent of Pat’s salary is so outrageous that no one in their right mind could say that it’s fair,” the source stated. “The negotiation is asking for much more than 50 percent of his salary. It’s asking for the same pay — if not more.”

The source added that for years, “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,’” before adding that White is now ready to fight for her future. “She’s a really, really sweet person. She deserves so much more.”

As TV Insider previously reported, Sajak’s annual salary from the show was thought to be around $15 million a year. Whereas, the source told People that White made around $3 million.

White told Parade in September 2024 that she isn’t ready to step away from Wheel of Fortune just yet.

“I wasn’t ready to retire, so that’s why I’m continuing on,” she told the outlet. “Because I enjoy it. I love coming to work. I love watching people win. I love changing people’s lives. There’s a lot of stuff on TV that is so dramatic, and this is a half-hour of family fun and escape from so much. It’s such a positive family show. I love being part of that. So I’m not ready to leave.”

However, White said that with all the electronics the board has “obviously they could do it without me.” “But people love watching what I’m wearing,” she said.