What Happened to Chumlee? 160 Pounds Down, Selling Candy in 2026

Remember flipping on the History Channel and waiting for that big, easygoing guy in the back of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop to wander into frame and say something gloriously dumb? Chumlee was the heart of “Pawn Stars” for more than a decade — the punching bag, the comic relief, the kid everyone secretly rooted for. Then the arrests hit, the show went quiet, and he kind of vanished from the spotlight. So whatever happened to Chumlee? The answer is a redemption arc bigger than anyone expected.

01Profile

A quick note on that nickname: “Chumlee” came from a childhood friend who thought he looked like a walrus character from the “Tennessee Tuxedo” cartoons. It stuck so hard that millions of people genuinely don’t know his name is Austin.

02The Rise

From skater kid to pawn shop sidekick

Before he was a TV star, Austin Russell was just a Las Vegas kid who skateboarded and was close friends with Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison, the son of pawn shop owner Rick Harrison. When the family agreed to a History Channel reality series set in their World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, Chumlee tagged along as Corey’s buddy and shop employee. He wasn’t supposed to be a breakout star. He just was one.

The accidental fan favorite

“Pawn Stars” premiered in 2009 and became a juggernaut almost immediately — at its peak it was one of the most-watched shows on cable, pulling huge numbers for History. The format was simple: people bring in old guns, coins, cars, and curiosities, and the crew haggles over them. But viewers didn’t tune in for appraisals. They tuned in for the dynamic between gruff Rick, no-nonsense patriarch “The Old Man,” straight-man Corey, and Chumlee, the goofy comic relief who was always getting teased, pranked, and underestimated.

Becoming a brand

Chumlee leaned into the lovable-doofus persona and turned it into a business. He launched a merchandise line, opened “Chumlee’s Candy On The Blvd.” in 2017 near the pawn shop, and became one of the most recognizable faces in unscripted television. For a guy who started out as someone’s friend hanging around the counter, he’d built a genuine brand.

03The Turning Point

Then 2016 happened, and for a while it looked like the whole thing might come crashing down.

In March 2016, Las Vegas police searched Chumlee’s home. According to mainstream reporting from outlets including Time and Global News, the search was carried out as part of an investigation into a sexual assault complaint — but Chumlee was never charged in connection with that complaint. What the search did turn up were weapons and drugs, and he was booked on multiple drug charges and a weapons charge.

He ultimately took a plea deal. As reported by Time and News3LV, Chumlee pleaded guilty to a felony weapons charge and a gross misdemeanor of attempted drug possession, agreed to forfeit the items, and was sentenced to three years of probation plus counseling — with the understanding that if he stayed out of trouble, the felony would eventually be dismissed and he’d be left with only a misdemeanor on his record. He avoided jail time entirely.

It was a serious low point, and he hasn’t pretended otherwise. The arrest became a turning point that pushed him toward real changes in his health and his habits.

2009"Pawn Stars" premieres on History; Chumlee becomes a fan favorite.
2017Opens Chumlee's Candy On The Blvd. in Las Vegas.
March 2016Arrested after a police search of his home; later pleads to weapons and drug charges, gets probation, avoids jail.
2021Undergoes gastric sleeve surgery; reportedly loses roughly 160 pounds.
January 2025Launches the "Pawn After Dark" podcast with Rick Harrison.
2025"Pawn Stars" goes on indefinite hiatus.
2026"Pawn Stars" set to film a new season with Rick and Chumlee.

04The Reinvention: Candy, Collectibles, and 160 Pounds

Here’s the part of the Chumlee story that genuinely surprises people who haven’t checked in since the show’s heyday: the guy looks completely different.

For years, Chumlee struggled with his weight, and he’s been open that his father’s death was part of what motivated him to get serious about it. In 2021 he underwent gastric sleeve surgery, and according to widely cited reporting he lost roughly 160 pounds. If you only remember the rounder, younger Chumlee from early seasons, recent photos can be jarring — it’s a dramatic physical transformation, and one he’s talked about candidly rather than hiding.

