Alex Carson
Bob Barker has lived an extraordinary life. He will forever be remembered as the man who hosted The Price Is Right for 35 years between 1972 and 2007. However, not many people know that The Price Is Right isn’t the only game show that Barker hosted — before The Price Is Right, Barker hosted Truth Or Consequences for twenty long years. Similarly, people are also unaware of the fact that Barker started as a fighter pilot. Bob Barker is 97 now and currently enjoying retirement in his lavish Los Angeles home. Since his retirement in 2007, Barker has published a memoir called Priceless Memories, secured a place in the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and established his place as one of Hollywood’s most preeminent animal rights activist. In this video, we tell you interesting facts about Bob Barker. So, hit the play button and enjoy.
Bob Barker Began as a Fighter Pilot
Robert William Barker was born to Byron John Barker and Matilda Valandra in Darrington, Washington, on December 12, 1923. After Bob’s father passed away in an accident, his mother remarried and moved to Springfield, Missouri, where Bob attended high school and spent a major part of his early years. At the age of 21, after graduating from college, Bob joined the Navy as a Commissioned Officer, but joined for active duty only in 1943, after finishing college. He trained as a Naval aviator for the next 18 months. During this time, he learned to fly different types of aircraft. He deploys on duty in the summer of 1945 when World War II had almost reached an end. Thus, though Barker remained on duty during World War II, he never really saw any action.
He Hosted Truth or Consequences for Twenty Years
After World War II ended, Bob Barker, along with his wife Dorothy Jo Gideon, who he had met and fallen in love with at the age of 15, moved to Florida. Barker had become convinced that he wanted to pursue a career in broadcasting and therefore, had made the move to Florida where a local radio station had offered him the profile of an editor and newsreader. However. after spending a few years in Florida, Barker realized that his career wasn’t moving as swiftly as he had hoped and therefore, he took the decision of moving to California.
Within a few months of landing into the golden state, Bob Barker landed The Bob Barker Show with a radio station. The show was successful and registered a six-year-long run. Producer Ralph Edwards liked Bob’s work on the showand especially appreciated the way Bob connected with his audiences. Ralph, therefore, extended to Bob the role of the host on Truth Or Consequences. Ralph was of the opinion that his quick wit and extensive knowledge would make Bob an instant hit with the audiences and Ralph wasn’t wrong — Bob Barker hosted Truth Or Consequences for almost 20 years.
Truth Or Consequences
Between the early 50s and late 60s, other than Truth Or Consequences, Bob Barker hosted several other game shows, such as End Of The Rainbow, The Family Game, etc., However, none of these game shows could match the popularity of Truth or Consequences, which Barker hosted until 1975.
Are you enjoying this video? When Bob Barker stepped down as The Price Is Right host, several tabloids and magazines reported that he was pissed with the new host Drew Carey and CBS. So, does Bob Barker really disapprove of drew Carey, or were these just rumors? More importantly, where is Bob Barker and how is he spending his lockdown days? We will answer these questions in a short while. So, stay tuned. Meanwhile, if you enjoy our videos, do not forget to like and subscribe to our channel.
He Hosted the Price Is Right for 35 Years
In the early 1970s, Mark Goodman and Bill Todman, who had tasted some success with their game show The Price Is Right in the late 50s and early 60s decided to relaunch the show and the first thing they did was hire Bob Barker as the show’s new host. CBS gave the show a half-an-hour slot and The Price Is Right debuted with Bob Barker on September 4, 1972. The show was a massive success, compelling the network to expand the show’s duration to an hour in 1975. However, the show changed many time slots before settling at 11 a.m. ET. Bob Barker hosted The Price Is Right for 35 years until 2007, and during this time, the show won him many awards and honors.
The Price Is Right gave the chance to people to win a variety of things and at the center of the show was Bob Barker, who basked in the love and attention paid to him by frantic audience members every day. Those who saw the show during the 70s will tell you that Bob Barker’s hair was actually brown at the start. However, one fine day, he appeared on the sets with silver hair and they soon became his trademark.
