Pat Sajak must have earned a hefty net worth before retirement, right?
It is, truly, the end of an era.
Pat Sajak has retired after 41 seasons of Wheel of Fortune. He has been hosting the television staple since 1981.
Some television stars become fabulously wealthy. Others are simply comfortable. And still more have to struggle and start side businesses merely to stay afloat. What of the longtime Wheel of Fortune host?
Happy retirement, Pat Sajak!
Pat Sajak began hosting Wheel of Fortune in 1981. Since then, he has become a household name, and Wheel of Fortune has become a fixture in popular culture.
In June of 2023, Sajak announced his impending retirement — a full year in advance.
Friday, June 7, 2024 was Pat Sajak’s last day hosting Wheel of Fortune. He hosted the series long before many of its fans were even born. 41 seasons and 19 Daytime Emmy Award nominations (with three wins) later, he’s stepping down.
Not all television stars are “rich.” The majority of acting work involves playing a random witness on procedural shows like Will Trent and, even with many projects per year, take home average middle class salaries.
However, TV hosts — especially those who occupy iconic roles for many years — tend to rake in a good amount of money.
That is certainly the case for Pat Sajak. Even so, some net worth estimates vary on just how much of a fortune the Wheel of Fortune host has amassed.
What is the net worth of Pat Sajak?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Pat Sajak has an approximate value of around $75 million.
Meanwhile, a competing estimate from Money Inc. eyeballs his net wroth to be closer to $65 million.
$10 million is an enormous, life-changing amount of money. That said, both of these numbers are sizable enough that it would make little difference in how the average person perceives Sajak’s wealth.
Where do these celebrity net worth estimates originate? It’s complex, and involves a lot of educated guesses. Sometimes, they’re way off (especially for character actors who are less famous).
Thanks to a 2016 report by Forbes, we know that Sajak was at one time making $15 million per season. That was not, of course, his starting salary — or the one on which he ended things.
Back in 2021, both Sajak and the legendary Vanna White extended their Wheel of Fortune contracts through 2024. Sajak received a consulting producer credit — which could signal both a pay raise and, likely, a portion of the series’ syndication pay.
How did Pat Sajak earn his fortune?
Some actors film many long days just to produce a few minutes of footage. Luckily, Pat Sajak and Vanna White have enjoyed a much smaller commitment.
Filming for Wheel of Fortune only takes about four days per month. These are lengthy days, and each season of Wheel of Fortune boasts a whopping 195 episodes. In other words, they clearly cram a lot of work into one day of shooting.
Notably, both Sajak and White are hosts of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, a much more recent invention (it premiered in 2021).
Pat Sajak has also done acting over the years. In 1983, he was on Days of Our Lives. Most of the time, however, he has simply played fictionalized versions of himself — on everything from Rugrats to Fresh Off the Boat to 2021’s Muppets Haunted Mansion.
But Pat Sajak’s net worth, like his salary, comes from more than just work that he’s put into things. His iconic role made him functionally irreplaceable until he was ready to retire.
Becoming a television host who entertains generations is, above all else, a stroke of luck. Which ties into the premise of Wheel of Fortune pretty well, doesn’t it?
