Chumlee may not be the definition of classic Hollywood fame, but who's complaining? Part artist, part brother, part philosopher and comic – the man brings such personality to his craft that millions tune in to watch pawning, of all things!
Actually born Austin Lee Russell, there's history behind this fan favorite. Where does his humor really come from, and what makes him such a faithful friend?
What are his real passions, besides dazzling customers with his wisdom at the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop by day?
Read on to discover the real Chum Chum, behind the scenes and off the screen!
Dropping Out Big Time
Despite the confidence and success, Chumlee has these days, his career saw a rough start. Dropping out of high school in Henderson, Nevada probably never seemed like a road to millions — but reality TV offers interesting modern opportunities!
Chum never got his high school diploma, even after paying fellow students to do his homework. But there's still a gap: How did this mischievous youngster get rid of his real name?
Becoming Chum
Would this goofball be a household name today if he was still Austin Lee? Something about his known nickname just rolls off the tongue, and it's hard to imagine him as anything else!
At age 12, dad started calling him Chumlee as a reference to a walrus character from an old cartoon. Does anyone remember Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales? Probably not, and that's not a crime!
His school friends agreed that it fit their round-faced buddy back in the day. Is he still in touch with any of these people?
Friends Forever
As it turns out, Chumlee is still best friends with a childhood mate. Corey Harrison is no new face!
If all that back and forth banter seems natural, there's a good reason. Even as kids, they used to hang out at the pawnshop featured on the show!
It was owned by Corey's father, opened on the Las Vegas Strip way back in 1989. Reality TV didn't exist back then, so why did they start working at the store together?
Head Over Jordans
Hanging out at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop so often, it felt entirely natural to become real employees. At 21, Chum himself was there full time writing sales tickets.
What was his secret motivation for working around traded items, though?
When he first started the job, there were plenty of things he knew he wanted to keep for himself. Most of the time, this meant Air Jordans and Nikes. To this very day, Chum maintains a nice collection of kicks!
Now, he has millions to play around with in this regard — but what ups and downs happened in between?
Tragic Times
The nicknamer in chief didn't last as long as everyone hoped, it turns out. Chumlee’s father lost his battle to pancreatic cancer at the young age of 54.
His death came in 2009, just two weeks before the shop's TV premiere!
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times — While Pawn Stars should have been all celebration, the reality back home was more complicated.
How did this sad event affect the Chum we all know and love, long term?
Big Boy Blues
From a very young age, Chum struggled with his body. His weight was always going up, and he weighed in at more than 300 pounds at his heaviest! When dad died, things changed — but how?
Chumlee decided to completely change his lifestyle when tragedy struck. Perhaps diet, exercise, and meditation were all ways he dealt with the pain.
Shedding 200 pounds in front of the nation, Pawn Stars had a whole new Chum at the end of the process! But wait — looking back, was he always first choice to be the face of the store on TV?
Stiff Casting Competition
Back at the beginning, producers had a different vision for the show. They intended to feature Richard, Rick, and Corey. But soon, they changed their mind: One more personality in the mix was key!
Chumlee was up against 10 other employees, but Corey pushed him through in the end. According to Chum: “I thought to myself, well, I’ve known these guys my whole life.
We have good camaraderie, and I’m just going to be funny and joke with them like we would normally do.” Fans everywhere get it!
By the way, has this clownery always been productive at the shop?
Mistakes Were Made
Playfully called the “village idiot,” Chumlee seems to be one step behind sometimes on the show. Has he ever made serious mistakes, though?
As it turns out, there was one notable accident on set. Chumlee destroyed an expensive bass after he incorrectly propped it against a shelf, and no one can forget the pricetag: Despite paying the customer $700, it actually cost the shop $20,000!
What other mistakes happened while cameras were rolling?
Risky Business
Chum seems to really enjoy shooting, in each and every form. Sometimes firing can backfire, though!
The blunderbuss is a gun with a short barrel, flared at the muzzle. It's high caliber, and serious business! Chum recalls his experience testing one on set: “A flame shot out, and I did get burned up my arm."
While that sounds pretty hot and crazy, it never stopped him from trying out more projectiles. Could that be the reason a piece of fake news soon popped up about his demise?
Real Fake News
In 2013, a false alarm about Chumlee’s death went viral online. The only problem was, no one died!
