He’s internationally recognized for being the most lovable employee of Las Vegas Golden and Silver Pawn Shop.

It’s been nearly 17 years since we started filming Pawn Stars.

And this is long awaited, long overdue.

Okay.

I mean, Magic is one of those games where some of the cards are very expensive and you need them to play your deck, but you also want them for your collection.

In March 2016, police raided Chumley’s house looking for evidence of sexual assault.

They didn’t find any, but they found something else.

A secret vault he didn’t want to open.

A room with a dance pole.

He faced 70 years in prison.

Everyone thought his career was over.

But that raid was just the beginning.

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What happened next shocked his fans, his co-stars, and even the judge.

The funny guy from Pawn Stars had secrets darker than anyone imagined.

I worked at the Quiznos 8 hours a day and then I worked at the pawn shop 4 hours a day.

I actually worked 135 days straight without a day off.

Austin Lee Russell was born on September 8th, 1982 in Henderson, Nevada.

His family had six members and they worked hard just to get by.

His parents weren’t rich.

His father was a DJ and his mother worked at a casino.

That meant Chum Lee grew up seeing the lights, the noise, and the fast life of Las Vegas.

But at home, life was simple.

Money was tight, and everyone had to pitch in.

That mix of glitz outside and modesty at home shaped him.

He learned early that you have to work hard and stay grounded no matter what’s going on around you.

By the time he was 12, he had a nickname that would stick for life.

A friend’s dad took one look at him and said he looked just like Chumley, the walrus from that old cartoon Tennessee Tuxedo.

The name Chumley caught on.

What started as a joke turned into the name everyone would know him by.

That silly moment ended up helping him stand out later, making him easy to remember when he showed up on TV screens across America.

Chumley wasn’t alone growing up.

He had three siblings, and one of his closest friends was Cory Harrison.

The two of them were just regular kids hanging out in Henderson.

But Cory’s family owned the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop.

That friendship changed Chumley’s life.

As they got older, Chumley Lee spent more time at the pawn shop and eventually he became part of the business.

Um, as much as I would love to do the Chum Lee show, we film 80 episodes a year and it’s just ridiculously crazy.

So, when the shop became the focus of Pawn Stars, that bond with Corey turned into something much bigger.

Their back and forth on the show helped make it a hit.

Their friendship wasn’t just personal.

It became part of what people loved about watching.

School wasn’t easy for Chumley.

He dropped out of high school.

That made him one of only two in his family who didn’t graduate.

The other was his brother, Sage.

It could have been the end of the road for his dreams.

But Chumley didn’t let that stop him.

He found another way to succeed.

He used his charm, his street smarts, and his people skills to build a career most graduates could only dream of.

Chumley’s real name is Austin Lee Russell.

In 2003, at just 21 years old, he stepped into the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas.

Most would expect him to jump into a glamorous role, especially since he was childhood friends with Cory Harrison, whose family owned the shop.

But that’s not what happened.

Chumley started as a janitor and item tester.

He swept floors, cleaned cases, and took on the jobs no one else wanted.

Even with his connection to the owners, he had to earn his place the hard way.

This was no shortcut.

Day by day, he learned how the business worked and how to spot real treasures from junk.

Those early lessons would prove to be priceless.

For 5 years from 2003 to 2008, Chumley worked quietly behind the scenes.

The shop was just another local pawn shop back then.

Nothing like the tourist hot spot it would later become.

Chumley handled everything.

Testing electronics, checking collectibles, keeping track of inventory, rare coins, vintage guitars, strange gadgets.

He saw it all.

When producers came looking in 2008 for a shop to build a show around, Chumley wasn’t on their radar at first.

But it didn’t take long for his unique charm and deep knowledge of pop culture to stand out.

When Pawn Stars began filming in July 2009, Chumley was ready.

He wasn’t just part of the team.

He was a key player.

When the show finally hit the air, Chumley was supposed to be the funny one, the guy everyone teased.

