Austin “Chumlee” Russell owns the bluffing skills of a seasoned pawn broker. The “Pawn Stars” co-star appeared to announce the end of his pawn career on Sunday. He left it to the public to sort out if he was serious.
“Chum” to his friends posted a video on two official Instagram pages Sunday, his own and his @Chumleecollects platform (this is his Pokemon-collection feed). The text readout: “Preparing for my documentary about life after the pawn shop.”
And in the comments: “Can’t believe Rick fired me …”
Rick would be Rick Harrison, owner of Gold & Silver Pawn, co-creator of “Pawn Stars,” and one who would have the authority to cut Chumlee loose.
We took the bait. So did a number of Chumlee’s followers. But through a “Pawn Stars” rep, the 43-year-old reality favorite said he was “just messing around, nothing to worry about.”
The clip seems part of the “preparing for my Netflix movie (or documentary)” trend on Instagram. This is where users set up the dramatic promotional introduction scenes for a Netflix episode or series.
With foreboding music in the background, creators film themselves making a jarring announcement. This was, or would have been, one of them. The punch line is, Russell is not going anywhere.
Chumlee and Harrison have banked the latest incarnation of “Pawn Stars” on History, which is to relaunch in 2027. Original co-star and Rick Harrison’s son, Corey Harrison, has left the show to move to Mexico, where he hosts “The Corey Harrison Show” podcast on his IG page. And that show is the real deal.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.