A story posted on Internet Chronicle claimed Chum had overdosed. Then, fake reactions from fellow celebrities mourning the reality TV star were posted. A year later, another website claimed he had a heart attack.
Why was Chumlee the subject of so many rumors in this vein? Tough to say, but this wouldn't the only negative press about the man. What real news really happened soon after?
Totally Busted
In 2016, Chumlee had a few issues with the police. After an assault accusation by a fellow employee, police got a search warrant for his home. And there, unrelated crimes were discovered!
A few illegal substances and several unregistered firearms led to Chum's arrest and mugshot. Fans never saw him do jail time, though: After accepting a plea deal, he did 12 months of probation. Yikes!
The old adage "this too, shall pass" applies to so many things, though. Would Chumlee's good times balance out the bad, overall?
Wife That Up
Chumlee charmed the nation and became fit and fabulous before their eyes. By 2016, he found himself a pretty lady!
Now his fiancée, Olivia Rademann began dating Chum in 2016. They had actually met years before, but the dating began right around the time of his arrest. Was that the magic that convinced her?
Hard to say what the spark was, but he proposed while the two were vacationing in Hawaii. Both business-minded, the two have plenty of plans for their career future. How's that going so far?
A Secret Cashflow
Out of everyone on the cast, Chumlee was actually the first to start his own merchandise line. And it might surprise fans to know that the majority of profits from the pawnshop are really merch sales!
With an inventory of around 11,000 pawned items, that must mean a lot of Chum bobblehead orders!
Today, customers can buy one for $400 with an autograph, and there's plenty more where that came from with shot glasses, t-shirts, and coffee mugs galore.
But that's not all! What else is Chumlee doing as a passion project these days?
Mixmaster Chum?
Spinning tracks seems to be another side of Chum that many may not know about if they only tuned into a few episodes. Although he isn't a working DJ at the moment, he did go to official DJ school!
Practicing at home led to a few publicized gigs, and maybe there's more to come.
Chum says he enjoys mixing hip hop, old school, and top 40. Sadly, he took a break after his arrest for drugs and guns! What other businesses has he been involved in since?
Big Kid at Heart
Although he may actually lay off the stuff these days on his new health kick, Chumlee opened up a candy store. He explained this move recently:
“Let’s face it, it’s been 13 seasons now. 460 episodes. It’s time to acknowledge the fact that Chumlee might be able to open up his own business by now.”
"Chumlee’s Candy on the Blvd." opened across from Gold & Silver, a prime location! While people wait in lines, there's snacks to entertain them. Yes, it is necessary these days.
How many thousands wait outside the shop, really?
Business Boom
Ten years ago, Gold & Silver would have been happy to see 4,000 people walk through the door in a whole month. But these days? That's just an average daily number!
It seems many people actually show up just to view the antique collectibles, but there are definitely a few new buyers in there! And undoubtedly, fans try to meet the cast members in person at the shop.
A logical place to track down Chum, they assume. Do they succeed, though?
Closing Time
Every day, the shop has to close at some point. This might interrupt business from the thousands of eager folks outside, but the show needs to be filmed!
Sales might actually suffer because of the series sometimes, since filming happens 2-5 a day! That's not a rare occurrence, with episodes shot five days a week.
Sounds pretty busy with all those cameras! Do fans ever actually get to bring their own goodies to the table?
Frequently Famous
Now full-blown celebrities, the men everyone loves behind the counter on TV do not generally man the shop.
These days, the privacy of their customers is compromised every time a fan takes a picture of a transaction to get a shot of their favorite star. And that's no good for business, at the end of the day!
The pawn stars do travel frequently for guest appearances, and that can get pretty hectic. How do they keep up with their new business ventures, in terms of organizing it all?
Time For a Butler?
Corey and Chumlee actually have personal assistants these days! Besides doing some of the old shop work, there are a few new duties.
Corey revealed one job: “I do a lot of desert racing. My assistant empties out the septic tank of the trailer when I go! It’s a little weird asking somebody to do that for you." Apparently, not weird enough to do it himself!
For fans really looking to connect, Chum can more often be found at his candy store these days. What might he reveal about the reality of reality TV, if found?
Secrets Behind the Counter
Pawn Stars is sometimes criticized as a very scripted series, but what is the truth of the matter? Could it really all be totally fake, disappointing fans?
