Long after the cameras stopped rolling, new claims are surfacing about what allegedly went on behind the scenes of The Price Is Right — and they paint a far different picture of its longtime host, Bob Barker.
According to the New York Post, a new docuseries from E! titled “Dirty Rotten Scandals” revisits the legacy of the iconic game show and features former models known as “Barker’s Beauties,” who describe what they say was a deeply troubled work environment.
Barker, who died in 2023 at the age of 99, hosted the show for decades, becoming one of the most recognizable faces in television. But in the series, several women who worked alongside him allege that life off-camera was far from glamorous.
Among the most explosive claims are those surrounding Barker’s relationship with model Dian Parkinson.
According to former model Holly Hallstrom, the relationship was initially kept quiet but soon became widely known on set.
“I first realized long before the rest of the set knew that Dian and Bob were having sex,” Hallstrom said.
“I was really kind of surprised because Bob also had a girlfriend. As time went on, people were noticing.”
Hallstrom alleged that the two would meet privately during breaks in taping.
“She would go downstairs during the breaks and go into his dressing room, and that’s when some hanky panky was going on,” she said.
The situation, she claimed, escalated further when Barker’s girlfriend contacted her with concerns.
“She said, ‘Oh my gosh, Bob has no idea that he’s had sex with a woman who has had sex with black men. Bob has always said that black men are the most diseased people on Earth,” Hallstrom added.
Parkinson later filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Barker, though it was eventually dropped.
Hallstrom’s own experience took a turn after she refused to testify in Barker’s favor.
“Next thing you know, my lawyers called and said, ‘Bob Barker just filed a lawsuit against you for defamation,’ and after that, no one spoke to me.”
She said the fallout was devastating.
“I lost everything. I was totally broke and living out of my car.”
Hallstrom later filed her own legal action, accusing Barker of “malicious prosecution.”
Other former models echoed concerns about the workplace. Kathleen Bradley, the show’s first Black model, described a tense environment.
“[It was] not a good feeling… And one of the members of the production team brought to my attention that, inside a production meeting, when models weren’t in there, they would use the N word,” she said.
Claudia Jordan also shared allegations about inappropriate comments from a producer, recalling remarks about her body and race.
Bradley added that multiple models were ultimately dismissed after refusing to back Barker.
“Eventually, the truth came out why all six of us were fired. We all refused to lie to save Barker’s ass.”