Other than his trademark hair, Bob Barker is also remembered by people for his generosity — the man literally gave away dollar bills to anyone who guessed the exact price of an item. Furthermore, Bob Barker ended each episode of the show with a request to people to have their pets spayed or neutered. When he left the show in 2007, he requested the next host Drew Carey to continue with the message and so far, Carey has honored the former host’s request.
He Is a Preeminent Animal Rights Activist
Bob Barker met his wife Dorothy Jo Gideon at an Ella Fitzgerald concert. They began dating when Barker was only 15 and had a golden marriage. Unfortunately, Barker’s wife died of lung cancer in 1981, at the age of 57. His wife’s passing had a major impact on Barker, who felt emotionally lost and drained. It was during this time that Barker turned to animal activism to help him deal with his wife’s death. While Bob Barker had always been an animal lover, it was after his Dorthy’s death that he became one of the leading animal rights activists in Hollywood, and that is how his trademark signoff moment on The Price Is Right came to be.
Other than continuously requesting his fans to get their pets spayed, Bob Barker also resigned as the official host of the Miss U.S.A. pageant after the pageant runners refused to ask contestants to stop wearing fur. Barker had hosted the pageant for 20 years before resigning in 1988. In 1994, he started the DJ & J Foundation, named after his wife and mother.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
To this day, the foundation has helped thousands of pets and stray animals get spayed. In 2004, the former game show host donated $1 million to the Columbia Law School to help the college fund an essential animal study. In 2010, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society revealed that the society had sent a ship, purchased with the help of funds donated by Bob Barker to veto Japanese whaling operations in the Southern Ocean. The organization named the ship MY Bob Barker. In 2010, the now-retired game show host donated $2.5 million to PETA.
Bob Barker retired from The Price Is Right in 2007. The show did not only make him hugely popular but also made him filthy rich and Barker has funneled the money earned from the show into doing his bit for the animals. Bob Barker is 97 now and directly or indirectly, he is helping millions of animals live a better life.
He Loves Drew Carey
After Barker left The Price Is Right in 2007, there were rumors that the former host of the show was upset with CBS as well as the new host Drew Carey. However, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bob Barker made it abundantly clear that he enjoyed a wonderful relationship with CBS as well as Carey and that he would never say anything wrong about either of them. Barker also accepted that Fremantle Media, which produces the show for CBS, gives Barker a very handsome royalty each year, which makes it possible for Barker to have a comfortable life even after retiring.
More recently, in an interview with Closer Weekly, Barker revealed that he does not watch The Price Is Right regularly but he tunes in once every few days to see how the show is going and over the years, he has become a big fan of Drew Carey, who he finds charming and gracious. Barker had first visited Carey on The Price Is Right to promote his memoir Priceless Memories. At the time, Carey had devoted almost half of the show to promoting Barker’s book. The two had loved each other’s company and therefore, Carey had invited Barker once again on the show to celebrate his 90th birthday.
He Is Currently Enjoying His Retirement
Bob Barker is very close to 100 now and enjoying his retirement. Over the years, he has had a few health issues that have landed him in hospital time and again. However, the former game show host is doing well. A celebrity news website recently reported that Barker is currently staying in his Los Angeles home with his family and has a full-time caretaker. He is spending the lockdown watching old military movies.
However, adjusting to life after retirement wasn’t easy for Bob Barker. The man worked for almost six decades before resigning and therefore, adjusting to retirement took a while. The good thing is Barker shared in an interview that though adjusting to life after resigning as The Price Is Right host wasn’t easy, he has eventually come to enjoy his retirement and therefore, does not regret quitting work. More importantly, Bob Barker has amassed wealth worth $70 million, which allows him to live comfortably and carry on his work as an animal rights activist. Further, though the game show host does not attend events and does not socialize much anymore, he visits his wife’s grave often.
The Price Is Right
Bob Barker is going to be a hundred soon. The man has lived a full life and continues to enjoy the comfortable life afforded to him by his extensive work as TV’s one of the most popular game show hosts. However, for some reason, death-hoaxers keep spreading false rumors about the former The Price Is Right host. Bob Barker may have stepped away from public life, but he is very much active and still working towards the causes close to his heart. Did you enjoy this video on Bob Barker? Is there anything you would like to add to this video? If yes, please leave a comment — we love hearing from your guys.
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