In 2009, we first got to watch Pawn Stars on The History Channel. It has been a decade since then, and the program has only gotten bigger! Recently, things have not been going right for one of the stars of the reality show. Read on to see what is going on in Chumlee’s life.
Chumlee Of Pawn Stars Has Been Having A Tough Time Lately And Here Is Why
The Star Of The Show
The reality TV show is based in Las Vegas. It would not be this successful if it were not for the hilarious antics that the cast members get up to. In particular, Austin Lee Russell has charmed many viewers. Chumlee is the person you need if you want to laugh!
The Star Of The Show
Not The Best Student In High School
We will tackle his current problems in a little while. For now, let us take a peek into his early life. Chumlee grew up in Nevada, but he was not really the best student in school.
Not The Best Student In High School
He Never Graduated
As a matter of fact, Chumlee was known to pay other students to do his homework for him when he was a high school student. We are sure not many people were shocked to hear that he chose to drop out.
He Never Graduated
The Story Behind It
There was more to the story than his less-than-stellar efforts in school. His nickname was not the best either. Even though Chumlee sounds adorable, they did not give it to him for a nice reason.
The Story Behind It
Cute Nickname But Cruel Intentions
Where did they get the nickname? It turns out that there was a character called Chumley on the old cartoon Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales. He was a stout walrus. We are sure that it hurt.
Cute Nickname But Cruel Intentions
Friends From Childhood
The good thing was that Chumley did not have to go through this on his own. His childhood friend Corey Harrison was always there to hang out with him. Yes, the two Pawn Stars colleagues go way back.
Friends From Childhood
A Friendship With Employment Benefits
Among other things, the two of them used to spend some time at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, the store ran by Rick Harrison. Their friendship came with a number of benefits. For one, Chumlee got to start working there when he was 21.
A Friendship With Employment Benefits
Not What He Expected
When you work at a pawn shop, you should handle the things there with a certain precision. However, the bulk of the job is still nothing more than menial work. It is not really a glamorous job whatsoever.
Not What He Expected
Five Short Years Later
Chumlee and the entire Gold & Silver crew made their way to the small screen just five years after this. Something tells us that Chumlee is more enthusiastic about his job when the cameras started rolling!
Five Short Years Later
Can’t Help It
They filmed season after season, gaining even more success and fame with the last one. Chumlee is there to provide comic relief. He never failed to make everyone laugh with his silly jokes and antics!
Can’t Help It
Not The Best Buys
It was easy to figure out what his interests were. After all, Chumlee always made a point to target things related to sneakers, rap, video games, and pinball. We bet you will agree with us when we say that these things are fascinating, but we doubt the others would approve.
Not The Best Buys
Making Many Mistakes
If you watch Pawn Stars, we are sure that you notice just how prone he is to making mistakes. The others say that this has always been the case. Apparently, there was even a time when he placed a stand-up bass up against a shelf. It then fell and shattered! It was worth $20,000. Ouch.
Making Many Mistakes
Popularity For His Mishaps
The rest of the Pawn Stars crew like to tease Chumlee for making such mistakes. It is not surprising because it has become a sort of trend on the show. We daresay that this tendency of his has helped him become even more popular.
Popularity For His Mishaps
Quite The Popular Guy
Can you believe that he began to garner so much attention that he decided to hire a bodyguard for the times they made public appearances? This went on during the start. He has truly made it big, hasn’t he?
Quite The Popular Guy
Enjoying The Fame
At the start, Chumlee really liked the attention that the show gave him. In fact, he worked together with a personal assistant to release a personalized merch line. The other cast members followed suit later on.
Enjoying The Fame
The Fan-Favorite
Still, not one of them outsold Chumlee and his merch line. As you can see, this is just what life is like for the most famous member of the Pawn Stars team. He opened a candy shop on the Vegas strip too.
The Fan-Favorite
Quite The Private Person
Chumlee does not really talk about the money that he makes. However, there some things that we know about his finances. In 2010, he got $155k after he sold half of his shares in the shop to Rick.
