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Vanna White's future with Wheel of Fortune still hasn't finalized her upcoming contract with the show slated to return to ABC for its 41st season on September 11, an unidentified source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Daily Mail.
The source claimed the two sides are "on a similar page" as both want White, 66, to be present for longtime host Pat Sajak's final year before retirement, however, there are still "a few hiccups."
“Vanna and the producers are currently on a similar page and want to get a deal done but they both have a few hiccups to still clear through,” the source told the Daily Mail on Friday (August 25). “They both know they have a lot of time to do it and more discussions to be had but everyone wants something achieved and wouldn’t want Pat’s last year hampered by the constant news of the revolving contract dispute drama.
“They want to celebrate this year with little to no drama whatsoever.”
Last month, an unidentified insider told PEOPLE Magazine that White was reportedly aiming to make a similar salary to Sajak as part of her new deal.
"Fifty percent of Pat's salary is so outrageous that no one in their right mind could say that it’s fair," the source said. "The negotiation is asking for much more than 50 percent of his salary. It's asking for the same pay — if not more."
White currently makes about $3 million annually, which has been the case for 18 years with additional bonuses, while Sajak, 76, is being paid "almost five times as much," Puck News' Matthew Belloni reported in June. The popular Wheel personality reportedly hired Bryan Freedman, who represented Mike Richards during his short-lived hiring as late Jeopardy host Alex Trebek's pegged long-term successor, in her own negotiations and is said to be “hitting the pay discrepancy issue hard with Sony, as well as possible gender discrimination with respect to White’s salary,” according to Belloni.
White is reportedly negotiating her contract to remain on the show past the 2023-24 season, with Sajak, who she's worked alongside since the game show's initial primetime debut in 1983, set to retire after the beginning of the 41st season in September 2023, at which point Ryan Seacrest will take over as his replacement.
Sajak was previously reported to be making $15 million annually, according to a Forbes report in 2016. The longtime host announced his upcoming plans in a statement shared on his social media accounts in June.
"Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)"