‘The Price Is Right’: Bob Barker’s Rep Speaks Out About Shocking Claims in ‘Dirty Rotten Scandals’
The late Bob Barker‘s rep is speaking out about The Price Is Right host’s sexual harassment claims made in an explosive TV documentary.
His rep is denying that Barker did anything wrong. “Barker was and is beloved, and people to this day love him,” his rep, Roger Neal, told USA Today on March 18.
“He was part of the fabric of American pop culture. He was the greatest MC in TV history. I was honored to have represented him.”
Barker was the host of The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007. He died in 2003 at the age of 97. Drew Carey took over for Barker and remains the host to this day. The allegations against the former host were revealed in the E! docuseries, Dirty Rotten Scandals, which also covers the dark side of The Dr. Phil Show and America’s Next Top Model.
Former models Kathleen Bradley and Holly Holstrom, who were dubbed “Barker’s Beauties,” spoke out against the host, as well as producer, Barbara Hunter.
In the docuseries, Bradley claimed, “I kind of noticed the guys were kind of talking, looking, gawking at the girls. I found out this is a little more commonplace than I thought.” She also claimed that one of the stagehands rubbed up against the models.
She told producers, but no one got in trouble for it. Holstrom, who was a model on the show from 1977 to 1995, said that if she went to Barker, who ran the show, to complain, he would tell her to “get over it or get a new job,” basically silencing anyone who complained about the alleged harassment.
The game show implemented a 10-second rule, where no one could openly stare at the models for more than 10 seconds. “There was no one monitoring how long the guys were staring at the models,” she said in the docuseries. “It was a joke. It was an appeasement. They did things that made it look like they were taking action, so you will stop complaining and go away.”
Holstrom also said how the alleged affair between Barker and model Dian Parkinson “ultimately destroyed The Price Is Right.” Barker was still in a relationship with Nancy Burnett when it happened and the affair “took a toll” on the models. Holstrom claims there were fights, yelling, and “it was massive.” Parkinson filed an $8 million sexual harassment lawsuit against the host, which he denied, and she later dropped.
Other models experienced racial discrimination, a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and wrongful termination.
Holstrom told TV Insider that she was happy the docuseries was released so everyone could see that she was not the “fat lying, difficult to work with person that nobody liked as I was portrayed to be.”
Dirty Rotten Scandals: The Price is Right, March 18, 9/8c, E!
The Price Is Right, weekdays, 11a/10c, CBS, stream next day on Paramount+
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