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Rick Harrison
Rick Harrison
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Richard Kevin Harrison (born March 22, 1965) is an American businessman, reality television personality, and owner of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop which is featured on the History series Pawn Stars. Harrison and his father, Richard Benjamin Harrison, opened the shop in 1989, which they co-owned until his father's death in 2018.[1][2]

Key Information

Early life

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Rick Harrison was born on March 22, 1965, in Lexington, North Carolina,[3] the son of Richard Benjamin Harrison Jr., a U.S. Navy veteran, and Joanne Rhue Harrison.[4][5] Harrison is the younger brother of Sherry Joanne Harrison (died at age 6), and Joseph Kent Harrison, and the older brother of Chris Harrison.[6] According to Harrison's son Corey, his grandfather stated that they are related to U.S. President William Henry Harrison. Harrison has indicated that he does not give much credence to this idea,[7] although Harrison's father stated the family is distantly related to President Benjamin Harrison, a grandson of William Henry Harrison.[8]

In 1967, when Harrison was two years old, his father was transferred to San Diego, California, where the family relocated. As a child, Harrison began having epileptic seizures at age eight. As a result, he spent much of his time in bed which led to a lifelong love of books and reading in general. He became particularly enamored of a series of books by John D. Fitzgerald called The Great Brain, whose main character, a ten-year-old Utah con artist named Tom D. Fitzgerald with the ability to conjure up money-making schemes, greatly influenced Harrison.[9]

Harrison was also fascinated with physics and history, his favorite area of historical study being the Royal Navy from the late 1700s to the early 1800s. Harrison attended Taft Middle School, which is part of San Diego Unified School District, but dropped out during tenth grade[6] to pursue his "$2,000-a-week business of selling fake Gucci bags".[6][10]

The Harrison family relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, in April 1981 after the collapse of his parents' real estate business. When Harrison was 17, his girlfriend Kim became pregnant. Despite a subsequent miscarriage, the couple decided to marry.[11] Their first child, Corey, was born on April 27, 1983.[12][13] Within two years, their second child, Adam, was born. Soon after Adam's birth, Harrison and Kim separated. Nine months later Harrison met the woman who would become his second wife, Tracy, on a blind double date. After dating for six months they moved in together, and eight months after this they married, and assumed the responsibility of raising Corey and Adam.[11]

Career

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Businessman

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In 1981 Harrison's father opened his first 300-square-foot secondhand store, the Gold & Silver Coin Shop, on Las Vegas Boulevard South. Harrison worked for his father in the store in the daytime while repossessing cars at night. After five years the store moved to a larger location on Fremont Street. After two years at that location the Harrisons lost their lease. They subsequently moved into a new building in a commercial neighborhood on Las Vegas Boulevard.[14] Harrison relates in his autobiography that he and his father had long-sought to convert the store into a pawn shop, calling it a "logical progression." Because of a 1955 Las Vegas law requiring the issuing of new pawn licenses to be limited on the basis of the city's population, which by 1988 was over 200,000 and rapidly growing, Harrison called the city statistician every week, so that they could apply for a rare and much-coveted pawn license as soon as the city's population reached 250,000. By 1989 the city's population reached that number and after some legal struggles, the Harrisons obtained their pawn license.[15] That year Harrison and his father opened the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop at 713 Las Vegas Boulevard South, less than two miles from the Las Vegas Strip.[1] By 2005, Harrison and his father were loaning out about $3 million annually, which brought them about $700,000 in interest income.[16]

By 2006, the shop had developed a reputation for carrying special sports items with unique histories,[17] including a 2001 New England Patriots Super Bowl ring that belonged to American football cornerback Brock Williams.[18] It also served gamblers who, according to Harrison's son Corey, often came in to "pawn something so they have gas to get back home."[19]

According to Harrison in 2010, the items most often brought into the store are jewelry.[20] Since the inception of Pawn Stars, Harrison's inventory typically has a ratio of 5,000 items pawned per 12,000.[citation needed]

