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Bob Barker, longtime host of “The Price Is Right,” allegedly went through some major personality changes after the death of his wife, Dorothy Jo Gideon, in 1982.
In E!’s documentary series “Dirty Rotten Scandals,” those closest to Barker at the time opened up about the sudden shift in attitude and the mental health challenges the TV personality experienced amid his grief.
“{Bob and Dorothy Jo] went to Hawaii in August and she was diagnosed with lung cancer and died two months later,” Barbara Hunter, a former producer on the game show, said in the episode. “Bob really went into a funk after that. He was ready to take his own life. That’s what he shared with me.”
FORMER ‘PRICE IS RIGHT’ MODEL EXPOSES DARK TRUTH ABOUT BOB BARKER ERA
Bob Barker allegedly had suicidal thoughts after the death of his wife Dorothy Jo in 1982. (Getty Images)
“He went through a lot of changes,” Holly Hallstrom — a former model who showcased prizes as one of “Barker’s Beauties” — told Fox News Digital ahead of the premiere. “At first, he was grieving, so that was a big change. It was very somber on the set, much more somber. But then, after that, it just became like you were living in Barkerland, where he was the supreme ruler of the universe and not in a good way.”
The pair were married for 36 years until Gideon’s death from lung cancer in 1982 at the age of 56. Two years later, Barker began dating Nancy Burnet, whom he remained with until his death in 2023.
Elsewhere in the documentary, Hallstrom detailed the hostile work environment, sexual harassment and discrimination she witnessed during her time on the show.
Hallstrom appeared on the show from 1977 until she was fired in 1995, a decision she has said was blamed on weight gain caused by medication. However, Hallstrom alleges she was actually dismissed after declining to publicly support Barker when fellow model Dian Parkinson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him in 1994.
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Holly Hallstrom, Bob Barker and Janice Pennington attend the party to celebrate Pennington’s book, “Husband, Lover, Spy,” on Jan. 13, 1994, at Spago in West Hollywood. Hallstrom was fired in 1995. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Barker consistently denied wrongdoing and maintained that any relationships were consensual.
“I want people to know the whole story, not just Barker’s side of it,” Hallstrom told Fox News Digital. “After all these years, people who have only heard one side are going to hear the other side, and our side is court-documented testimony. You can’t argue against that.”
Hallstrom said that was the moment when “everything got really bad.”
“I thought the whole situation, all the publicity, all the media attention, I thought it was horrible. I thought it was tacky. I was glad [co-creator] Mark Goodson had died [in 1992]. He would’ve been mortified to see that kind of tacky scandal on what was a family show,” said Hallstrom.
Bob Barker hosted “The Price Is Right” for 35 years. (Getty Images)
“I didn’t want to be involved in it at all,” said Hallstrom. “Barker wanted us to go on all these talk shows and say he was the victim and that Dian was lying. I didn’t participate because I didn’t want to, and I thought it was tacky. And also because I could not honestly say, ‘Oh yes, Dian is lying,’ or ‘Oh no, Dian is not lying.’ I was not present for those conversations.”
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Parkinson dropped her lawsuit in 1995. At the time, her attorney said the legal battle had become too emotionally and financially draining, while impacting her physical health. Barker maintained that their relationship was consensual.
Today, Hallstrom doesn’t watch old clips of herself, a reminder of a chapter she now views very differently. Even so, she says she has no regrets about taking the chance and auditioning for the show.
Barker earned 19 Emmys during his time with “The Price is Right.” (Jesse Grant)
“I see myself, and I see someone who is trying so hard to appear graceful and poised like a professional model,” she said. “But I also see a young woman who was having a wonderful time entertaining people. And those were the happiest parts of my work, those hours when we were shooting in front of the audience.”
“No matter what was happening backstage, I still felt the happiness of the audience,” she said. “And to be in that position, to bring people happiness, is a gift. It was worth everything that was happening backstage.”
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Barker hosted the iconic game show for 35 years and became executive producer of the series in 1988. He won 19 Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host, more than any other emcee. Barker also won four Emmys as the executive producer of the series, which is still the longest-running game show in history.
After a 50-year career in television, Barker retired from hosting “The Price is Right” in 2007. He returned to the show three times after his retirement, including a 2013 appearance when he celebrated his 90th birthday.