Ryan Seacrest is rolling in the dough.
The Wheel of Fortune host earns a hefty paycheck in his new position.
Ryan joined Wheel of Fortune for its 42nd season, taking on a coveted position alongside TV legend Vanna White.
Despite some apprehension from skeptical Wheel watchers, Ryan has excelled in his position thus far, as evidenced by the positive feedback he’s received.
Going into his new position, Ryan was fully aware that he had some big shoes to fill in Pat Sajak’s absence.
But his presence on stage at Sony Pictures Studios has proven successful for the Wheel of Fortune franchise, boosting ratings astronomically.
Ryan Seacrest’s annual salary is nearly double that of his forerunner Pat Sajak’s
Ryan allegedly earns a hefty salary that matches his soaring ratings.
In fact, the 49-year-old television personality is reportedly earning nearly twice that of his predecessor, Pat Sajak.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Ryan is purportedly raking in a cool $28 million per year as the host of Wheel of Fortune.
Rumors are that Pat Sajak earned $15 million annually at the time of his exit from Wheel of Fortune.
That means Ryan’s salary is nearly double that of Pat’s as the host of the long-running game show.
A Wheel of Fortune insider claims Ryan is being paid less than Pat initially
Conversely, The Sun reports that Ryan is actually making less than Pat did and agreed to a lower salary per a “top-level Sony source.”
“What is certain is that Ryan is being paid less than Pat, at least initially,” the insider told The Sun.
“Ryan and his team did not come into this trying to outdo Pat’s very generous salary,” they added.
Ryan is in a position to renegotiate his contract and eventually earn beaucoup bucks
It seems that Ryan took the job as the host of Wheel of Fortune more for the prestige than the paycheck, knowing that he can always tweak his contract.
“Over the course of multiple renewals down the line,” Ryan could potentially surpass Pat’s salary, the source tells The Sun.
“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!” they added.
Ryan hasn’t made any mention of his salary, and we wouldn’t expect him to.
But aside from his earnings, his success is evident.
Ryan’s ratings during his Wheel of Fortune Season 42 debut exceeded Pat Sajak’s in Season 41 by 70 percent.
Ryan is working his ‘dream’ job on Wheel of Fortune
Despite what his naysayers have to say, Ryan is enjoying his new career.
During his first week on the job, Ryan called the experience a “dream” and thanked Wheel of Fortune viewers for giving him a “warm” welcome.
On Instagram, Ryan uploaded a video montage featuring some behind-the-scenes footage of a day in his life at Wheel of Fortune.
In his accompanying caption, the 49-year-old wrote, “This week has been a dream, and it’s just the beginning! Thanks for the warm welcome #wheeloffortune.”