In 2015 Harrison opened up a Smoke BBQ & Tavern in the shops plaza where he occasionally bartends.[21]

Television fame

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Harrison spent four years pitching the idea of making a show about a pawn shop after his shop was featured in the show Insomniac with Dave Attell in 2003, but his efforts did not yield success. In 2008, Brent Montgomery and Colby Gaines of Leftfield Pictures came up with an idea about a reality show based in a Las Vegas pawn shop and approached Harrison.[22] The series was originally pitched to HBO, though the network preferred the series to have been a Taxicab Confessions-style series taking place at the Gold & Silver's night window.[6] In a February 2009 YouTube video titled "Pawn star$", Corey Harrison promised to gun down an intruder with a handgun he displayed, and a woman screamed as she was removed from the store after demanding that the wedding ring her husband sold to the shop be returned.[23]

Nancy Dubuc of the History Channel changed the format, which included on-camera experts appraising the items brought into the Gold & Silver as well as personality dynamics of the store's staff and patrons. Initially to have been titled Pawning History, the program was renamed Pawn Stars at the suggestion of a Leftfield staffer,[6] playing off the term porn stars for more marketing appeal. The show features Harrison and his father, Richard Harrison (generally referred to as "The Old Man" on the show and who died in June 2018), along with his son Corey ("Big Hoss") and Corey's childhood friend and employee Austin "Chumlee" Russell.[6][24][25] In 2010, the National Pawnbrokers Association awarded the Pawnbroker of the Year Award to Harrison for his contributions in enlightening the public about the pawn industry.[26]

In January 2011, Pawn Stars was the highest rated program on the History Channel, and the second-highest rated reality show behind Jersey Shore.[27] On June 7 2011, Harrison published a biography called License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver. His book reached No. 22 on The New York Times Best Seller list on June 26, 2011.[28]

Harrison appeared as himself, alongside his son Corey and Chumlee, in "iLost My Head in Vegas", the November 3, 2012 episode of the American TV series iCarly. Four days later, he appeared as an antique store owner in "The Safe", the November 7, 2012 episode of the TV series The Middle.[29]

In January 2014, Harrison became spokesperson for the Micro Touch One Razor, a personal care shaving product for men. Harrison appeared in a television commercial promoting the One Razor product line. In June 2014, History premiered United Stuff of America, a series from the producers of Pawn Stars that focuses on notable artifacts that were used in important moments in history, such as the cane with which Andrew Jackson fended off a presidential assassin, the axe Abraham Lincoln used as a young rail splitter, and the pencils Ulysses S. Grant used to write his memoirs.[30][31] In July 2014, the game show Pawnography premiered on the History Channel, in which Harrison, Corey, and Chumlee compete against players in an attempt to prevent them from winning cash and items from the inventory of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.[32]

In 2022 the first season of Pawn Stars Do America aired featuring Harrison, Corey and Chumlee traveling across the United States buying items.

In 2025 he alongside Chumlee, started the Pawn Stars After Dark Podcast where they discuss behind-the-scenes stories from the Pawn Shop, along with Pawn Stars castmates, and various guests.[33][34]

Personal life

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Harrison had two sons, Corey and Adam, with his first wife Kim, and one son, Jake, with his second wife, Tracy.[6][35]

In January 2024, Adam Harrison died from a drug overdose.[36] Adam worked at the pawn shop, and later became a plumber. According to Corey, quoted in a 2016 HuffPost article, Adam had no apparent interest in appearing on the show.[37]

Harrison has described himself as "a complete geek" having a deep passion for learning the history of items he acquires.[38] He also has a fixation of antique automobiles as well as being an avid reader.[39]

In 2012, Harrison, twice divorced, announced his engagement to Deanna Burditt, who was also twice divorced.[40] The couple married on July 21, 2013, in Laguna Beach, California. Counting Cars star and car expert Danny Koker became an ordained minister and performed the ceremony, while Pawn Stars costar Austin "Chumlee" Russell served as a ring bearer.[35][41][42] Through this marriage, he gained three stepdaughters: Sarina, Ciana, and Marissa. The couple divorced in September 2020.[43]

In 2021, Harrison married Amanda Palmer.[44] They split in 2023. On March 6, 2025, Harrison became engaged to Angie Polushkin.[45][46] They married on January 3, 2026, at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.[47]

Political views

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Harrison speaking at the 2018 CPAC in National Harbor, Maryland.

