Former “Price is Right” model Holly Hallstrom was keen to expose late host Bob Barker even before she was asked to appear on E!’s new documentary series “Dirty Rotten Scandal.”
“My plan was to find a journalist and tell the whole story from my experience,” the 73-year-old told Page Six.
“That was it, I just put it out there once,” she says. “Everyone will be able to see it.”
But Hallstrom’s plans changed thanks to journalist David Kushner, who wrote a 2024 Business Insider article about sexual harassment allegations against Barker.
“David introduced me to people who were making a documentary about the history of the MeToo movement and the place of ‘Price Is Right’ in that history,” Hallstrom explains.
“But after they started considering just ‘The Price is Right,’ they said, ‘We have to make a documentary just about ‘The Price is Right.'” There’s a lot out there. ”
In a documentary series that premiered on E! On March 18, Hallstrom revealed the truth behind his firing from the game show in 1995.
Hallstrom claimed she was told she was fired because she had gained weight, but said the real reason she and the other models on the show lost their jobs was because fellow model Diane Parkinson, who had an affair with the host in 1994, refused to testify in court on Barker’s behalf after she accused him of sexual harassment.
After Hallstrom covered her story in the press, Barker sued her for defamation, but Barker withdrew the suit just days before the trial began in 2000.
Mr. Hallstrom now sued Mr. Barker for malicious prosecution. She received a multi-million dollar settlement in 2005.
Hallstrom told Page Six that she had to wait until after Barker, who hosted the show from 1972 to 2007, died in August 2023 at age 99 to speak out against Barker fully.
“Bob Barker slapped me with that bogus lawsuit and dragged me into court for 10 years until there was nothing left,” she says.
“If he were alive, he would do it again in a heartbeat.”
After stating in the document that he “hates” Barker, Hallstrom went into detail about how he actually feels about the late television icon.
“Hate is a very strong word. There’s a special reason why I don’t care about him,” she explains. “That’s because Bob Barker was mean. There are a lot of people in positions of power in Hollywood who are cruel and deceitful. But he was mean, too.”
Hallstrom continued, “He was brutal and fiercely vindictive. He wasn’t satisfied with just firing you; you lost your job, your income, your home, your career, your reputation. He wanted to destroy you. And so many people lost their jobs because they didn’t lie on oath. That’s why I hate him so much.”
The former Barkers Beauty also explained why she can’t blame fans of the popular game show for previously standing by the host, despite the allegations.
“As far as public opinion is concerned, the public heard 90 percent of Barker’s story and almost nothing of ours,” she points out.
“So there’s no reason why they wouldn’t believe that he was the Santa Claus they believed in,” Hallstrom added.
Hallstrom also thinks it would be “stupid” for anyone in Barker’s camp to speak out about the documentary.
“If they open that door, we just load up the truck with evidence, evidence, court documents and testimony backed up by videotape, and drive away,” she tells Page Six.
“Remember, it’s on videotape. That’s a very stupid mistake they make.”
Reruns of “Dirty Rotten Scandals: The Price is Right” are airing on E! The series is now available to stream on-demand on Fandango at Home.
