Vanna White’s Net Worth

What Is Vanna White’s Net Worth

Vanna White Net Worth, Biography, Age, Husband, Children and many more details can be checked on this page. Vanna White is, unarguably, one of American best TV personality hostesses. As of 2023, White is believed to be worth a whopping $90 million, with an annual net income standing at $10 million. Starting out as a model, White became a hostess of many television shows from 1981-2022.

South Carolina-born White makes a fortune from celebrity events and talk shows, becoming a millionaire in her work as a hostess of the game show Wheel of Fortune (1982-1986).

Interestingly, by the time White was leaving her mother Joan in South Carolina, she only had $1,000 to her name.

Apart from appearing in Married with Children, the 66-year-old also earned fame as a major actress in several films and episodes, including Simon and Simon, Graduation Day, Super Mario Bros Super Show, and Looker.

Earnings Overview

White’s fame and fortune came on account of her involvement in a wide range of activities and businesses. Her incredible running as a model, actress, TV game show hostess, and businesswoman not only shot her into the limelight but also accounted for her high net worth.

The Wheel of Fortune is her major source of wealth. By the time Susan Stafford —the original anchor of the game show — was leaving her position in October 1982, White had been an understudy.

Three months as a backup hostess and understudy, White was offered a full-time job. The blond beauty had Summer Bartholomew and Vicki McCarty as fellow recruits and co-hosts. The fame of the show was said to have grown due to White’s incredible handling.

After living for years in Mulholland Estate, a gated community, Pietro and White moved to Beverley Hills (another gated community) where they built a 15,000-square-foot spec house. They had another building in the neighborhood.

Both houses were listed for sale, although the 15,000-square-foot building was initially rented out (for $175,000) after the duo had parted. Eventually, the two buildings were sold for $47.5 million and $22 million, respectively.

In 2013, White bought a luxury apartment for $1.125 million in Sherman Oaks, California, renting it out at $20,000 per month.

White’s annual earnings are about US$10 million which amounts to $208,333 per workday per 48 days of annual work.  In a single Wheel of Fortune show, White is said to earn as much as $34,722.

The show tapes four days a month: two Thursdays and two Fridays, averaging six shows per day.

White’s Childhood, Education, and Family

Vanna White was born Vanna Marie Angel near North Myrtle Beach on February 18, 1957, to Miguel Angel Rosich (father) and Joan Marie Rosich (mother) in Horry County in Conway, South Carolina.

Miguel descended from Croatia and Puerto Rico. However, White’s parents separated when she was a child. Later, Joan remarried a successful real estate broker, Herbert White Jr., whose name White took. White was raised by her stepfather.

After completing her high education at North Myrtle Beach High School, Joan left for Atlanta, Georgia to start her career as a model.

She attended The Atlanta School of Fashion and Design, obtaining a degree before she later worked as a model.

White moved to and later settled in Los Angeles in 1979 where established herself as a successful actress and model. The 23-year-old spent the summer of 1980 taking care of her ailing mother who, at the time, was battling cancer.

White’s Modeling, Movie And TV Career

White’s career began as a model while she was still in college, participating in the 1978 edition of the Miss Georgia USA beauty pageant.

She was one of the four contestants in the ‘Contestant Row,’ one of the episodes of Bob Barker-hosted The Price is Right TV game show on June 20, 1980.

She lost the contest en route to the final lap of the episode and could not appear on stage nor win the prize. However, the clip of her incredible display at the contest made it to the rebroadcast to mark the Silver Jubilee Special of The Price is Right in August 1996.

The Golden Jubilee celebration of The Price is Right in September 2021 also had White appear as a guest model. White was also a feature at the special broadcast of the Game Show Moments Gone Bananas.

After a successful stint as a model, White made her way into acting and, in 1980, she acted in an untitled and uncompleted film. The movie was released ten years later as Gypsy Angels in which she acts as a stripper.

In the movie, White falls for an aerobatic pilot who has suffered amnesia following a plane crash.

