Sometimes controversial, frequently educational, and always entertaining, Pawn Stars is one of our favorite reality TV shows. We’ve been watching since it premiered in 2009, and things have certainly changed over the last decade.
The relatively small pawn shop has been overhauled repeatedly to make more space for the merchandise, with the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop becoming a tourist destination in its own right, with fans of the show flocking there to buy, sell, and occasionally just to see what’s going on inside. Sadly, Pawn Stars is only filmed when the shop is closed, but it’s still a fun place to stop in Vegas. With all those changes, the cast and crew have certainly raked in the greenbacks, but how much does the crew from pawn stars really make?
Pawn Stars has become the most profitable History Channel show, netting nearly $3 million per episode. While the network makes a lot of money from the show, the stars and employees of the store are doing very well for themselves too. Here is how much the cast of Pawn Stars really makes and what they’re worth today.
Richard Benjamin ‘Old Man’ Harrison
Before he passed away at the age of 77 on June 25, 2018, the “Old Man” was worth about $5 Million. After spending years enlisted in the military, Richard Harrison opened the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop as a twenty-four-hour family business back in 1989. He spent between $5,000-$10,000 to get the first iteration of the shop operational, and it was a wise business investment for him and his family.
However, there were years when the shop wasn’t growing at all. In the last decade, the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop has undoubtedly become an icon, but before the show, the Harrison family only saw about seven customers per day. Harrison repeatedly tried to pitch the idea of a TV show for the shop and was told that no one would be interested in watching four guys work at a pawnshop. Eventually, the History Channel took a chance on the Vegas pawn shop and the rest is history.
Rick Harrison
Rick Harrison, like his father before him, has a truly entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to his 10% stake in the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, he’s owned a Quiznos franchise and several other small businesses in the Las Vegas area.
However, it’s not as though Harrison was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Harrison stood alongside his father from the very first day the store opened in 1989 and worked his way up in the business. During his time working in the store, Harrison has made many wise investments and sold some of them for a profit which has helped to boost his family’s wealth.
It has been reported that the cast of Pawn Stars makes approximately $25,000 per episode of the show, increasing from $15,000 in 2016. On top of that, he has an investment portfolio, with 80% of his stocks solidly placed within blue-chip companies. The Gold and Silver Pawn Shop may only be part of Harrison’s overall net worth these days, but it is still a big part and the reason he has been able to build wealth in other areas.
Harrison’s estimated net worth is approximately $9 million. That’s nothing to sneeze at for sure.
Corey ‘Big Hoss’ Harrison
Corey Harrison has always been a significant contributor to the Pawn Stars TV show, though mostly it seems that he brings the drama. Nevertheless, without him, things on the show would be a whole lot duller. He is a lifelong friend of co-star Chumlee from childhood and brought his best friend into the business which has created a fun dynamic as the two get into lots of antics on screen, usually annoying his father and grandfather in some way.
Big Hoss currently owns a 5% stake in the company after he once threatened to quit if he wasn’t given 10%. He and his father eventually agreed on giving him a smaller share with an option to be given more of a stake in the future. Like his father, Harrison makes approximately $25,000 per episode, earning the star between $300,000-500,000 per year depending on the size of the season.
Harrison’s net worth is currently hovering at approximately $5 Million. On top of that income, he and Chumlee also make personal appearances around Las Vegas, earning him thousands of dollars per event.
Austin Lee ‘Chumlee’ Russell
Chumlee may be the butt of most of the jokes, and the shop’s comic relief, but he’s not messing around financially. More than a few times on the show, Chumlee has proven his worth by showing off his knowledge and abilities. For example, he’s particularly knowledgeable about pinball machines, and he’s used that expertise to benefit the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop more than once.
While some remark on his good luck at chancing on a friendship that made him so much money, Chumlee has given back and provided an essential element to the show. Without him, there wouldn’t be as many laughs, and that helps make the whole Pawn Stars show more enjoyable.
Chumlee is making $25,000 per episode like the rest of his co-stars. Though his net worth is also estimated at around $5 million, the reality star has his fingers in many other pies, including a candy shop where you can get a chocolate bar with his face on it.
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