Pat Sajak is a former meteorologist, present-day television personality, actor, and game show presenter with a $70 million net worth. Sajak is most well-known for being the longtime host of “Wheel of Fortune.” Pat makes $14 million annually for his contributions to “Wheel.”
Vanna White Salary is a similar article
As we explain later in this article, this is not Pat’s primary source of annual income. Pat and Vanna White earn more annually from licensing their picture to casino slot machines than from their game show.
Early Years
Pat Sajak was born Patrick Leonard Sajdak on October 26, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of Joyce Helen and Leonard Anthony Sajdak and grew up in Chicago. His grandparents were all Polish. When Pat was young, his father passed away, and his mother remarried. Sajak attended and graduated from Farragut High School in 1964. He attended Columbia College Chicago and worked at the Palmer House hotel’s front desk.
Personal Life
Sajak wed photographer Lesly Brown Sajak in Annapolis, Maryland, in December 1989. He was previously married from 1979 to 1986 to a woman unknown to the public. Pat and Lesly have two children: Patrick Michael James Sajak, who was born in 1990, and Maggie Marie Sajak, who was born in 1995.
Maggie is a country music aspirant who has released three singles. The pair has a residence in both Severna Park, Maryland, and Los Angeles. Pat Sajak has admitted to being a skeptic of climate change.
In addition, he provides financial assistance to Young America Foundation, whose mission is to finance conservative speakers on college campuses across the country. The Sajak family are Churches of Christ members. Pat needed emergency intestinal surgery in November 2019 to remove a blockage. While he was recuperating, Vanna White served as his host.
On December 5, 2019, three weeks later, he returned to work.
Early Profession
Sajak’s college broadcasting professor informed him that the local radio station WEDC was seeking a news anchor. He applied and landed the 6 a.m. time slot at the station. Sajak joined the United States Army during the Vietnam War in 1968. During his time in the Army, he was a DJ on Armed Forces Radio.
Like a DJ, he began each show with “Good morning, Vietnam!” precisely as Robin Williams’ character did in the same-titled film. During the early 1970s, Sajak was the afternoon DJ in Nashville between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m.
Sajak traveled to Los Angeles in the late 1970s in search of employment in the entertainment sector. In 1977, he quickly secured full-time work as a meteorologist at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles.
Wheel of Fortune
In 1981, game show producer Merv Griffin gave Pat the opportunity to replace Chuck Woolery as Wheel of Fortune’s host. Unfortunately, the President of NBC at the time, Fred Silverman, rejected the idea of employing Sajak because he was “too local.” In response, Merv Griffin shut the entire show down entirely and refused to film new episodes until Sajak was hired.
Sajak has hosted both the daytime and primetime syndicated editions of Wheel of Fortune for more than three decades. In 2018, Sajak became the longest-running host of any game show, surpassing even Bob Barker of The Price Is Right. The Guinness World Records awarded him the title on March 22, 2019. The duration of Pat Sajak’s contract as host of Wheel of Fortune is 2022. Pat has been awarded three Emmys and a star on Hollywood’s walk of fame for his work on the television series.
Other Activities
In the 1982 comedy picture Airline II: The Sequel, Sajak appeared. His job was to report the news in Buffalo, New York. The Pat Sajak Show was a short-lived CBS late-night chat show hosted by Pat. When the daytime edition of Wheel of Fortune began airing, he departed the show. Former co-anchor Dan Miller served as Sajak’s sidekick. The series debuted in January 1989 and concluded in April 1990.
Sajak acted as a guest host multiple times on Super Password and Password Plus between 1984 and 1989. In addition, he was a guest host on the game series Dream House and Just Men! Sajak frequently filled in for Regis Philbin as a guest host on Live with Regis and Kelly.
In 2003, Sajak presented The Pat Sajak Baseball Hour, a syndicated radio sports talk show, and Pat Sajak Weekend on Fox News. In 2005, Sajak became an investor in the independent professional baseball league Golden Baseball League.
He serves as vice chairman of the board of trustees of Hillsdale College in southern Michigan. Sajak is the External Director of the conservative publishing business Eagle Publishing. Sajak is a regular contributor of podcasts and blog posts to the conservative website ricochet.com. In 2010, he began writing for National Review Online. He is also the creator of various puzzle games, with 2007’s Lucky Letters being the most well-known.
Pop Culture
In the 1980s, “Squeal of Fortune” was presented by a puppet named Pat Playjacks in a Sesame Street spoof parodying Pat Sajak. Also in the 1980s, Martin Short based the character, Ed Grimley, on Pat Sajak for the sketch comedy programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live. The Commish featured Sajak as a special guest appearance in 1992.
In 1993, Sajak was featured on Days of Our Lives and in his own right on the children’s animated series Rugrats. In 1986, Sajak and Vanna White played themselves on an episode of the NBC sitcom 227. In 2001, he portrayed himself in an episode of The King of Queens. In a fourth season episode of The A-Team, Pat and Vanna made a guest appearance.
Pat Sajak Salary
As of this writing, Pat Sajak earns $14 million per year as the host of Wheel of Fortune. Comparatively, Vanna White earns $10 million every year. Wheel of Fortune records six episodes every day, four days per month. They record twice on Thursday and twice on Friday.
On recording days, they both arrive at 8:30 a.m. and begin filming at noon. One audience watches three performances, followed by a lunch break. A second audience observes three additional tapings.
Salary Structure
Pat and Vanna record four times a month. 48 days per year are required to make $15 and $10 million annually, respectively. Thus, Vanna gets $208,333 every day of employment. Pat makes $312,500 per day of labor. Pat Sajak earns $52,083 per show, whereas Vanna White earns $34,722 per show when broken down per episode.
Casino License Revenues
Pat Sajak and Vanna White’s wages from “Wheel of Fortune” do not account for the majority of their annual income. Pat and Vanna earn more money from licensing their photos to casino slot machines than they do from their game show.
Actually, Wheel of Fortune was the FIRST entertainment product approved for use on slot machines. The first Wheel of Fortune-branded slot machines was installed at Las Vegas casinos in 1996.
They were licensed to casinos around the world following their rapid rise to prominence. Within a decade, it was stated that Wheel of Fortune-branded slot machines generated the most income in the majority of casinos. There are around 20,000 “Wheel” slot machines in casinos worldwide. Wheel of Fortune slot machines produces over $1 billion in annual gross revenue in Las Vegas alone. Globally, the machines make more than $2 billion.
Pat and Vanna each make at least $15 million per year in royalties, licensing fees, and other payments in exchange for licencing their separate images and likenesses for the slot machines.
FAQs
What is Pat Sajak’s net worth?
Pat Sajak’s estimated net worth is $70 million.
How old is Pat Sajak?
Pat Sajak was born on October 26, 1946, making him 75 years old at present.
How tall is Pat Sajak?
Pat Sajak’s height is 1.77 meters, or 5 feet 10 inches.
READ ALSO
- John Mcafee Net Worth: When Was Mcafee Arrested?
- Tevin Campbell Net Worth 2022: Musician Has Formally Disclosed That He is Gay
- Rubina Dilaik Net Worth 2022: How Much Does Each Episode Cost With Rubina Dilaik?