In a 2018 interview on the Fox News program Life, Liberty & Levin, Harrison described himself as "more of a libertarian" than a conservative, telling host Mark Levin that history proves that less government leads to a better economy.[48]

Lower taxes, less government. Because in the end, that's what works. And it's just not a theory, you can go throughout history, when we had less government, you have a better economy, you have better lives, better everything. All government does is slow everything down. Government caused the Great Depression."

— Rick Harrison describing his political views, Fox News interview with Mark Levin, August 5, 2018[49]

Harrison supported Donald Trump's candidacy for president, and Daniel Rodimer for Nevada's 3rd congressional district in 2020. He considered a potential run for governor of Nevada in 2022.[50][51]

Harrison expressed an interest in running for U.S. Senate in 2024, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal in March 2023, "I've been approached by many in the party and always listen with an open mind. Never say never, but at this time I haven't decided whether or not to throw my hat in the ring."[52]

Awards and recognition

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In March 2010, Harrison, his father, son and Austin "Chumlee" Russell were awarded the key to the city of Las Vegas by Mayor Oscar Goodman.[53]

In 2012, Harrison and his father were nominated for the 2012 Time 100 list.[54]

Harrison and the other stars of Pawn Stars served as grand marshals for the History 300 NASCAR race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2012.[55]

In 2023, Harrison became a Kentucky Colonel, the highest civic honor awarded by the state of Kentucky.[56]

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia

Richard Kevin Harrison (born March 22, 1965) is an American businessman and reality television personality best known as co-owner of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada, and a star of the History Channel series Pawn Stars. Diagnosed with epilepsy in childhood, he overcame grand-mal seizures through extensive self-education in history and collectibles, which later informed his expertise on the show; Harrison co-founded the family-operated pawn shop with his father in 1988. Pawn Stars premiered in 2009, achieving widespread success with millions of viewers per episode and turning the shop into a major tourist attraction, while Harrison has navigated personal challenges, including the 2024 fentanyl overdose death of his son Adam, which led him to criticize U.S. border policies on drug trafficking.

Early life

Upbringing and family background

Richard Kevin Harrison was born on March 22, 1965, in . He is the third of four children born to Jr., a veteran born March 4, 1941, in , and Joanne Rhue Harrison, a native from Kernersville whose father, Joseph Rhue, served as a . Harrison's parents met at a when his father was 17 years old. Harrison's siblings included an older sister, Sherry Joanne Harrison, who was born with and died at age six; an older brother, Joseph Kent Harrison; and a younger brother, . The family spent Harrison's early childhood primarily in Lexington, where his father had relocated as an infant and pursued various , including . In April 1981, amid a real estate market collapse that left the family with roughly $5,000, they moved to , —Harrison was 16 at the time—with his parents opening a coin shop that his father later expanded into pawn operations alongside his son.

Health struggles and initial forays into business

Harrison was diagnosed with at age eight, experiencing frequent focal onset aware seizures—sometimes multiple times a day—that continued until his late teens and caused muscle damage, leaving him for much of his youth and limiting and formal . Confined to bed, he pursued self-directed learning through encyclopedias and books on topics such as , , and , gaining knowledge that later aided in evaluating pawned items and compensating for the traditional schooling he abandoned by due to seizures and family duties. These health challenges prompted early independence, leading Harrison to apprentice in the pawn trade under his father, , at age 13, where he learned to appraise goods and navigate auctions, applying his acquired insights to spot overlooked valuables. In his late teens, following the family's 1981 move to , he engaged in small ventures like real estate sales in and merchandise trading before co-founding the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop with his father in 1988 using a $10,000 investment. This shift from isolation to entrepreneurship highlighted his encyclopedic recall as a key advantage in a field emphasizing historical valuation over formal credentials.

