Before 1994, Bob Barker seemed like a harmless silver-haired charmer. That affable persona came into question when a former employee sued him for $8 million, alleging sexual assault and harassment. As detailed by the Associated Press, Dian Parkinson, who worked as a model for "The Price Is Right" for 18 years, claimed Barker used various forms of coercion, including force, to make her perform oral acts on him every week for three and a half years. She further alleged that she slept with him for fear of losing her job and that since quitting the show in 1993, she received $1,000 monthly to keep quiet. (A producer for the show insisted the money was severance pay).
Barker claimed he and Parkinson had a consensual arrangement, telling People he had a "sexual revolution," courtesy of his accuser. Supposedly, Parkinson "volunteered" to add "some hanky-panky" to his life. Several female "The Price Is Right" employees painted Parkinson as overly flirtatious and practically incapable of keeping her hands off her 70-year-old boss. However, not everyone on the show's payroll corroborated his story. Model Holly Hallstrom would later claim Barker unsuccessfully urged her to smear Parkinson as a liar in prearranged interviews and then fired her for refusing.
In the end, Parkinson dropped her lawsuit, citing health problems. Afterward, Parkinson and two of her attorneys were fined $2,100 for refusing to comply with court information requests they considered invasive.
