Ryan Seacrest ‘is not earning’ as much as Pat Sajak’s $20m-a-year WoF salary – but he signed onto job ‘for the prestige’

RYAN Seacrest’s salary details on Wheel of Fortune have been revealed, and he’s reportedly content with not making the big money that Pat Sajak did.

A studio source told The U.S. Sun how their paychecks compare as Ryan , 49, debuts as host.

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Wheel of Fortune

The iconic game show ‘s new era starts tonight as Ryan replaces the host of 41 years.

Ryan will fill the big shoes of Pat , 77, with the highly awaited premiere of Season 42.

While fans are eager to see how Ryan does as the host with Vanna White , 67, they may also be curious about his salary.

Pat made $18 million annually as host of the main show and, factoring in Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, made more than $20 million.

A top-level Sony source has told The U.S. Sun that Ryan agreed to a significantly lower salary.

The U.S. Sun was told he did so because he longed for the coveted gig and for longevity as the new host.

‘BEING PAID LESS’

“What is certain is that Ryan is being paid less than Pat, at least initially,” the source shared.

“Ryan and his team did not come into this trying to outdo Pat’s very generous salary.

“Ryan left an amazing job [as co-host of Kelly Ripa’s Live! morning franchise], but he’s not doing this job [WoF] for the money so much as the prestige.

“He can grow into Pat’s $20 million-plus yearly salary over the course of multiple renewals of his deal,” they explained.

“[But] Ryan is doing this job for the prestige and because Wheel is one of the few TV shows that still reaches millions of people every night of the week.

“You can’t put a price tag on something like that, but it’s obviously incredibly valuable to Ryan.

“He’s walked away from a lot of work to do this job, and he’s determined to leave the show in better shape than he found it in!”

While Ryan’s exact salary was not disclosed, it’s likely higher than Vanna’s.

Vanna made $3 million annually before she fought for a pay bump under her new two-year contract to co-host with Ryan.

Ryan is likely making between Vanna’s bumped-up salary and Pat’s salary.

So he’s likely making between $10 and $15 million, not the dizzying $28 million some outlets reported.

RYAN’S CONTRACT

Meanwhile, The New York Times confirmed that Ryan’s contract as host runs “through the early 2030s.”

Ryan Seacrest's Current Jobs

Ryan Seacrest is quite the workaholic, with the Hollywood multiphenate juggling perhaps more ongoing jobs than any other A-lister:

• -Host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on ABC
• -Host of American Top 40 on KIIS-FM
• -Host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM
• -Host of American Idol since its very first season in 2001
• -Host of Wheel of Fortune as of 2024

Ryan has exited many previous roles in the past few years to get where he is today, including as an executive producer of Hulu’s The Kardashians and co-host of Live! with Kelly and Mark .

Hard work pays off; according to Celebrity Net Worth, Ryan’s worth a fortune of $450 million

That means Ryan will host the show for at least six years, and he’s far from just a fill-in.

Sony—Wheel of Fortune’s parent company—signed Ryan on for at least six years in part because they want the show to be available on streaming.

Wheel of Fortune famously has no streaming presence and is only available on cable, much like Jeopardy! .

“The chairman of Sony said that one reason he signed Mr. Seacrest through the early 2030s was to help the show transition to the streaming world,” the outlet wrote.

Sony Chairman Tony Vinciquerra told The New York Times that they selected Ryan to see the show through that “transition.”

“We want to have the continuity of the host, someone who is well known, and who will travel with the show through that transition,” he said.

“I can’t think of a better person to do that with than Ryan.”

It’s unclear if Ryan’s pay can increase annually or if it’s set until he renews his contract.

‘NOT PAT’S CHOICE’

Meanwhile, a Sony source previously told The U.S. Sun that Pat did not choose Ryan as his successor.

“Ryan wasn’t Pat’s choice to replace him and Pat deliberately stayed out of that process,” they said.

“Ryan was extremely smart when he took the job to be utterly respectful to Pat at every turn.

“Ryan did not want there to be even an ounce of tension between them.

“Ryan acts like he has Pat’s support and for now, that helps him [Ryan] enjoy this honeymoon period, where the fans are going to decide if he’s a good fit for the show.”

“But it could certainly be a different story a year from now, especially if there’s erosion in the ratings.”

Ryan paid tribute to Pat for his “dedication, charm, and wit” in an Instagram statement when the TV legend’s last episode aired on June 7, 2024.

“You’ve set the standard for hosts everywhere, and this marks the end of an era.”

However, the pair has spent limited time on-set together, even as Pat is filming one last season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune to fulfill his contract, which premieres October 7.

Pat also penned a farewell statement on Friday, September 6, bidding his “goodbye” to fans, but did not mention Ryan in his message.

The source did not share who Pat had in mind for his replacement, though many fans have backed his daughter, Maggie Sajak, who is currently the social media correspondent.

Ryan’s era is a moment in TV history as Pat has been the host since 1981 (Vanna co-host since 1982), setting a record as the longest game show host ever.

Pat is monitoring the transition as a consulting producer for the next three years.

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