Professional career

Founding and expansion of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop

, known as "The Old Man," relocated his family from to in 1980 and opened a coin store focused on . His son, Rick Harrison, advocated for expansion into pawnbroking. After persistent efforts, including monthly inquiries to city officials, Rick secured one of the first pawn licenses issued in Las Vegas once the population exceeded 250,000 residents, enabling legal pawn operations. In 1988, at age 23, Rick partnered with his father to found the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop at 713 South , about two miles north of the Las Vegas Strip. The family-run business specialized in loans against gold, silver, and valuables, focusing on high-end antiques and collectibles rather than low-value goods. This approach leveraged the Harrisons' expertise in precious metals and historical artifacts, developed through Richard's prior and coin dealings. The shop grew through profit reinvestment and strategic inventory acquisition, expanding from a modest storefront to a larger facility with sections for art, memorabilia, and rare items. By emphasizing verifiable appraisals and competitive loan terms, it earned a reputation for multimillion-dollar transactions, such as historical weapons and celebrity-owned pieces, attracting collectors and investors. These developments positioned the Gold & Silver as a niche player in Las Vegas's pawn market before media exposure.

Pawn Stars television series and media prominence

Pawn Stars premiered on the History Channel on July 19, 2009, featuring the operations of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, where Rick Harrison serves as co-owner and primary appraiser. The series depicts Harrison, his father Richard "The Old Man" Harrison, son Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison, and employee Austin "Chumlee" Russell evaluating and negotiating over customer items ranging from antiques to historical artifacts, often consulting external experts for authentication. Harrison's role emphasizes his expertise in valuation and haggling, drawing from decades in the pawn industry to assess authenticity and market value. The program quickly achieved high viewership, becoming the History Channel's top-rated series and the second most-watched reality show on television shortly after launch, behind only . Early episodes drew nearly 5 million viewers, with a January 2011 episode attracting 7 million—the network's most-watched telecast at the time. This success propelled Harrison into national prominence as a figure in focused on business and history. Harrison's media profile expanded beyond the core series through related projects, including the 2011 memoir License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver, which details his experiences at the pawn shop and the show's production. The franchise spawned spin-offs like Pawn Stars Do America, debuting in November 2022, where Harrison and family travel nationwide appraising items. Ongoing seasons, including Season 23 premiering January 22, 2025, sustain the show's longevity, with Harrison maintaining an active public presence via and endorsements tied to his pawn expertise.

Other business ventures and endorsements

Harrison owns and operates Rick's Rollin' Smoke BBQ & Tavern, a barbecue restaurant located at 725 S. Blvd. in , , which opened in 2016 and specializes in Southern-style , smoked meats, and tavern fare. The establishment frequently hosts events featuring Harrison, including live music and personal appearances, capitalizing on his celebrity to draw customers. In 2011, Harrison co-authored the memoir License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver, published by Hyperion Books, which details his upbringing, the founding of the pawn shop, and behind-the-scenes insights from the television series. The book reached bestseller list and has been credited with further diversifying his income through media tie-ins and merchandise sales. Harrison has pursued additional revenue streams via product endorsements. In June 2022, he partnered with American Hartford Gold, promoting the company's precious metals investment services as a means to secure portfolios against economic uncertainty. Earlier, in 2014, he served as a for Amarin Corporation's prescription Omega-3 medication Vascepa, appearing in promotional campaigns highlighting its cardiovascular benefits. He has also endorsed the Micro Touch One refill blades, a precision shaving product marketed through as-seen-on-TV channels. These endorsements align with Harrison's public persona as a savvy dealmaker and investor in tangible assets.