Quite The Private Person
Surprisingly Business Minded
He made this decision because he wanted to focus on selling merchandise instead. Do not be deceived by his bumbler tendencies! Clearly, this is a guy that has a good head for business on him.
Surprisingly Business Minded
Time To Make A Change
Chumlee decided to make other differences in his life as well. One reason was that a tragedy happened just two weeks before Pawn Stars premiered on television. Do you want to know what it was?
Time To Make A Change
A Healthier Lifestyle
It was in 2009 that his father succumbed to pancreatic cancer at 54 years old. Chumlee was not living a healthy lifestyle back then. His death was the last straw. After this, he began to exercise and eat cleaner.
A Healthier Lifestyle
The Mind And Soul
He started eating better food and exercising on a daily basis. To get his blood flowing, he hits the gym and practices yoga. He is also a fan of meditation and mindfulness to soothe his mind and soul!
The Mind And Soul
Taking The Necessary Steps
Chumlee had a rather solid plan to make his goal a reality. He went to the gym 6 times a week, drank fruit smoothies each morning, and started avoiding red meat. Do you think these things worked for him?
Taking The Necessary Steps
Impressive Transformation
Considering the fact that it was a rather intense health plan, we are not surprised to hear that it worked for him! Look at how massive his transformation is. If you want to be healthy, do the same thing he did!
Impressive Transformation
Healthy And Happy
Can you believe that Chumlee managed to pull off such a feat in only a year? His transformation took place from 2012 to 2013. He managed to lose so much weight in such a short amount of time!
Healthy And Happy
A Major Change
Can you guess just how much weight he shed? He managed to lose 75 pounds! We are really happy for Chumlee because he looks much happier overall. The amazing transformation has truly changed his life.
A Major Change
Turning His Life Around
For most people, the best thing about losing weight is finally fitting into their old clothes. Not for Chumlee, however. For this guy, it was something else altogether! He was just happy that he could finally hop on the hovercraft after waiting for so long!
Turning His Life Around
New Relationships
What else has the transformation given him? For one thing, he and Tanya Hyjazi began to go out. She is a chef who works at the STACK Restaurant & Bar at the Mirage Casino. We are so happy for Chumlee!
New Relationships
It’s Official
They got engaged fairly recently. That’s right, Chumlee asked her to marry him and gave her a big ring! She said yes. The couple first celebrated this new development at the Royal Hawaiian Resort in Waikiki. After that, they also celebrated it at the Andiamo Italian Steakhouse in Las Vegas.
It’s Official
The Whole Gang
The couple had been surrounded by their loved ones when they celebrated the incredible news. There was no way that they would have forgotten to invite Rick and Corey Harrison, of course. Not a chance!
The Whole Gang
Where Things Went Wrong
Knowing all of these things, there was no reason to think that everything would start to go wrong for the Pawn Stars star. In May 2016, the first sign of trouble went down. What was it?
Where Things Went Wrong
All Charges Were Dropped
In those days, he was a suspect during an investigation on a sexual assault. Many fans were shocked since the charges were filed by another shop employee. It was dropped later on thanks to insufficient evidence.
All Charges Were Dropped
Just The Beginning
We are sure that he was relieved to hear that this was the case. However, this was not the last time that Chumlee landed in hot water with the authorities! He soon got in trouble again…
Just The Beginning
The Results Of A Police Raid
The next time it happened, the police raided his home. This was the start of his legal issues. They did not find anything to help them with the case, but they did discover certain items that should not be there…
The Results Of A Police Raid
Illegal Substances Abound
What did they find in his house? Apparently, the police officers found marijuana, crystal meth, and a gun in there! These were contraband items that made the police wary of what Chumlee was up to.
Illegal Substances Abound
Even More Incriminating Things
They then came back for a second raid. This was not good. They saw more contraband among his things. They were primarily concerned about the 11 firearms there. After all, 7 of them were unregistered!