He was cast as the comic relief, the village idiot of the shop.

But viewers didn’t see him that way.

They loved his laid-back style and offbeat humor.

He wasn’t trying to be a star, and that’s exactly why people connected with him.

By 2012, Chumley’s popularity had exploded.

He was getting up to 60,000 fan letters a month.

His face was on shirts, mugs, and posters out selling even Rick Harrison’s merchandise.

Fans lined up to meet him at conventions.

I’m making this deal because I’m going to show Rick how to buy something with something in the shop and then turn around and make a profit bigger than the profit I could have made if I paid cash.

He had gone from sidekick to star.

What surprised many was how much Chumley actually knew.

Behind that easygoing image was a real expert.

He could spot rare pinball machines and tell you what they were worth.

He knew which sports memorabilia was fake and which was gold.

His sneaker collection had over 200 pairs with some worth thousands.

He loved toys and retro video games.

and he could tell you the story behind rare consoles and cartridges from the 80s and 90s.

When it came to pop culture items, Chumley was the guy everyone at the shop turned to.

But just as his life was changing, tragedy struck.

The show premiered in July 2009, only weeks after Chumley’s father died of pancreatic cancer at just 54.

Instead of celebrating his big break, Chumley was grieving.

He spoken about how that loss drove him to work harder and make his father proud.

Fans who learned about his loss offered their support and that made his rise to fame feel even more emotional.

Chum Lee credits his dad for teaching him to work hard and to love collecting.

Every deal he makes, every item he values is a small tribute to his father.

Chumley’s rise is the kind of story that surprises everyone.

When Pawn Stars first aired in July 2009, most people saw him as just the funny sidekick.

But it didn’t take long for fans to fall in love with his easygoing humor and underdog charm.

Chumley knew he had something special, and he moved fast to make the most of it.

By 2010, he had started his own company to sell novelty items.

There were t-shirts, bobbleheads, autographed photos, anything with his face or catchphrases.

In just one year, his merchandise was out selling those of his co-stars, even the ones who founded the shop.

Fans couldn’t get enough of him, and it showed.

But Chum Lee was smart.

The demand for his stuff grew so fast that it became hard to keep up.

That same year, he made a bold move.

He sold half of his company to Rick Harrison for $155,000.

It wasn’t just about the money.

He needed help handling all the orders.

By teaming up with Rick, he was able to use the shop’s system to sell his goods, both online and in the store.

This made it easier for fans to buy and it helped Chum Lee focus on growing the brand.

That deal showed everyone how powerful his name had become.

It also set an example for other reality stars who wanted to turn fame into real business.

What made Chumley’s success even more shocking was how far ahead his sales were.

People thought of him as the comic relief on the show, but his fans loved that about him.

His t-shirts, toys, and autographs out sold Rick’s Cory’s and even the famous old man’s merchandise.

Come into the shop with a collection of corkcrews that Rick really, really, really liked.

Chumley wasn’t part of the founding family.

He wasn’t the expert, but he became the star.

By 2023, his net worth hit around $8 million before settling closer to $5 million in 2024.

His story proved that fans don’t always choose the obvious hero.

They often connect with the one who seems most like them.

Chumley didn’t stop with the pawn shop either.

His fame took him to other big shows.

In 2012, he showed up on i Carly in the episode I lost my head in Vegas.

This brought him new, younger fans.

He also went on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where people loved his laid-back style.

And in 2013, car lovers saw him on Counting Cars in an episode where he picked up his custom 1963 Lincoln.

But the car came with bad news.

These appearances made him even more popular.

They helped him sell even more merchandise and proved he wasn’t just a reality star.

Chumley’s troubles began long before most people noticed.

In 2008, a full year before pawn stars hit television.

He was arrested in Las Vegas.

The charge was loitering for prostitution.

It might have seemed like a minor incident at the time, but it showed a risky side to Chumley that would keep surfacing.

