Wheel Of Fortune's Vanna White Lives A Really Lavish Life

With six consonants and four vowels, there is no phrase quite as synonymous with one of America's most popular game shows than the name Vanna White. For decades, fans have tuned in to watch the beloved game show "Wheel of Fortune," captivated not only by the game itself, but by the longtime host Pat Sajak and the ever-present smiling face of White. White has not aged a bit since making her "Wheel of Fortune" debut in 1982, but one major aspect of the show has changed. After long-time host Sajak retired, White's "Wheel of Fortune" future was up for negotiation. In September 2024, Ryan Seacrest replaced Sajak as the game show's host, but much to the delight of fans, White remained as a fixture on "Wheel of Fortune." The game show icon is known for her elegant dresses, but White's on-air wardrobe is far from the only lavish aspect of her life.

With a net worth of approximately $85 million, White lives a lavish life that most people only dream of. The "Wheel of Fortune" star has made a real fortune, to say the least, and she continues to enjoy the many perks of her glamorous job.

Throughout her decades in the limelight, "Wheel of Fortune" star Vanna White has been on the cover of multiple prominent magazines, the majority of which White takes pride in. However, the game show personality had no say in one of her earliest magazine covers. While White lives a lavish life now, that was not always the case. In her early days living in Los Angeles, she was short on rent money and posed for a lingerie photoshoot. A few years later, the lingerie photographer sold the pictures to Playboy who published the images without her permission. White took Hugh Hefner to court over the matter and went on to be on the cover of many other magazines.

The "Wheel of Fortune" star proudly posed for the cover of numerous magazines throughout her career, including Parade and Woman's World. Only a few years after she started working on the gameshow, White was featured on the cover of two major magazines in 1986: People and Newsweek. As her popularity continued to soar, she posed for the front page of Ladies Home Journal, The Saturday Evening Post, and Closer Weekly, as well as multiple TV Guide issues. In 2024, White was interviewed about her long, glamorous career for an exclusive story in Parade. After over 40 years on television, the "Wheel of Fortune" star continues to prove she's cover girl material.

From an unknown model and pageant girl to one of the most recognized faces in America, "Wheel of Fortune" star Vanna White went through a stunning transformation over the years. Part of White's transformation was financial, as she has earned millions over the decades that she invested back into real estate. While flipping letters on TV has made her a pretty penny, she's also done well flipping and renting out properties around the greater Los Angeles area. "I'm a businesswoman. You know, I have other investments too, real estate," she told ABC News in 2017. "A long time ago, I would buy a house and flip it. But now everybody does that so I don't do that anymore because there's no houses out there to buy." 

The "Wheel of Fortune" star has owned multiple properties in California over the years, including a sprawling estate in Sherman Oaks that she rents out. White's Sherman Oaks home, which was featured in Architectural Digest, has an infinity pool and spa as well as an outdoor kitchen and fire pit. The television personality's Sherman Oaks property, which is approximately 3,000 square feet, has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and an incredible view of the mountains and canyon. White purchased the home with her boyfriend, home builder and developer John Donaldson, in 2013 for $1.125 million according to tax records. In 2023, it was listed for rent for a whopping $20,000 a month. As of 2020, White owned a condominium in her hometown of North Myrtle Beach as well.

Like many celebrities, Vanna White has called some lavish and large mansions home. In 2001, the "Wheel of Fortune" star purchased a property in Beverly Hills' star-studded (and gated) Mulholland Estates neighborhood for over $3 million. From a huge walk-in closet to a private movie theater, her Mediterranean-style mansion has it all. With seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, the 8,988-square-foot home is far from modest. The property was reportedly worth about $10.8 million in 2024, according to Omni Home Ideas, and has a stunning private pool and backyard oasis. The abode also boasts a wine cellar and private gym with a small spa attached, lavish luxuries fit for such a renowned television star. With so many amenities, White would not even need to leave the house to enjoy a night at the theater or a relaxing spa day.

Before that, White lived in an even bigger Beverly Hills mansion. In the 1990s, she and her ex-husband, George Santo Pietro (pictured above), built and moved into a 14,554-square-foot palace situated in Beverly Park. After White and Pietro split up, she moved out and he kept the property, reportedly renting it out for as much as $175,000 a month. In 2017, it was listed for a cool $47.5 million. Two years later, it was up for $38 million.

