Austin Russell, commonly known as Chumlee, is an American reality TV personality. He is best known for his appearance in a TV show called “Pawn Stars” on the History Channel.
Before they started to film the first season of the show, Chumlee went to work at the Pawnshop for five years.
Chumlee got the job at the pawnshop due to the fact that he is friends with Corey Harrison. Harrison’s grandfather and father are the founders of the shop.
Aside from his role on the show, Chumlee also owns a candy shop at Pan Plaza in Las Vegas. His shop is just right across the street from the pawnshop where the show is filmed.
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Early Life
Austin Russell was born in Henderson, Nevada, on September 9, 1982. He was given the nickname “Chumlee” when he was around 12 years old because of his huge chin and face.
When Russell was just a kid, he became good friends with Corey Harrison, whose father and grandfather founded the Pawn Shop in 1989.
According to Chumlee in his Instagram post, he is of part Scottish descent.
Chumlee loves to collect shoes. The truth is that he owns more than 200 pairs. Chumlee also loves sports, skateboarding, video games, and Pokémon Trading Cards.
Chumlee is a fan of both rap music and punk rock. He’s a fan of the TV shows Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, and Boardwalk Empire.
Chumlee likes to drive his 1986 Buick Regal. He even personalized the car with hydraulic lifts on the back and the front.
Chumlee also owns a 1964 Impala SS, Range Rover, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati GranTurismo, and Rolls-Royce Phantom.
In September 2013, the actor changed his lifestyle habits and lost 34 kg (75 lbs.) in a year by working out at a gym 6 days a week and changing his diet. This includes abstaining from red meat, eating more vegetables, and drinking more juice.
This change was inspired by the death of his father due to pancreatic cancer. His father died 2 weeks before the debut of the show Pawn Stars.
The diet of Chumlee has allowed the star to be able to ride a hovercraft that he had bought earlier in the series.
At the age of 21, Chumlee started to work for the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop. He worked there for 5 years before they filmed the 1st season of the TV show in July 2009.
His job includes behind-the-counter work at the shop. This includes creating tickets for items bought by clients, loading items, and testing items.
In the show, Chumlee is depicted as comic relief. Sometimes, he is made the butt of the jokes from other cast members for his incompetence and perceived lack of intelligence.
Because of this, Chumlee was known as the village idiot of the show. However, he responded by explaining that he is underestimated. According to him, he is an expert when it comes to pinball machines.
Fortunately, Chumlee proved himself correct in the 2nd season of the show in the episode “Pinball Wizards”. Corey was surprised by how much knowledge Chumlee has when it comes to pinball machines.
Chumlee was married to Olivia Russell. Before dating each other, they were friends. In May 2018, they officially got engaged. They got married in August 2019.
However, in July 202, fans noticed that Chumlee deleted all of her photos from his Instagram account.
The Secret to Success
The success of Chumlee arose mainly from his dimwitted personality that perfectly contrasted with the intense atmosphere in the TV series.
He also became popular due to his several blunders when buying merchandise in the show. While he isn’t intended to be the primary draw of the show, Chumlee’s popularity skyrocketed through his many mistakes.
These mistakes and blunders allowed Chumlee to effectively function as the comic relief of the TV series. He has also improved his popularity with a couple of appearances on various TV shows. This includes Live with Kelly and Ryan, American Restoration, and Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Legal Issues
On March 9, 2016, the local authorities raided the house of Chumlee during the course of an investigation into allegations of sexual assault.
During the raid, the authorities discovered several firearms, Xanax, marijuana, and crystal meth. Because of these discoveries, Chumlee was arrested.
The next day, Chumlee was released from Bond. However, he was charged with 20 felony counts of weapons and drug charges on May 23, 2016.
Chumlee pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor of attempted drug possession, unlawful possession of a firearm, and felony weapons charge in exchange for 3 years of counseling and probation.
More Details
Chumlee has been a major contributor to Pawn Stars since 2009. He functions as the comic relief of the show.
As of 2021, Chumlee has a net worth of $5 million. However, it is expected to grow more as he continues to become a well-known personality in the show.
Chumlee Total Net Worth
According to reports, Chumlee has a net worth of $5 million. He mainly earns his money from his role on the TV show where he earned $25,000 per episode at the peak of his popularity.
Chumlee also earns income from his candy shop that he opened right across the street. Real Estate
Chumlee sold his Las Vegas home in February 2019 for $1.4 million. The house is situated around 5 miles off the Las Vegas Strip.
This house features a two-acre property with a 6,200-square-foot house, an entertainer’s backyard, and a guesthouse.
The house also includes the “Chum-Chum Room”, which includes a stripper’s pole.
According to reports, Chumlee purchased the property in 2012 for $1.1 million.