Then there’s the business side. Chumlee’s Candy On The Blvd. at 725 S Las Vegas Blvd is still very much a thing in 2026, leaning into nostalgia with retro candy, throwback sodas, and branded merch. It pulls steady positive reviews and functions as a small tourist destination for fans walking the area near the famous pawn shop.

He’s also gone deep on collecting — Pokémon in particular. Chumlee runs a separate Instagram account dedicated to rare Pokémon cards (@chumleecollects), tapping into the booming trading-card resale world that exploded in recent years. It’s a smart fit: a guy who built his name on appraising and haggling over collectibles turning his own collecting hobby into content. The doofus persona always undersold how shrewd he actually was about turning attention into income.

05What He’s Doing Now

In 2026, Chumlee isn’t fading away — he’s arguably more central to the “Pawn Stars” universe than ever.

The podcast pivot

In January 2025, Rick Harrison and Chumlee launched “Pawn After Dark,” a behind-the-scenes podcast recorded in the back of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. It’s pitched as the unfiltered, after-hours version of the TV show — wild shop stories, talk about their personal collections, and special guests — and it streams on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and YouTube. The timing turned out to be perfect, giving Rick and Chumlee a steady platform during a period when the flagship show went quiet.

Pawn After Dark is a behind-the-scenes podcast where Rick Harrison and Chumlee invite you into their world after hours of the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. — Pawn After Dark show description, 2025

Pawn Stars 2.0

This is the big one. Although “Pawn Stars” went on indefinite hiatus in 2025, the show was never officially cancelled — and in 2026 it’s being relaunched. According to reporting from the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Kats! column, Rick Harrison and Austin “Chumlee” Russell are bringing the series back, with new episodes set to film and a return to History Channel reportedly targeted for early 2027.

The notable twist: the revival is moving forward without Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison, Rick’s son and a principal cast member since the very beginning. Per the Review-Journal, the show is reorganizing around Rick and Chumlee specifically. For a guy who started out as Corey’s tag-along friend, ending up as one of the two faces carrying the franchise forward is a remarkable arc.

Still the same Chumlee

Between the candy store, the podcast, the Pokémon collecting, and the upcoming season, Chumlee has quietly become one of the most durable personalities in reality TV. He’s reportedly even attached to a quirky video game project tied to his persona. The legal trouble, the health scare, the weight — he’s been through the wringer and come out the other side as a working businessman in his 40s rather than a cautionary tale.

06Summary

So, whatever happened to Chumlee? He grew up. The lovable goofball who got teased on cable for over a decade survived a serious 2016 arrest, overhauled his health with a transformation that shed around 160 pounds, and turned his persona into a sustainable set of businesses. Now he’s helping relaunch the very show that made him famous.

Chumlee in 2026: Quick Facts

Real name Austin Lee Russell; age 43, based in Las Vegas.
Rose to fame as the comic-relief fan favorite on History's "Pawn Stars" (since 2009).
Arrested in March 2016; pleaded to weapons and drug charges, got probation, avoided jail.
Reportedly lost around 160 pounds after 2021 gastric sleeve surgery.
Runs Chumlee's Candy On The Blvd. in Las Vegas and collects rare Pokémon cards.
Co-launched the "Pawn After Dark" podcast with Rick Harrison in January 2025.
Set to film a "Pawn Stars" revival in 2026 — with Rick, but without Corey Harrison.

It’s easy to write off reality-TV personalities as flashes in the pan, but Chumlee keeps proving he’s more than the bumbling sidekick the early seasons made him out to be. Health turned around, businesses humming, and a franchise revival riding partly on his name — not bad for the kid who just wanted to hang around his buddy’s dad’s pawn shop. Where is Chumlee now? Right back in the middle of it, on his own terms.