Pat Sajak Net Worth - Pulptastic

Publish date: 2024-05-03

What is Pat Sajak’s net worth and salary?

Pat Sajak, the long-term host of the game show “Wheel of Fortune,” has a net worth of $75 million and earns an annual salary of $14 million for his work on the show. He first entered the media industry as a news anchor on a local radio station while attending Columbia College in Chicago in the 1960s. Sajak joined the Army during the Vietnam War and was a deejay on Armed Forces Radio before continuing his career in radio and television at various stations in Kentucky, Nashville, and Los Angeles.

In 1981, Sajak was asked by Merv Griffin, the creator of “Wheel of Fortune,” to take over hosting duties from Chuck Woolery, but the CEO of NBC rejected the idea. Griffin threatened to stop all new tapings until Sajak was hired. Sajak has hosted the show since 1981, earning an annual salary of $14 million, while his co-host, Vanna White, earns a salary of $10 million. Interestingly, the duo actually earns more money every year licensing their image to casino slot machines than they do from their game show salaries.

Pat Sajak and Vanna White’s Wheel of Fortune Salaries

As host of Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak earns an annual salary of $14 million, while Vanna White’s salary is $10 million. They tape four days per month, with six shows per day. On taping days, they arrive at 8:30 am and start shooting at noon. Each audience watches three shows, and there is a lunch break before the second audience comes in for three more tapings.

For their 48 days of work per year, Pat earns $312,500 per workday and $52,083 per show. Meanwhile, Vanna earns $208,333 per workday and $34,722 per show.

Pat Sajak and Vanna White Earn More from Slot Machines than “Wheel of Fortune”

Believe it or note, Pat Sajak and Vanna White’s salaries from “Wheel of Fortune” aren’t their largest source of annual income. Both Pat and Vanna make more money licensing their images to casino slot machines than they do from the game show itself.

Wheel of Fortune was actually the FIRST entertainment property to be licensed for use on slot machines. In 1996 the first Wheel of Fortune branded slot machines were placed in casinos in Las Vegas. Within a decade, the Wheel of Fortune branded slot machines were reported to be the highest revenue generating slot machines in most casinos. There are an estimated 20,000 “Wheel” slot machines on casinos floors around the world. In Las Vegas alone, Wheel of Fortune slot machines generate over $1 billion per year in gross revenue. Worldwide the machines generate over $2 billion.

In exchange for licensing their respective images and likenesses for the slot machines, Pat and Vanna both earn at least $15 million per year in royalties, licensing fees and other payments.

Early Life and Education

Pat Sajak was born Patrick Leonard Sajdak in Chicago, Illinois, in 1946. He grew up in Chicago and was the son of Joyce Helen and Leonard Anthony Sajdak. His father passed away when he was young, and his mother remarried. Sajak attended Farragut High School and graduated in 1964. He then enrolled at Columbia College Chicago and worked as a front desk clerk at the Palmer House hotel.

All of Sajak’s grandparents were Polish.

Early Career

During college, Sajak’s broadcasting instructor informed him of a job opening for a news anchor at WEDC. He got the job and hosted the station’s 6 a.m. time slot. Later, he joined the Army and worked as a deejay on Armed Forces Radio, introducing each broadcast with “Good morning, Vietnam!” Sajak also worked as a DJ in Nashville and eventually moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. He landed a weatherman position at KNBC-TV in 1977.

Pat Sajak’s Career on Wheel of Fortune

In 1981, Merv Griffin offered Pat Sajak the opportunity to take over hosting duties on Wheel of Fortune from Chuck Woolery. However, NBC’s President at the time, Fred Silverman, rejected the idea as he deemed Sajak “too local”. As a result, Merv Griffin shut down the show entirely until Sajak was hired as the host.

Pat Sajak has now hosted both the daytime and syndicated evening versions of Wheel of Fortune for over 30 years, making him the longest-running host of any game show. Guinness World Records honored him with this title on March 22, 2019. Sajak’s contract as host of Wheel of Fortune goes through 2022. He has won three Emmys for his work on the show and was even given a star on Hollywood’s walk of fame.

Pat Sajak’s Career and Other Ventures

Pat Sajak has appeared in various TV shows and films, including Airline II: The Sequel, where he played a newscaster from Buffalo, New York. He also had his own late-night talk show on CBS called The Pat Sajak Show, which aired from January 1989 to April 1990. Sajak was a guest host on Super Password, Password Plus, Dream House, and Just Men!. He also filled in for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly and hosted Pat Sajak Weekend on Fox News and The Pat Sajak Baseball Hour, a syndicated radio sports talk show. In 2005, he invested in the Golden Baseball League, an independent professional baseball league.

Aside from his entertainment career, Sajak is also involved in other ventures. He serves as vice chairman on the board of trustees at Hillsdale College in southern Michigan and is an External Director of Eagle Publishing, a conservative publishing house. Sajak contributes regularly to the conservative blog ricochet.com and started writing for the National Review Online in 2010. He is also known for creating puzzle games, with Lucky Letters being his most popular game released in 2007.

Pat Sajak’s Pop Culture Appearances

In the ’80s, Sajak was parodied on a Sesame Street sketch; a muppet named Pat Playjacks hosted “Squeal of Fortune.” Martin Short based a character off Pat Sajak, Ed Grimley, on the sketch comedy shows SCTV and Saturday Night Live. Sajak had a special guest star role in the television show The Commish in 1992. He also appeared on Days of Our Lives and as himself on the children’s cartoon Rugrats in 1993. Sajak and Vanna White portrayed themselves in an episode of NBC sitcom 227 in 1986 and he appeared as himself on the sitcom The King of Queens in 2001. In an episode of season four on The A-Team, Pat and Vanna made a cameo.

Personal Life and Beliefs

Pat Sajak married Lesly Brown Sajak in 1989 and they have two children together. He was previously married from 1979-1986. Sajak is a climate change skeptic and financially supports conservative speakers on college campuses through Young America’s Foundation. The Sajak family are members of the Churches of Christ. In 2019, Sajak underwent emergency bowel surgery and was temporarily replaced by Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune.

Real Estate Ventures

In June 1988, Pat Sajak purchased a 6-bedroom, 6-bathroom home in the LA suburb of Encino for $1.895 million. The property spans nearly 7,000 square feet and sits on 3.9 acres of land. Today, the home is estimated to be worth between $7-10 million.

In 1991, Pat and Lesly acquired a 3-acre waterfront property in Severna Park, Maryland, for $1.275 million. They proceeded to build a 6,500 square foot mansion on the land.

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