BRINGING down Bob Barker
He Called Them Barker's Beauties. They Called Him A Monster
How the models on "The Price Is Right" brought down the legendary host Bob Barker — and paved the way for #MeToo.
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The Lede
After a decade of fighting the most powerful man in daytime television, Holly Hallstrom had come to the end of her road. Cresting a hilltop deep in California's wine country, Hallstrom clutched the wheel of her beat-up white Honda as it puttered to a stop. She was out of money, down to her last 48 cents. She'd sold all her belongings to wage what everyone told her was a battle she was certain to lose: taking on Bob Barker, her former boss at "The Price Is Right."
Key Details
- Launched in 1956 as the first game show for daytime TV, the show transformed everyday American consumerism into mainstream entertainment. A big part of the show's success was Barker, who came on board in 1972.
- Even in the age of #MeToo, the glowing obituaries that followed Barker's death made scant mention of his on-set behavior.
- Now, for the first time, Hallstrom and her colleagues have agreed to share the full story of what they went through behind the scenes — and why they decided to fight back.
