Bob Barker had ‘Price Is Right’ Meltdown After Wife’s Death

Bob Barker spent decades beaming on national TV, barking “Come on down!” like America’s favorite grandpa.

But behind the bright lights of The Price Is Right, people who worked with him say the real story after his wife died was far darker — and, according to one insider, terrifying.

In E!’s new docuseries Dirty Rotten Scandals, members of Barker’s inner circle claim the longtime host unraveled after losing Dorothy Jo Gideon, his high school sweetheart and wife of 36 years.

Dorothy Jo wasn’t just his partner. On set, she was seen as the one person who could keep him steady — the “biggest cheerleader” who grounded him while he became one of the biggest stars in daytime TV.

Then she was gone.

Dorothy Jo died Oct. 19, 1981 at 57 after a rapid battle with lung cancer. Producer Barbara Hunter, who worked on the show, said Dorothy Jo was diagnosed after a trip to Hawaii — and died just two months later.

What followed, Hunter claims, wasn’t just grief. It was a collapse.

“Bob really went into a funk after that,” Hunter said — then dropped the most explosive claim of all: Barker allegedly told her he was ready to take his own life.

That bombshell, shared in the doc, is now raising new questions about what was really happening inside the Price Is Right empire at the height of its fame.

And it didn’t stop there.

Holly Hallstrom, one of the most recognizable “Barker’s Beauties” for nearly two decades, claimed Barker’s personality shifted after the mourning period — and not in a quiet, sad way.

She described a man who, in her view, suddenly realized he was untouchable.

“He knew he was the star of the biggest show in daytime, and Dorothy Jo wasn’t there anymore, keeping him reined in,” Hallstrom said.

Without her, Hallstrom claimed, Barker became “unleashed” — and she didn’t sugarcoat the transformation, describing him as a “narcissistic egomaniac.”

In other words: the sweet TV smile stayed, but the energy behind it allegedly changed.

Barker later began dating animal-rights activist Nancy Burnet about two years after Dorothy Jo’s death. The two stayed together until Barker died of natural causes in August 2023. He was 99.

Still, Dorothy Jo remained a shadow over his life. Barker later founded the DJ&T Foundation in 1995 in honor of Dorothy Jo and his mother, Tilly, supporting low-cost spay and neuter clinics. Years later, he was photographed visiting Dorothy Jo’s grave on the anniversary of her death, carrying daisies.

Dirty Rotten Scandals: The Price Is Right premieres Wednesday, March 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on E!, airing two back-to-back episodes.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, you can call or text 988 in the U.S., or chat at 988lifeline.org, 24/7.