Having a decades long career in television means that Vanna White is no stranger to spending time with celebrities, including her "Wheel of Fortune" co-host Ryan Seacrest and former host Pat Sajak. Although rumors have swirled in the past that the two were romantically linked, the truth about Vanna White and Pat Sajak's relationship is that they are simply close friends. White is even friends with Pat's daughter, Maggie Sajak, but her "Wheel of Fortune" family members are far from the only celebrities White knows.

White has crossed paths with all different kinds of famous stars, from musicians and actors to sports icons and other television personalities. And yet, she never became jaded. "I was starstruck by Stevie Wonder," the "Wheel of Fortune" star told Closer Weekly in 2025. "I was sitting in the makeup chair, and he walked into the room. And I just was like, 'Wow, it's Stevie Wonder.' And another one was Mr. Rogers — he was the sweetest, sweetest man." She also said that meeting Mickey Mantle left her starstruck as well.

White also counts many familiar names, such as "Dancing With the Stars" fixtures Derek Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro, as friends. As host of "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune," White has of course met a number of Hollywood's elite. Industry events such as the Emmy Awards that she attends has put her in close proximity with some of the biggest names in television as well.

Whether for work or vacation, "Wheel of Fortune" star Vanna White has been to some seriously gorgeous and expensive places. White has taken ski trips to Aspen and filmed on location in tropical paradises spanning the globe. In 2025, White shared a video on Instagram she took while getting ready to film in Hawaii and wrote, "I love my job.. but I love it even more in Hawaii!" Forget boring cubicles, White gets to shoot on location in places that are many people's dream vacation spots.

Earlier that year, she also filmed on location in Park City, Utah, certainly enjoying the gorgeous mountain scenery during the "Wheel of Fortune" Winter Wonderland week. White's lavish life as a television personality has also taken her to many European destinations, such as Switzerland and Italy in 2017 and Portugal in 2018 for work. Although her job keeps her busy, the game show icon still makes time for pleasure as well. In 2016, she took a trip to Iceland with her daughter where she hiked a volcano and enjoyed stunning mountain vistas. The following year, White enjoyed a girls' trip to the island of the Bahamas, and in 2018, she returned to Italy where she vacationed in Sicily. She later visited Amsterdam on the same European trip and took in all of the city sights, including the charming canals.

It's not uncommon for celebrities to fly private, but not many people have actually owned one, let alone two, Learjets like "Wheel of Fortune" star Vanna White did. White's lavish life and the company she kept led her to buying her own jets in the '90s. "Several of my friends had given me rides on their private jets and I felt it would be nice to have my own," White told Jet Editor. The television star thought it would be a good investment when she bought her first jet in 1994; she swiftly purchased a second plane as well less than one year later. The jets were valued at around $2.1 million each in 1996, a staggering amount of money now let alone decades ago. The fact that White's ex-husband, George Santo Pietro, was a pilot did influence White to start buying the jets.

She used the private planes personally but also rented them out, making it more of a lucrative business deal than her main mode of transportation. Still, when needed, she would charter her own airplanes for short business trips. After White's divorce from Pietro, she sold her charter jets, earning a 11% return on her investment, according to Airport Journals. She may no longer have her own private jets, but she enjoys just as lavish of a life with the money she earned from renting her own planes out.

Vanna White has visited some of the most gorgeous vacation spots on the globe, but when she is not working or relaxing on her days off by crocheting, she can be found partaking in various sporting events. The "Wheel of Fortune" icon is a Southern girl at heart, originating from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. White is known for her gameshow dresses, but she is just as comfortable on the green in golf attire. An avid golfer, White not only attended, but she also participated in the Myrtle Beach Classic, an annual competition held in her home state. In 2024, she promoted and took part in the inaugural PGA Tour event as part of the tour's pro-am competition, holding her own against many professional golfers. The following year, White played in the One Flight Myrtle Beach Classic.

What's more, White is not only a fan of America's pastime, but has participated in some games. In 2018, she had the honor of throwing the first pitch at the Nashville Sounds game alongside "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak. She previously threw the first ceremonial pitch for her hometown minor league team, the Pelicans, in 2008, showing her support for her hometown sports teams.

While Vanna White opts for jeans and T-shirts in her everyday life, when it comes to her job, her on-screen wardrobe is the epitome of glamor. Despite being known for her sparkle, the game show icon told InStyle, "I don't even know if I have a sequin gown in my closet." So what happens to the glamorous gowns White wears on-air?

