Vanna White Asking for the ‘Same, If Not More’ of Pat Sajak’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Salary: Source (Exclusive)

Vanna White — the Wheel of Fortune co-host who joined the show in 1982 — is negotiating her salary deal for the syndicated show and fighting to make at least as much as spinmeister Pat Sajak, a source close to the situation tells PEOPLE exclusively.

While a report surfaced on Thursday that White’s lawyer asked Sony Pictures Television for 50 percent of Sajak’s salary, the source says that is inaccurate.

“50 percent of Pat’s salary is so outrageous that no one in their right mind could say that it’s fair,” says the source. “The negotiation is asking for much more than 50 percent of his salary. It’s asking for the same pay — if not more.”

A rep for Sony Pictures Television declined PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The 66-year-old has been flipping and revealing letters on the show for more than four decades alongside 76-year-old Sajak, who recently announced his time on Wheel would end after the show’s 41st season. Last month, Ryan Seacrest announced he would take over, starting in fall 2024.

According to the source, White has made approximately $3 million a year for the past 18 years without any pay increases.

Wheel of Fortune debuted back in 1975, and almost 50 years later, remains a beloved show. In late June, sources told PEOPLE that Sony Pictures Television was “in negotiations” with White and “would like to have her back.”

White and Sajak, who also cohost Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, both renewed their 2021 contracts with the game show through the 2024 TV season, multiple sources confirm. However, reports that she agreed to $100,000 per episode are “not correct at all,” says the source close to the situation.

Throughout her years in show business, “Vanna was told, ‘If you fight this, you will lose your job. You’re lucky to have the job.’ And when people tell you that for so long, you believe it,'” says the source, who adds that White is now ready to fight for her future.

Back in December, White told PEOPLE she wasn’t ready to leave Wheel of Fortune behind. “I don’t even want to think about that. I mean, we’re a team,” she said at the time of her bond with Sajak.

“That’s depressing. I don’t even want to think about it,” White continued. “Everybody relates Wheel of Fortune to Pat and Vanna. We’re like Ken and Barbie, you know? We’ve been in everybody’s homes for 40 years, so it would be weird having somebody else turn my letters.”

Says the source close to the situation: “She’s a really, really sweet person. She deserves so much more.”