Patrick Leonard Sajdak was born on October 26, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of Joyce Helen and Leonard Anthony Sajdak and grew up in Chicago. His grandparents were all Polish. When Pat was young, his father passed away, and his mother remarried. Sajak attended and graduated from Farragut High School in 1964. He attended Columbia College Chicago and worked at the Palmer House hotel’s front desk.
Her Career
Sajak’s college broadcasting professor informed him that the local radio station WEDC was seeking a news anchor. He applied and landed the 6 a.m. time slot at the station. Sajak joined the United States Army during the Vietnam War in 1968. During his time in the Army, he was a DJ on Armed Forces Radio.
As a DJ, he began each broadcast with “Good morning, Vietnam!” just as Robin Williams’ character did in the same-titled film. During the early 1970s, Sajak was the afternoon DJ in Nashville between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m.
Sajak moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s in search of employment in the entertainment industry. In 1977, he quickly landed a full-time position as a meteorologist at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles.
Pat Sajak’s Net worth
| Net Worth: | $70 Million |
| Salary: | $14 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Oct 26, 1946 (75 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.77 m) |
| Profession: | Game Show Host, Talk show host, Actor, Radio personality, Film Producer, Television producer |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
Pat Sajak is a former meteorologist, present-day television personality, actor, and game show host with a $70 million net worth. Sajak is most well-known for being the longtime host of “Wheel of Fortune.” Pat earns $14 million annually for his contributions to “Wheel.”
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As we explain later in this article, this is not Pat’s primary source of annual income. Pat and Vanna White earn more annually from licensing their image to casino slot machines than from their game show.
Personal Life
Sajak married photographer Lesly Brown Sajak in Annapolis, Maryland, in December 1989. He was previously married from 1979 to 1986 to a woman unknown to the press. Pat and Lesly have two children: Patrick Michael James Sajak, who was born in 1990, and Maggie Marie Sajak, who was born in 1995.
Maggie is a country music aspirant who has released three singles. The couple has homes in both Severna Park, Maryland, and Los Angeles. Pat Sajak has admitted to being a skeptic about climate change. In addition, he provides financial support to Young America’s Foundation, whose mission is to sponsor conservative speakers on college campuses across the country. Sajak and his family are Church of Christ members. Pat underwent emergency bowel surgery in November 2019 to remove a blockage. While he was recuperating, Vanna White served as his host. On December 5, 2019, three weeks later, he returned to work.
Pat Sajak’s Salary
As of this writing, Pat Sajak earns $14 million per year as the host of Wheel of Fortune. Comparatively, Vanna White earns $10 million per year. Wheel of Fortune records six episodes per day, four days per month. They record twice on Thursday and twice on Friday. On recording days, they both arrive at 8:30 a.m. and begin filming at noon. One audience watches three performances, followed by a lunch break. A second audience observes three additional tapings.
Salary By Year
Pat and Vanna record four times a month. 48 days per year are required to earn $15 and $10 million annually, respectively. Thus, Vanna earns $208,333 per day of work. Pat makes $312,500 per day of work. Pat Sajak earns $52,083 per show, while Vanna White earns $34,722 per show when broken down per show.
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Earning through Casino Licensing
Pat Sajak and Vanna White’s salaries from “Wheel of Fortune” do not account for the majority of their annual income. Pat and Vanna make more money than they do from their game show by licensing their images to casino slot machines.
Actually, Wheel of Fortune was the FIRST entertainment property licensed for use on slot machines. The first Wheel of Fortune-branded slot machines was installed in Las Vegas casinos in 1996. They were licensed to casinos around the world following their rapid rise to prominence.
Within a decade, it was reported that Wheel of Fortune-branded slot machines generated the most revenue in the majority of casinos. There are approximately 20,000 “Wheel” slot machines in casinos worldwide. Wheel of Fortune slot machines generates over $1 billion in annual gross revenue in Las Vegas alone. Globally, the machines generate more than $2 billion.
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Pat and Vanna each earn at least $15 million per year in royalties, licensing fees, and other payments in exchange for licensing their respective images and likenesses for the slot machines.
Wheel of Fortune Game
In 1981, game show mogul Merv Griffin offered Pat the chance to replace Chuck Woolery as the host of Wheel of Fortune. Unfortunately, Fred Silverman, the then-president of NBC, rejected the idea of hiring Sajak because he was “too local.” In response, Merv Griffin canceled the entire show and refused to produce new episodes until Sajak was hired.
Sajak has hosted the daytime and evening versions of the syndicated game show Wheel of Fortune for over three decades. In 2018, Sajak surpassed Price is Right’s Bob Barker to become the longest-running host of any game show. On March 22, 2019, Guinness World Records honored him with the distinction. Pat Sajak has a contract to host Wheel of Fortune until 2022. Pat has received three Emmy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work on the show.
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