Born Austin Lee Russell, he is popular by his professional name Chumlee, an American television personality and businessman who rose to fame after he appeared in the History Channel Television show named Pawn Stars.
In this article, we will cover Russell’s net worth, early and personal life, career highlights, and many more.
What Is the Net Worth of Austin Lee Russell?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Austin Lee Russell has an estimated net worth of $5 million and he earns $25 thousand for each episode.
Early Life
Chumlee was born on the 8th of September 1982, in Henderson, Nevada. He has two siblings, a brother, Sage, and a sister, Terra. When he was young, he befriended Corey Harrison who is the child of Rick Harrison and grandchild of Richard Harrison.
In 1989, they both set up the Las Vegas-based Gold and Silver Pawn Shop which is just a few minutes away from the Las Vegas strip.
Personal Life
Austin loves to collect shoes and owns over 200 pairs. Besides, he also loves sports, video games, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and skateboarding, and also enjoys driving his 1986 Buick Regal, which he has customized with hydraulic lifts on the front and back.
Chumlee has a number of cars including a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati GranTurismo, Range Rover, and a 1964 Impala SS.
He made severe changes in his lifestyle by September 2013, and shredded 75 lb (34 kg) within a year with proper exercising at a gym for 6 days a week and following clean eating.
He increased his juice intake, more vegetables, and avoided red meat. His diet has allowed him to ride a hovercraft that he had bought previously in the series and had a maximum weight restriction of 250 lb (110 kg).
Later, he put on the weight again, weighing as much as 350 lb (160 kg) as of January 2019. He underwent gastric sleeve surgery, which resulted in him shredding 160 lb (73 kg) by October 2021.
In August 2019, Austin tied the knot with Olivia Russell. Before dating, they were friends and in May 2018, the pair officially became engaged.
Career
Austin started to work at Gold and Silver at the age of 21. The pawnshop gathered fame after featuring on the Comedy Central TV show called “Insomniac with Dave Attell.”
Following the premiere of that episode, Rick Harrison pitched a complete series to a number of production companies and networks; and it was finally picked up by The History Channel. In 2009, “Pawn Stars” made its debut when Russell had been working there for 5 years.
Now, he works behind the counter of the pawnshop and gained popularity for his comic features. The show revolves around the goings-on at the Las Vegas-based 24-hour Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.
He notoriously was able to have a conversation with a local Maserati shop into selling him a $100,000 car for just $85,000 showcasing his talents as a haggler. Currently, “Pawn Stars” is the most popular show on The History Channel.
He became a breakout cast member and also a fan favorite on “Pawn Stars.” He began his own company selling novelty items that were designed by him.
His merchandise sales are higher as compared to other stars of “Pawn Stars” thanks to his fans. He sold 50% of his stake in his company to Rick Harrison to enable the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop to sell his novelty items more proficiently.
In 2017, he launched Chumlee’s Candy on the Boulevard which is located around the street from the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. The day-to-day operation of the candy store is looked after by his brother Sage Russell.
“Pawn Stars” goes on to run on History Channel.
Legal Controversies
During the investigation into sexual misconduct accusations, Austin’s home was raided on March 9, 2016, and police retrieved marijuana, crystal meth, Xanax, and a number of firearms. As a result, he was arrested but later released on bond the following day.
Though, he was accused of twenty felony counts of drug and weapons charges on May 23, 2016. Chumlee pleaded guilty to a felony weapons charge, illegal possession of a firearm, and a gross misdemeanor of attempted drug possession and was sent for 3 years of probation and counseling.
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