Former The price is rightHost Bob BarkerLegend in the history of game shows and in the hearts his fans who grew up with him. There are some dark secrets in his past, despite his fame. Two of those scandals resulted in the show’s models taking legal action against Barker.
Inside Bob Barker’s ‘Price Is Right’Legal Problems
Bob Barker was the host of countless generations. The price is rightAlthough he retired from the show, he was replaced by Drew Carey in 2007. Barker’s time on the show is fondly remembered, with his unusual closing catchphrase to spay and neuter your pets being one of his iconic legacies. That’s not to say that Barker’s time on the show wasn’t without controversies. Barker was even the subject in two lawsuits brought by models who appeared on the show.
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Former Model Dian Parkinson’s Serious Allegations
Dian Parkinson joined The price is rightAfter having appeared on the game show as a part-timer, she became permanently married in 1975. Barker sued her for forcing her to sleep with him. He threatened to have her fired if he didn’t.
Barker denied the allegations, saying that the two were together from 1989 to 1990. Parkinson further claimed that she developed a bleeding ulcer as a result of the stress caused by Barker’s alleged sexual demands which kept her from working. She dropped the suit due to the adverse effects it had on her health. However, she continues to stand by her allegations.
Holly Hallstrom Names Barker in Suit
Parkinson wasn’t the only member of Barker’s Beauties to sue the show. Holly Hallstrom was a model for the show from 1977 to 1995, when it was in its infancy. She filed a suit against the show based on allegations of wrongful termination.
She claimed that she was fired for gaining weight due to medication she was on. Barker was also named in suit along with producers for the show. She denied the allegations, and countered the suit with a suit for slandering and libel.
He insisted that Hallstrom wasn’t fired over her weight, but rather because of budget cutbacks. He told the truth at the time. Entertainment Tonight, via The New York Times, “If the company were going to terminate her for a weight problem, Holly would have been gone years and years ago.”
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He added that her dress size had fluctuated between 8 and 14 over the years, seemingly poking a hole in Hallstrom’s claim that her premenopausal medication was the reason for the weight gain. Hallstrom won the lawsuit and received millions as a settlement. Barker dropped his countersuit a few days prior to the trial.
With a little over 30 years on the program, it’s not surprising that Bob Barker has been involved in a controversy or two. Hopefully he’s made peace with the women who claimed he wronged them.
