‘Price is Right’ host Bob Barker had suicidal thoughts after wife’s death, became ‘narcissistic egomaniac’: doc

Bob Barker “went into a funk” after wife Dorothy Jo Gideon’s death, his former “Price Is Right” colleagues revealed in E!’s new “Dirty Rotten Scandal” docuseries.

The host “was ready to take his own life” when his partner passed away in 1981, two months after her lung cancer diagnosis, according to producer Barbara Hunter.

“That’s what he shared with me,” Hunter claimed, according to People.

Bob Barker stands smiling behind his wife, Dorothy Jo Barker, who is seated in a wicker chair. — Bob Barker had suicidal thoughts after wife Dorothy Jo Gideon’s death, according to a new docuseries. NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Bob Barker and his wife Dorothy Jo in their home in 1978. — The “Price Is Right” host (pictured above in 1978) “went into a funk” and was “ready to take his own life,” a producer claimed. Bob Noble/Globe Photos/ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock

One of the game show’s models Holly Halstrom recalled Barker being “really … devastated” by the loss and enduring a “long period of mourning.”

However, she alleged, “Then, all of a sudden, he became Mr. Man About Town. He knew he was the star of the biggest show in daytime, and Dorothy Jo wasn’t there anymore, keeping him reined in.

“It was like he was unleashed and turned into this narcissistic egomaniac,” Halstrom continued.

Barker and Gideon were high school sweethearts, with the duo tying the knot in January 1945.

Bob Barker smiling with his wife Dorothy Jo. — Model Holly Halstrom recalled the “devastated” emcee (pictured above in 1978) experiencing a “long period of mourning.” Bob Noble/Globe Photos/ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock

Bob Barker on the set of The Price Is Right. — The model alleged that Barker (seen here in 1972) became a “narcissistic egomaniac” after Gideon’s passing. ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

The couple had been married 36 years when the 57-year-old lost her lung cancer battle.

Barker moved on with girlfriend Nancy Burnet after Gideon’s death, but did not remarry.

The longtime couple became an item in 1983, and Burnet honored her late partner in a touching statement after he died of natural causes at 99 in 2023.

“We were great friends over these 40 years,” she told Page Six at the time. “He will be missed.”

Bob Barker smiling while hosting — There was no one to keep Barker (pictured above in 1972) “reigned in,” she said. Courtesy Everett Collection

Portrait of Holly Hallstrom wearing a shiny silver blouse and dark pants. — Halstrom (pictured above in 1988) also addressed an alleged affair Barker had in “Dirty Little Secrets,” out Wednesday on E! ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

Barker was the longest-running host of “The Price Is Right,” emceeing the show between 1972 and 2007.

In “Dirty Rotten Scandal,” Halstrom addressed an alleged affair Barker had with model Dian Parkinson amid his relationship with Burnet.

“It took a toll,” she said (via USA Today). “There was fighting on the sets, yelling, and it was massive. And it ultimately, I think, destroyed ‘The Price is Right.’”

Halstrom, additionally, accused Barker of silencing women who complained of sexual harassment.

Holly Hallstrom from The Price Is Right. — Halstrom (pictured above in 1988) also accused him of silencing women experiencing sexual harassment on set. ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection

Bob Barker with Janice Pennington, Holly Hallstrom, and Dian Parkinson on The Price Is Right. — She claimed Barker told those complaining to “get over it or look for a new job.” Courtesy Everett Collection

“If anyone had gone to Bob because Bob was in charge of the show and said, ‘I have a problem. I have a complaint,’ he would have told her to get over it or look for a new job,” she said.

“Dirty Rotten Scandal” premieres on E! Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.

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