Back then, he was just another employee at the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop.

The arrest didn’t make headlines because no one knew who he was yet, but it was a sign of what was to come.

Years later, in 2016, police would raid his home and find meth, marijuana, Xanax, and several guns.

That led to 20 felony charges.

Looking back, the 2008 arrest feels less like a random mistake and more like the first crack in a carefully built image that would soon start falling apart.

When Pawn Stars started, Chumley wasn’t like the others at the shop.

While Rick and the Harrisons focused on profit, Chumley had his own ideas.

He pushed Cory to buy things that made people smile, not necessarily items that made money.

He loved arcade games, pinball machines, and even circus gear.

Viewers found it funny, but Rick didn’t always agree.

To Chumley, these weren’t just jokes for TV.

He truly loved pop culture and collectibles.

Sometimes that passion got him into trouble as he convinced the shop to take deals that didn’t make sense financially.

Rick often ended up frustrated, but Chumley’s wild ideas kept fans entertained and gave the show its spark.

His love for fun over profit made him the wild card of the shop, a role that brought both fame and friction.

Chumley’s way of dealing with customers also set him apart.

He had a habit of siding with the sellers, pushing for higher offers than Rick or Cory wanted to give.

This annoyed Rick, who had to think about the bottom line.

But fans loved watching Chumley’s kind-hearted and sometimes clumsy efforts to make people happy.

His jokes and playful attitude turned ordinary deals into memorable moments.

Sometimes he even went so far that it seemed like he was challenging Rick’s authority on camera.

This tension became part of what kept the show fresh.

Rick knew Chum Lee’s popularity helped the show, even if it meant losing money on some deals.

The push and pull between business and fun became a big part of Chumley’s story.

But what viewers didn’t see was the double life Chumley was leading.

The funny, lovable guy on TV was hiding deep struggles behind the scenes.

By 2013, fame had started to take its toll.

Chum Lee stopped going out as much.

He spent more time alone, focusing on his private hobbies.

Friends noticed he was becoming more distant.

His love for collecting turned into something more troubling with some saying it bordered on hoarding.

The pressure of fame along with the hurtful comments people made about his looks and intelligence pushed him further into isolation.

On March 9th, 2016, Las Vegas police raided the home of Austin Lee Russell, better known as Chum Lee from the reality show Pawn Stars.

The raid was part of a sexual assault investigation.

Someone had filed a claim against him earlier that month.

The police took the accusation seriously.

They came with a search warrant, ready to look for evidence, but what they found inside the house had nothing to do with the assault case.

The sexual assault charges were later dropped.

There just wasn’t enough evidence.

But the raid uncovered a side of Chumley that shocked everyone.

His fans knew him as the goofy guy from TV.

That image shattered overnight.

Inside the house, police found drugs and weapons that no one expected.

There were multiple grams of marijuana and 17 bars of Xanax.

They found seven capsules filled with 1.

7 g of meth powder.

There were plastic baggies, digital scales, and even a rolledup dollar bill with white powder.

That powder tested positive for cocaine.

But the drugs weren’t the only problem.

The police also discovered 12 guns.

There were handguns, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns.

Among them was an MP5 assault style weapon and a 223 caliber rifle.

Only four of these guns were registered.

The rest were illegal.

Most of this was hidden in a ground floor vault.

Chumley didn’t want to open it at first.

He said it contained private things.

There was also a strange room with a dance pole that the media quickly nicknamed the Chumchum room.

The mix of drugs, guns, and that odd room fueled wild speculation.

It looked less like a celebrity’s home and more like a setup for dealing drugs.

The charges came fast.

Chumley faced 19 felony drug possession charges.

He also got hit with one felony weapons charge.

Altogether, he was looking at up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

The police report pointed out that the baggies, scales, and large amount of drugs, weren’t just for personal use.

It looked like he might have been selling.

The unregistered guns, some of them loaded, made things worse.

