Pawn Stars first came to our TV screens in 2009. The History Channel show has only gotten even more popular since it premiered. Sadly, life has not been smooth sailing for one of the biggest stars of the show. His personal and public affairs have been a little rough lately, to say the least. What is going on in Chumlee’s life?
Life Has Not Been All That Smooth For Chumlee Of Pawn Stars…
The Star Of The Show
Pawn Stars is based in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. Much of its success has been attributed to the funny stars of the show. In particular, Chumlee has always made viewers and colleagues laugh. He has earned a reputation as a funny guy who can always brighten up our day!
The Star Of The Show
Not The Best Student In High School
Before we dig deeper into the real story, let us talk about his early years. Apparently, Chumlee did not have the easiest time during his childhood. The Nevada native did not do very well in school at all.
Not The Best Student In High School
He Never Graduated
As a high school student, he had a habit of paying his fellow students to do his homework for him. We bet that not a lot of people were surprised to hear when he finally decided to just drop out of school.
He Never Graduated
The Story Behind It
Apart from having a hard time with academic requirements, there was also the nickname he was given. Even though Chumlee sounds like a cute one, the real reason behind this was actually a little cruel.
The Story Behind It
Cute Nickname But Cruel Intentions
People actually gave him this nickname in reference to one of the characters from a ‘60s cartoon show called Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales. There was a stout walrus by the name of Chumley on the show! Now you understand why it was not a flattering nickname.
Cute Nickname But Cruel Intentions
Friends From Childhood
We are just glad to know that there was a pal that he could rely on. As you might have already guessed, we are talking about Corey Harrison himself. This is the same man who became his co-star on the show!
Friends From Childhood
A Friendship With Employment Benefits
As young boys, they liked to pass the time at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, which is the store owned by Corey’s dad Rick. The friendship came with certain benefits as well. For one thing, Chumlee was employed by the store at the age of 21.
A Friendship With Employment Benefits
Not What He Expected
Even though you need to be precise when you are a pawn shop employee, the bulk of the job involves menial work. Trust us, there are careers far more glamorous than this one. It was probably not what Chumlee was expecting when he first started working at the store.
Not What He Expected
Five Short Years Later
Even though it was initially a disappointment for him, Chumlee did end up working in front of the camera five years later. There is no doubt in our minds that he much preferred being a TV star than a regular pawn shop employee!
Five Short Years Later
Can’t Help It
The show went on to achieve a lot of fame and success, attaining even more with every passing season. Chumlee is best known for adding comic relief to the show. He likes to crack jokes and make us all laugh!
Can’t Help It
Not The Best Buys
He has a great interest in rap, pinball, video games, and sneakers. Anyone would be able to tell by looking at the things that he liked to buy. Even though we agree that these are fascinating objects, the truth is that they were not always the best things for the business.
Not The Best Buys
Making Many Mistakes
If you watch the show, you must have noticed that Chumlee makes many silly mistakes. He is not doing it for laughs because this happened even before the cameras got there! There was a time when he left a stand-up bass resting against a shelf. Everyone was shocked when it then fell down and shattered. What makes it even worse is when you hear that it was worth $20,000!
Making Many Mistakes
Popularity For His Mishaps
The other cast members on the show enjoyed teasing him for these mishaps. If you watch Pawn Stars, you might notice that this has been a trend on the show. As a matter of fact, it is not a reach to say that this was what made him a fan favorite among people who watched the show.
Popularity For His Mishaps
Quite The Popular Guy
Chumlee went on to be so famous that he decided to hire a bodyguard who would be around when the cast made appearances in public. Impressive, right? This is how you know that you have made it big.
Quite The Popular Guy
Enjoying The Fame
At the start, Chumlee did not mind all the attention that he got. With the help of his personal assistant, he started his very own line of personalized merch! After this, the rest of the cast followed his lead.
Enjoying The Fame
The Fan-Favorite
However, he was the one who sold the most merch in the team. Well, it is clear that there are certain benefits when you are the most popular person in the cast of the show. Good for you, Chumlee! Aside from this side hustle of his, he also opened a candy store on the Vegas strip.
The Fan-Favorite
Quite The Private Person
Despite everything that he has achieved in life, he is not the sort of person who likes to talk about all the money that he makes. At any rate, we do know that he made $155,000 after selling half of the Gold & Silver shares in his name to Rick Harrison in 2010.