Well, there are a few steps that take place before filming. For example, customers are asked to fill in a form with item information. Unsurprisingly, it is researched ahead of the shoot, and the price is also negotiated.
Finally, a background check is required before the sale on national TV. Why might that be necessary?
Stranger Things
For one, people try to sell some pretty odd items at pawn shops. The store on the show is no exception! In one episode, a customer tried to sell the old driver's license of Slash from Guns N’ Roses.
Probably without any permission!
Rick Harrison revealed the creepiest item he encountered in the business: “Seven human skulls in a duffel bag come to mind.” Not surprising, but everyone passed on that offer!
Have there been any lawsuits, because of this element in the industry?
Court Chaos
Indeed, Chumlee and the cast were sued for melting antique coins. Although it's perfectly legal to do so, questions arose about the real source of the goodies!
Surprise, surprise; The coins had been stolen. A woman had stolen it from her own uncle, and he was not happy, to say the least!
Nevada law says that pawnshops have to hold items for 30 days in case the customer does want it back, but coins are an exception. Sad times, for Mr. coin collector! Was this the only case of pilfered goods?
Crime Doesn't Pay
In 2009, the shop saw another incident of buying an item from a shady source. When a man pawned a pair of diamond earrings, things took a suspicious turn quickly.
Valued at $40,000, the pawn stars realized it was stolen within the day. The thief went to jail, and the specialists got back to work evaluating cool old pipes and other antiques.
Yes, the shop was in the clear this time — but what about other legal battles on the show?
Legal Woes
In 2012, Wayne Jefferies sued Pawn Stars sued Chumlee and the cast. He also sued the networks hosting the show, and there seemed to have a lot of grievances all around for the original show manager.
Wayne claimed he was fired without getting his promised share of profits, and he fought for a $5 million payout. Later, the whole case was dropped!
While the details in this matter are unclear, everyone knows the show premiered to a success beyond anyone's expectations. What were the real viewer numbers that made everyone so rich so quickly?
Hard Pass, Last Laugh
It turns out that Pawn Stars may actually be the History Channel’s highest-rated TV show of them all! What's more, it is the second-highest-rated reality show series on all networks.
Getting picked up was a remarkable challenge at the beginning, though!
An independent production company took an interest in the pawn culture on the strip, and they pitched it to HBO. No takers there, but rejecting it was a big mistake!
Only the desire to take a break from all that military programming led the History Channel to take a risk. How is the franchise going, now worldwide?
Going Global
Pawn Stars is now an international phenomenon! Televised in dozens of countries worldwide, it airs on stations from Serbia to Singapore. In Australia, a local adaptation was developed. How did it differ?
The outback version featured the Senes brothers, who agreed to do the series to educate the public about the industry.
They feel it is often misunderstood: "People can see it's a legitimate operation where we do everything by the book and we have a successful business to prove it." Good luck boys!
Meanwhile, a few surprise guests started stopping by the original shop in Vegas. Who, praytell?
Fame Follow Fame
It shouldn't really be a surprise, but celebrities watch reality TV, too! A few are evidently fans of Chumlee and the boys, and they love to appear on the show!
Def Leppard band members and news anchor Katie Couric are just a few familiar faces that fans got to know differently in the series. Even Bob Dylan dropped by and signed an autograph!
There was one celebrity that showed up as a fan with his whole family in tow. Which known name loved Chum that much?
Rock Stars Meet Pawn Stars
Why, it was Jon Bon Jovi! He requested to meet the cast, and the Jovi kids were big fans too.
Chum explained: “We went to his meet n’ greet to meet his kids because they wanted a picture with us... He gave us front row tickets. That was pretty cool. When does Bon Jovi personally invite you to his show?”
Indeed, it's not everyday — or any day, for most people. What a charmed life! Seems like Chum and his buddies are at the top of their game these days.
With all the success the show has brought the pawn stars, do they plan on continuing the series in the future?
16+ Seasons of Success
In 2018, Pawn Stars aired its 500th episode. Revealing a set of the real Paul Revere’s silver spoons and an actual suit from President George Washington, it was quite the show!
The History Channel has really enjoyed the concept, spinning off nine similar programs. In the 17th season, the cast leaves the shop to do exploring all around the world! Who can resist a good foreign trinket or treasure?
Ditching high school and taking the road less traveled, it looks like this colorful character has proven all his doubters wrong in the age of reality TV. Way to go, Chumlee!