Austin Lee Russell was born on 8 September 1982, in Henderson, Nevada, USA. Better known as Chumlee – a nickname given to him when about 12 because of his similarity to an animated TV series’ walrus – he is a former Gold & Silver Pawn Shop employee, and a reality television star who appeared in ‘’Pawn Stars’’; he is also a producer.
So just how rich is Chumlee as of late 2017? Authoritative sources report that his net worth is as high as $5 million, accumulated largely from his over eight years-long career as a reality star. In addition to that, he is an actor; he reportedly earned $25,000 per one episode of “Pawn Stars”. Austin is also a producer. His assets include a customized 1986 Buick Regal car.
Austin Chumlee Russell Net Worth $5 million
Prior to his reality TV career, Chumlee worked for five years for the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop from the age of 21, before ‘’Pawn Stars’’ began filming, broadcast on the History Channel. The shop was opened in 1989, and is a part of the family business operated by Richard ‘’The Old Man’’ Harrison and his son Rick Harrison. Chumlee is a childhood friend of Corey ‘’Big Hoss’’ Harrison, Rick’s son. The series follows interaction between staff and their customers. Chumlee appeared in the total of 272 episodes out of 507, making his series debut in the episode entitled ‘’ Boom or Bust’’, which originally aired on 19 July 2009. Overall, it received mostly positive response from the audience and critics, and he became the fan’s favorite. He left the show in 2015, making his last appearance in ‘’Underground Pawn’’.
Meantime, in 2010 he made his first appearance on ‘’ The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’’, and went on to be the guest in four more episodes over the course of three years. During the time he was still working on the show, he also made an appearance in the television series entitled ‘’Counting Cars’’, appearing in three episodes. As of 2012 he made a cameo appearance in one episode of ‘’iCarly’’, a Nickelodeon family comedy show, and in 2013 he also appeared in ‘’Katie’’ in the episode ‘’ Katie’s Vegas Adventure: Tim McGraw, Rosanne & Pawn Stars’’. All these appearances contributed to Chumlee’s net worth.
During the same year, Chumlee was a co-producer of the short film ‘’Driven: The Story of Tanner Godfrey’’. In 2014, he joined the cast of ‘’Pawnography’’, starring alongside Rick and Corey Harrison, his ‘’Pawn Stars’’ cast mates and friends. He made his final ‘’Pawnography’’ appearance in ‘’Fit for the King’’, in January 2015, having added further to his net worth.
As of the recent past, Chumlee has opened Chumlee’s Candy, a shop across the street from the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. He also opened his own company, and designs merchandise for his brand. Additionally, he arranges personal appearances.
In his personal life, Chumlee is in a relationship with Tanya Hyjazi, a chef in a Las Vegas casino. He is a big collector of shoes and owns over 200 pairs of them. He enjoys skateboarding and video games. In 2013, he lost 34 kilograms, inspired to change his lifestyle by his father’s death from pancreatic cancer.