For someone who had made millions making people laugh on TV, it was a hard fall.

His future now hung in the balance.

Prosecutors didn’t hold back.

They argued that Chumley’s fame made his actions even worse.

They said public figures should be held to higher standards.

Millions watched Chumley on TV.

The prosecution insisted he had a duty to set a good example.

Instead, they claimed he risked making illegal behavior look normal, even harmless.

Reporters filled the courtroom.

The trial wasn’t just about Chum Lee anymore.

It sparked fierce debate about what we expect from celebrities.

Should fame mean harsher punishment? Star Chum Lee is a free man after taking a plea deal.

He was charged with having possession of a controlled substance.

The case became a test of how society views the responsibilities of reality stars.

Chum Lee’s defense team worked hard to shift the focus.

His lawyer, David Chesnoff, reminded the court that Chumley had no prior criminal record, no violence, no drug dealing, just some minor traffic tickets.

They said he had helped the Las Vegas community through charity work and by bringing attention to local businesses.

The weapons part of a collection, they argued, fitting for a man who worked with historical artifacts.

the drugs for personal use only.

And Chumli, they said, was ready to take responsibility.

He didn’t drag the case through a long trial.

He chose to plead guilty to reduced charges, showing remorse and a desire to make things right.

By 2019, Chumley’s weight had climbed to about 350 lbs.

That number wasn’t just high, it was dangerous.

At that size, his health was in serious trouble.

He faced risks like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and sleep apnea.

Moving around became harder.

His energy dropped.

Life was getting harder every day.

He realized he couldn’t go on like this.

Years of bad eating and no exercise had finally caught up with him.

The warning signs were everywhere and it was time to act.

Chumley decided on a big step.

He chose gastric sleeve surgery at Blossom Beriatrics.

This surgery removed 70 to 80% of his stomach.

It left him with a small sleeveshaped stomach that couldn’t hold much food.

I’m not trying to go run 10 mile marathons or anything, but well really 50 lbs is what I need to lose to ride the hovercraft.

The surgery also cut down the hunger hormone, so he didn’t feel as hungry.

It was a serious choice, but he wanted lasting results, not another failed diet.

This surgery gave him a real chance to change his life and avoid the illnesses linked to his weight.

Before the surgery, Chumley worked hard.

He lost 35 lbs on his own by eating better and moving more.

That made the surgery safer.

After the surgery, he stayed focused.

He dropped over 160 lb altogether.

His weight fell from 350 lb to 190 lb.

The change was huge.

He felt healthier, stronger, and more confident.

His risk of deadly diseases dropped and his future looked brighter.

Chumley met Olivia Ruddman in 2013, but it wasn’t until early 2016 when his life was in chaos that they started dating.

Chumley was facing 20 felony charges tied to drugs and illegal guns.

He was staring down the real chance of jail.

Yet Olivia, a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an aspiring photographer, chose to stand by him.

She didn’t flinch even as the media followed his every move.

Together, they appeared at charity events, and their bond seemed unbreakable.

Olivia’s loyalty during this dark time became a big part of their story.

By May 2018, things had changed.

Chumli was back on his feet and he planned a grand gesture.

In Wiki, Hawaii at the Royal Hawaiian, he proposed to Olivia.

He gave her a 1.

5 karat diamond ring, something that could be worth up to $25,000.

It wasn’t just about the diamond.

It was about showing he had turned things around.

A big party followed in Las Vegas at the Detroit Ballroom.

Friends from pawn stars and Vegas celebrities showed up.

Chum Lee said it felt like they were already married.

After years of friendship and tough times, this was a fresh start.

Chum Lee didn’t stop there.

In 2017, he opened Chumley’s Candy on the Boulevard right across from the famous Pawn Shop.

It was a smart move, pulling in fans of the show and tourists.

The shop kept a solid 4.

2 star rating, and people loved its old school charm.

The candy business wasn’t just a side project.

It was proof that Chumley knew how to turn his fame into something lasting.