Quite The Private Person
Surprisingly Business Minded
Chumlee arrived at this decision because he wanted to focus on his merch business instead. Who’d have thought that a bumbler like him would have so much business sense? This is definitely a good thing!
Surprisingly Business Minded
Time To Make A Change
Apart from that, he also began to improve himself in a plethora of ways. Two weeks before Pawn Stars came on the air, something big happened. It ended up changing his life forever. You see, it had something to do with his father.
Time To Make A Change
A Healthier Lifestyle
In 2009, his father died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was only 54 years old at the time of his death. Now, it was pretty obvious that Chumlee was not particularly healthy. The tragic death of his dad served as his motivation to pursue a healthier lifestyle. He started to eat better and exercise more.
A Healthier Lifestyle
The Mind And Soul
Chumlee started to eat healthier food and began to exercise on a daily basis. Among other things, he started to work out at the gym and practice yoga. He was not only concerned about his physical health. This reality TV star is also big on meditation and mindfulness, which is excellent for the mind and soul.
The Mind And Soul
Taking The Necessary Steps
As you can see, he was very determined to reach his goal. He started to go to the gym nearly every day of the week. He also had fruit smoothies for breakfast and stopped eating red meat. Did his plan work?
Taking The Necessary Steps
Impressive Transformation
It was an intense plan, but it did lead to good results. Are you ready to see his transformation? Maybe it is time for us to do the same thing that he tried. After all, it worked incredibly for Chumlee.
Impressive Transformation
Healthy And Happy
His metamorphosis happened between 2012 and 2013. As you can see, he was able to shed off a huge amount of weight. The results are simply incredible, full stop. Even we were shocked by the difference!
Healthy And Happy
A Major Change
Do you want to hear just how much weight he shed off? Chumlee actually lost 75 pounds. He does not just look healthier but happier as well. We bet you agree with us! This change turned his life around.
A Major Change
Turning His Life Around
Most people who lose weight are most excited about finally being able to wear old clothes. However, this was not the best part of Chumlee. To him, the greatest thing about losing weight was being able to hop on the hovercraft at long last. He used to be too heavy for it, so this was a huge treat for him.
Turning His Life Around
New Relationships
Aside from that, he also started to date Tanya Hyjazi, his long-term girlfriend. She is a chef working at the STACK Restaurant & Bar at the Mirage Casino. We are glad to hear this piece of news. Not only was he changing his lifestyle for the better, but he also got to build and strengthen relationships.
New Relationships
It’s Official
The two of them even got engaged. He asked her to marry him and gave her a big ring for her finger. They celebrated the occasion twice. First, they had a celebration at the Royal Hawaiian Resort. After the Waikiki event, they also had a celebratory meal at the Andiamo Italian Steakhouse in Las Vegas.
It’s Official
The Whole Gang
This lovely couple must have felt very blessed since all of their friends and family were there present at the celebrations. Of course, the list of attendees included his co-stars on Pawn Stars: Corey Harrison and Rick Harrison!
The Whole Gang
Where Things Went Wrong
Knowing all of these things, who would have thought that it would go downhill for him? If you wanted to know, the first issue popped up in March 2016. What on earth happened to the reality TV star?
Where Things Went Wrong
All Charges Were Dropped
The first sign of trouble was the time that Chumlee got included in the list of suspects in a sexual assault investigation. This allegation was made by one of the employees at the shop! However, the case eventually got dropped because of insufficient evidence.
All Charges Were Dropped
Just The Beginning
Even though he was likely relieved to hear this, it was not the last time he ran into hot trouble with the law. It looked like he simply could not stay out of legal issues. Our reality TV star was charged yet again.
Just The Beginning
The Results Of A Police Raid
This time, the investigation included a raid on his home. Sadly, this only led to more problems for him. Even though the police had been unable to find anything to do with the case, they did find something else in there. What could they have stumbled upon in his home?
The Results Of A Police Raid
Illegal Substances Abound
The cops discovered the following illegal items in his home: marijuana, crystal meth, and a gun! As you can imagine, these items were enough reason for them to keep a closer eye at our beloved Chumlee.
Illegal Substances Abound
Even More Incriminating Things
The cops ended up conducting another raid on his house. They found even more contraband things in there! In particular, they found many firearms in his possession. It would have been all right if they went through the registration process. Sadly, only four out of eleven had been registered beforehand. Oops!