Even More Incriminating Things
Chumlee Arrested
They did not only find the firearms but also more drugs! They even found evidence to suggest cocaine use. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to guess what came after this. They arrested Chumlee!
Chumlee Arrested
At The Very Least
Several months after that happened, Chumlee faced 20 different felony counts in court. While it is not that big of a consolation, he was probably glad to hear that they did not find substantial evidence.
At The Very Least
Nothing Illegal
The firearms that they discovered in his home did not appear to be used for illegal things. We hope that Chumlee is comforted by this. After all, everything would be even worse for him otherwise.
Nothing Illegal
Justice Being Served
Our beloved TV star chose to plead guilty to the counts of drug possession, attempted misdemeanor, and unlawful weapons possession. While he did not get any prison time, they did put him on a year-long probation.
Justice Being Served
The Worst Is Behind Him
Chumlee only needs to be on his best behavior in a span of a year. If he manages to do this, only the misdemeanor charge would be reflected on his record. On top of that, they made him go to counseling.
The Worst Is Behind Him
A Rough Patch
We hope that Chumlee gets out of his bad luck streak in no time. Some people get ruined by similar scandals all the time, but it does not look like this has affected the TV star whatsoever.
A Rough Patch
A Hard Year
Towards the end of 2016, Chumlee took part in a follow-up interview and spoke to his fans about what he went through that year. He said that he found this year to be especially difficult!
A Hard Year
Thanking His Supporters
Chumlee also made sure to express just how thankful he is for the support of his fans. They stuck with him through those trying times. If they were not around, he could not have gotten through that mess.
Thanking His Supporters
Endless Gratitude
The TV star posted this photo on his Instagram account. It read, “I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to all my amazing fans that come and see me daily at @chums_candy – Thank you all for all the amazing love you show me”.
Endless Gratitude
The Fate Of Pawn Stars
But what did the future hold for Pawn Stars back then? There had been some speculation about the fate of the show in the past. Did they renew or discontinue it? Let us find out!
The Fate Of Pawn Stars
Back To Normal
Fans of the show, there is no need to worry because the show is still alive and well. If you were curious, Chumlee is still a part of the cast! His probation is going to end soon as well.
Back To Normal
Self-Improvement
When his legal problems came up, Chumlee decided to step back from Pawn Stars to deal with it. He worked hard to improve himself as well. This was probably the best course of action back then.
Self-Improvement
500 Episodes
If you were wondering, Pawn Stars is doing just fine. The cast recently celebrated the show’s 500th episode! Chumlee took to Instagram to make this post: “Come celebrate our 500th episode Monday night on History [channel]. This is something we could not have done without you!!!! Thank you!!!”.
500 Episodes
Thanks To Chumlee
It is no secret that Chumlee is integral to the success of the show. Pawn Stars became big with his help. Fans continue to be taken with his amazing personality and hilarious jokes to this day!
Thanks To Chumlee
Spin-Offs
The show has been doing well enough for it to spawn a total of 9 spinoffs over the years: Pawn Queens, Harcore Pawn: Chicago, Pawn Stars Australia, Counting Cars, Pawn Stars: Pumped Up, Pawn Stars UK, Cajun Pawn Stars, Pawnography, and Hardcore Pawn.
Spin-Offs
Money, Money, Money
Indeed, Chumlee has made it big over the past decade. Thanks to the show and his side businesses, he has made a lot of money. Look at his gorgeous mansion in Las Vegas. He shelled out $1.5 million for it!
Money, Money, Money
Back And Better Than Ever
We just hope that Chumlee will be able to return to his normal self in the future. Even though he took a bad path in the past, he has shown us that one can learn from his mistakes.
Back And Better Than Ever
A Stable Life
Chumlee has never stopped trying to better himself! He has a pretty stable home life with his family. We are glad to hear that his wife and dog is around to lend his life stability!
A Stable Life
New Beginnings
Even though Chumlee is busy working on Pawn Stars, you should know that he still likes to dabble in different business ventures here and there. This guy is bound to make even more great things happen in the future!
New Beginnings