Subsequently, in 1981, White acted as Doris in the American slasher horror film, Graduation Day. The movie was produced by Troma Entertainment and directed by Ohio-born popular American film writer Herb Freed. She was also on set in Looker.

By December 13, 1982, White had become the chief and regular hostess of the Wheel of Fortune, beating more than 200 other women contenders for the top job.

She has appeared on several other popular TV shows, including ‘The A-Team,’ ‘The King of Queens,’ and ‘Married with Children.’

White’s Relationship And Personal Life

White met her boyfriend, John Gibson, a “Playgirl” centerfold, a dancer who later turned an actor, and the duo became engaged in the 1980s.

However, Gibson’s tragic death in a horrendous aircraft crash in 1986 brought their relationship to an abrupt end before their marriage.

Later in the summer of 1980, White returned to South Carolina where she met George Santo Pietro, a successful real estate developer and restaurant owner.

She had gone to South Carolina to be with her mother Joan Marie who was suffering from ovarian cancer. Pietro was from a very wealthy family in Beverley Hills.

However, after losing her mother, 44, in April 1990, White and Pietro tied the knot in December of the same year. The marriage lasted 12 years, ending in November 2002.

She was rumored to be engaged to Michael Kaye, a South Carolina investor, even though the two had no marital exchange. White also continued her relationship with John Donaldson, they have started since 2012.

White is the owner of Vanna’s Choice, a yarn brand. She is a regular patron of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a philanthropist. She is baptized and identifies herself as a Christian.

Awards And Recognitions

On May 24, 2013, White won the Guinness World Record for the ‘most frequent clapper’. She was reported to have clapped more than 3 million —3,480, 864 times to be exact —times spanning 30 seasons of the show.

American rapper, Nelly, referenced White in the former’s 2001 hit song Ride Wit Me. In the song, Nelly says “And can I make it?  Damn right, I be on the next flight Paying cash; first class – sitting next to Vanna White.’

In addition, “Weird AI” Yankovic, an American comedy music writer and artist dedicates a song to White in his Even Worse album, titled Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White.

White has authored Vanna Speaks, an autobiography published by Warner Books, a New York-based publisher. The book was released on White’s 30th birthday in 1987.

White’s Social Media And Life

White has a relatively huge social media presence. She is active on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. As of writing, White’s personal Instragam account (@officialvannawhite) has 95k followers.

More than 49k fans follow the blond beauty on her Twitter account, @TheVannaWhite and 169k on Facebook.

She is reported to have worn more than 6,700 dresses, translating to each dress per show. However, most of the dresses were said to have been borrowed from fashion brands and designers.

White’s Controversies And Litigations

Like Nikki Reed and Henry Cavill, being a celebrity, White has been at the center of a few controversies and litigations at various times in her successful career.

She was said to have had a series of miscarriages before she had Nicholas, her first child. People have also said that White and Gibson never exchanged vows before the latter died.

Earlier in 1987, White sued ‘Playboy magazine and its publisher Hugh Hefner. Hefner had used a semi-nude picture of White without the latter’s consent. White later dropped the two charges and the $5.2 million damages.

In 1993, White filed a suit against Samsung Electronics over the latter’s use of her personality rights and show’s trademark.

The company had used a robot turning letters in a game show. Losing at the lower court, White’s appeal at the Appeal Court paid off.

She was awarded $403,000 in damages by a jury of the US Supreme Court.

FAQs

How long did White co-host Wheel of Fortune with Sajak?

White co-hosted Wheel of Fortune with Pat Sajak, the ‘Wheel’s’ host and fellow successful American TV personality. The iconic duo worked together on the show for about 40 years.

They have both had highs and lows. The Wheel has been a consistent game and entertainment show.

Is Vanna White Christopher George’s niece?

No, even though there have been rumors peddled around that the hostess and actor Christopher George are biological relations.

Although George was often referred to as White’s ‘uncle, White’s mother lived together and grew up with George’s family in Los Angeles for years.