His net worth climbed to about $5 million.

He wasn’t just the funny guy from Pawn Stars anymore.

He was building something real.

But by 2020, things began to fall apart.

Fans noticed that Chum Lee and Olivia had wiped their social media clean of photos of each other.

They still followed each other, but it was clear their marriage had ended.

Olivia even deleted her account for a while.

Chum Lee stopped mentioning her.

Olivia’s life moved in a new direction.

She went back to school in South Carolina while Chum Lee stayed in Las Vegas for his businesses and filming.

In one post, later deleted, Chumley admitted it was hard living apart.

Without any official announcement, the breakup was plain to see.

Then came the final twist.

In early 2021, photos of Olivia with Jake Schindler, a big name in professional poker, started to appear.

They were seen together in Las Vegas and even traveling in Rome.

Jake’s world of highstakes games was far from the pawn shop and candy store.

Olivia’s new life seemed glamorous and fastm moving.

For fans, it was a shock to see her move on so quickly.

Chumley, on the other hand, stayed mostly quiet.

Chumley’s story is one of the most surprising comebacks in reality TV.

In 2016, it looked like everything was over for him.

He was arrested for attempted possession of a controlled substance.

The headlines were brutal.

Many thought he’d never returned to television.

But against all odds, Chumley didn’t just come back.

He became bigger than ever.

He kept his place on Pawn Stars and became one of the main faces of the spin-off Pawn Stars Do America.

In this new series, which began filming its second season in 2024, Chum Lee, Rick Harrison, and Cory Harrison hit the road for 7 months.

They visited 15 cities, including Boston, Dallas, Detroit, and Tampa.

Instead of waiting for people to come to the shop, they brought the pawn shop to the people, searching for rare items across the country.

Chumley admitted it wasn’t easy.

18 days on the road at a stretch made him long for his own bed, but he kept going and fans loved him even more for it.

Then came a move no one saw coming.

Chum Lee stepped into the world of video games.

He announced Chumley’s Adventure, The Quest for Pinky, a beat him up game for the classic NES console.

The game, inspired by him and his dog Pinky, was crowdfunded on Kickstarter.

It featured a pixelated Las Vegas, the Pawn Stars cast, and real NES cartridges you could play on the original hardware.

The physical copies even sold at the Golden Silver Pawn Shop, blending his TV fame with gaming nostalgia.

It was a bold step that showed how far Chumley was willing to go to connect with fans.

But Chum Lee didn’t stop there.

In 2017, he and his brother Sage opened Chum Le’s Candy on the BLVD at Pawn Plaza near the famous shop.

The opening was delayed because of permits, but when it finally happened, people swarmed in.

They sold out of Big League Chew in just 1 hour.

Chum Lee worked behind the counter himself, handing out candy and chatting with fans.

The shop became a tourist spot, and even though some visitors wished it was bigger, it stayed busy.

Chumley kept showing up, proving he cared about more than just TV.

He built something real, something tied to his family and community.

By 2024, Chumley’s net worth reached $5 million.

That number says a lot.

It shows he didn’t just survive after his legal troubles.

He thrived.

His money comes from TV, the candy shop, spin-offs, collectibles, and even social media deals.

He turned his name into a brand.

After what he went through, that’s no small feat.

Chumley became one of the few reality stars who figured out how to turn fame into lasting success.

His journey is more than just about money or TV.

After his 2016 arrest, Chumley took real steps to change.

He completed probation, had weight loss surgery, and transformed his lifestyle.

He got sober.

He became healthier.

He shared it all with fans, not hiding from his past.

That honesty, plus his hard work, turned him from a troubled celebrity into someone people look up to.

His path from the pawn counter to court and back again wasn’t easy.

It was full of mistakes and setbacks, but it was also full of resilience.

Chumley’s story proves that no matter how bad things get, it’s possible to come back stronger.

And sometimes the most inspiring stories are the ones no one expected.