Even More Incriminating Things
Chumlee Arrested
Aside from this, the cops found more drugs in the house too. They said that there was also evidence of cocaine use there. You do not need to be a genius to guess what took place after this. He got arrested!
Chumlee Arrested
At The Very Least
After a couple of months, Chumlee had been up against 20 different counts of felony. That sounds bad! Even though it is not a lot of consolation, the court failed to find substantial evidence on these charges.
At The Very Least
Nothing Illegal
There was no reason to believe that the firearms in the house were used in any illegal activity. If that were the case, things would have been worse for Chumlee. We are glad that he had this going for him!
Nothing Illegal
Justice Being Served
What happened? Well, Chumlee pleaded guilty to drug possession, unlawful weapons possession, and attempted misdemeanor. He was lucky that he did not get prison time at all. He was only put on probation for a year.
Justice Being Served
The Worst Is Behind Him
If he abided by the rules during the probation period, the misdemeanor charge would be the only thing that would show on his record. He also needed to go to counseling, which does not sound all that bad.
The Worst Is Behind Him
A Rough Patch
It sounds like things were finally starting to improve after all the bad luck. Did the scandal have a bad effect on his career? If you wanted to know, the answer looks like it is ‘no.’ However, only time will tell.
A Rough Patch
A Hard Year
During a follow-up interview towards the end of 2016, he started to let fans in on what he had actually been going through the whole time. Chumlee told them all that it had been a rough year for him.
A Hard Year
Thanking His Supporters
Aside from this, our favorite reality TV star was able to express how grateful he was for the support of his fans. If it had not been for their kind and lovely messages, he would not have gotten through it!
Thanking His Supporters
Endless Gratitude
Chumlee took to Instagram to post this photo. This was what the caption said: “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.” We are so happy for him!
Endless Gratitude
The Fate Of Pawn Stars
But how did Pawn Stars fare after all of his problems with the law? Back then, people were speculating about the fate of the show. Will it get a renewal? Or was it going to be cancelled?
The Fate Of Pawn Stars
Back To Normal
We are sure that fans were very relieved when they found out that the reality TV show would go on. On top of that, they found out that Chumlee was not going anywhere. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he is now doing much better than he had been. His probation of three years has been completed.
Back To Normal
Self-Improvement
It is worth noting that Chumlee had to take a break from Pawn Stars when he was dealing with his legal issues. At the time, he decided to work on self-improvement. The 36-year-old wanted to be better both physically and mentally. We are glad to hear that he took the steps to do such a thing!
Self-Improvement
500 Episodes
If you were curious, you will be glad to hear that the show is doing great too. Pawn Stars had its 500th episode celebration fairly recently. Chumlee took to Instagram to add this photo. The caption read, “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
There is no doubt that Pawn Stars would be this successful if Chumlee had not been on the cast. His personality and kindness are some of the biggest draws of the show. Fans simply adore him!
Thanks To Chumlee
Spin-Offs
The show has been such a huge success that the History Channel even launched a number of spin-offs. Right now, there are 9 spin-off series. In no particular order, they are as follows: Cajun Pawn Stars, Counting Cars, Pawn Stars: Pumped Up, Pawnography, Pawn Queens, Pawn Stars UK, Pawn Stars Australia, Hardcore Pawn: Chicago, and Pawn Hardcore Pawn.
Spin-Offs
Money, Money, Money
It is safe to say that he is now doing well. Thanks to his work on the reality TV show, public appearances, and side businesses, he brings home a lot of money! We are truly jealous of his Las Vegas mansion, which set him back by a whopping $1.5 million. It is our dream to have a pool just like this one!
Money, Money, Money
Back And Better Than Ever
We are keeping our fingers crossed that this reality TV star will soon return to his happy self. It looks like Chumlee took a bad path, but he is now back. The least we can do is to hope that he has learned from his past mistakes. He has probably learned from the error of ways by now.
Back And Better Than Ever
A Stable Life
At the moment, he is keeping his eyes on the task of improving himself. He currently has a stable life, which must have done wonders for him in more ways than one. After all, stability is always good!
A Stable Life
New Beginnings
If you do not watch the show, you will be glad to hear that Chumlee is still on Pawn Stars. It also looks like he is trying out all sorts of business ventures. We cannot wait to see what is next for him!
New Beginnings