In a 2022 interview with West Vancouver, White offered a little peek behind the wardrobe curtain regarding her "Wheel of Fortune" dresses. "The clothes come from designers that send their clothes to the studio," she said. "I wear them, and then they take them back — so I do not get to keep them." White has worn over 7,500 dresses and only ever repeated one outfit accidentally. Although she only gets to wear each dress once and has to return them after taping an episode of the show, having dresses custom designed and delivered illustrates just how lavish of a life the "Wheel of Fortune" star leads. 

Dress lengths and styles have changed over White's many decades on television, but the "Wheel of Fortune" star has always been on trend, even when the trend is one she would rather forget. "In the '80s it was the big shoulder pads. When you look back at those clothes, it's like oh my gosh! I can't believe I wore that," White told InStyle.

Perhaps nothing signifies that a person has "made it" in Hollywood more than receiving an iconic star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Vanna White joined the likes of some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry when she got her very own Hollywood star on April 20, 2006.

White also was in attendance when "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak received his own star on the boulevard over a decade prior in 1994. So when it was time for White to receive one as well, Sajak was there to support her, along with "Jeopardy's" Alex Trebek, "Wheel of Fortune" creator and producer Merv Griffin, and White's family. White's star was the 2,309th star unveiled, and the achievement is understandably one of her biggest sources of pride. The "Wheel of Fortune" star told Closer Weekly that she'd long dreamt of having a star on Hollywood Boulevard.

Needless to say, White is a Tinseltown fixture, and she knows a thing or two about A-list events. Throughout her career, she has attended multiple Daytime Emmy ceremonies, posing on the red carpet in stunning dresses. She went to the prestigious television award ceremony in 1986, 2003, 2011, and 2017. When Sajak won an Emmy for his final season of "Wheel of Fortune" in 2024, White was also present.

The average work party is held at the office or even a local restaurant. Vanna White's work events look a little different. In 2007, she partied the night away at one of the most famous places in New York City: Radio City Music Hall. The venue, which is known for hosting world class concerts, Rockettes performances, and prestigious ceremonies such as the Grammys and the Tony Awards. The "Wheel of Fortune" soiree was held in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the iconic game show.  The show filmed three weeks' worth of episodes at Radio City Music Hall for the 25th anniversary. 

The celebration party was hosted by one of the most well-known entertainment publications, People. The lavish affair included a huge, detailed themed cake that resembled the "Wheel of Fortune" wheel. White donned a simple but stunning little black dress and enjoyed the night alongside fellow host Pat Sajak and other members of the show. 

It's one thing to be asked to be a godparent to a child, but being named the sole godparent of a luxury cruise ship is another story. At the end of 2019, Vanna White was presented with quite a unique opportunity when she was named the godmother of the newest Carnival cruise ship at the time, Carnival Panorama. The "Wheel of Fortune" star was there for the cruise ship's naming ceremony in Long Beach, California, much to the delight of patrons.

The president of the cruise line, Christine Duffy, revealed on Carnival News why White was chosen for the prestigious position. "Vanna has been that welcoming face, cheering on and watching over 'Wheel of Fortune' contestants for decades," Duffy said. "[W]e love the fact that Vanna will be doing the same for Carnival Panorama, her guests and crew, as the ship's godmother," she explained. White previously stayed on Carnival cruise ships when "Wheel of Fortune" filmed there, but the Carnival Panorama was even more lavish than the previous cruise ships where White filmed. The Carnival Panorama boasts a luxury spa and culinary experiences in addition to a trampoline park, water park, and an elaborate ropes course on board.

In October 2024, Vanna White shared a post on Instagram that raised fans' eyebrows. The post featured some videos of a trip she took to North Myrtle Beach with a group of her friends, including a few clips where she appears to be wearing a rather giant diamond ring on that finger. Naturally, the dazzling piece of jewelry sparked engagement rumors that her longtime boyfriend, John Donaldson, had popped the question. 

Fans speculated at first as to whether or not it was an engagement ring, but as of October 2025, White does not appear to be affianced. And hey, for all we know, the "Wheel of Fortune" star, who has been engaged three times, may not be all that concerned with tying the knot again; she has said she felt like she was already married to Donaldson. The story behind the enormous, eye-catching ring may be a mystery, but there's no question that the piece cost way more than a few vowels.