Personal life

Marriages, children, and relationships

Harrison has been married four times. His first marriage was to from 1982 to 1985, with whom he had two sons: , born in 1983, and , born in 1984. The couple divorced after three years. His second marriage, to Tracy Harrison, lasted from 1986 to 2011; they had one son, Jake, born in 1992. In 2013, Harrison married Deanna Burditt, a that ended in divorce in 2020 after seven years. Burditt brought three daughters from a previous relationship—Sarina, Ciana, and Marissa—whom Harrison has treated as his own. No biological children resulted from this union. Harrison's fourth was to Amanda Palmer in 2021, which dissolved in 2023; details on the brief relationship remain limited, and were reported. Harrison proposed to Angie Polushkin, a nurse, on March 6, 2025, in , marking his fifth engagement. The couple had been dating for over a year prior. Harrison has noted forgoing prenuptial agreements in his first three marriages, citing a belief that love should not be contractual, though he expressed uncertainty about one for a potential future union. His biological sons—, who co-stars on , and Jake—have been involved in the family business, while struggled with before his in 2024. Harrison maintains close relationships with his children and stepdaughters, emphasizing family bonds despite multiple divorces.

Family tragedies and personal challenges

Richard Benjamin Harrison, Rick Harrison's father, died on June 25, 2018, at the age of 77 after a prolonged battle with Parkinson's disease. Harrison's son Adam died on January 19, 2024, at age 39 from an accidental overdose due to fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity, as determined by the Clark County, Nevada, coroner's office. Adam had struggled with addiction for years, though he did not appear on the Pawn Stars television series. Reflecting on the loss over a year later, Harrison stated that it leads him to "second guess everything, every day," underscoring the ongoing emotional toll amid the broader fentanyl epidemic. Harrison has lived with epilepsy since childhood, a condition that contributed to seizures, medication side effects, and a rebellious youth marked by frequent school absences and legal troubles. He has advocated for increased federal funding for epilepsy research and services, including testifying on Capitol Hill in 2018.

Political views and activism

Endorsements and public support for conservative figures

In May 2015, Harrison endorsed Marco Rubio's presidential campaign, appearing on to praise Rubio's economic policies and business-friendly stance as attuned to challenges faced by owners like himself. He later claimed the endorsement prompted boycotts and lost opportunities, estimating a $500,000 financial loss from backlash by progressive viewers and customers. Harrison endorsed for the 2020 election, speaking at the (CPAC) on February 28, 2020, to laud Trump's economic record while decrying high taxes and regulations as prosperity barriers. During the 2024 campaign, he attended Trump-Vance events, opposing 's proposed tax increases—"no country can be taxed into prosperity"—and favoring Trump's small business approach. After Trump's 2024 victory, Harrison attended a Las Vegas rally on January 25, 2025, and recalled a 2018 call from Trump apologizing for disruptions at his pawn shop. In April 2025, following his son 's January 2024 overdose death, Harrison praised Trump's border security for potentially curbing drug inflows blamed on prior lax policies. He conveyed these views through interviews and , tying support to policy effects on his family and business.

Positions on economic policy, border security, and the fentanyl crisis

Harrison opposes high taxation as a path to economic growth. In September 2024, at a Trump-Vance campaign event, he stated "no country can be taxed into prosperity" and criticized Vice President Kamala Harris's economic proposals as ineffective. He advocates limited government intervention, telling the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that "less government is better" since excessive involvement hinders individual enterprise. On fiscal policy, he has cautioned against inflation from excessive money printing, tying it to high gold prices as a hedge against devaluation in February 2025. Harrison compares socialism to addictive drugs like heroin, arguing at the 2019 CPAC that its initial appeal fosters dependency and eliminates incentives to work hard. He favors capitalism, crediting it for his success with the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, and in 2018 warned that "big government" restricts opportunities in ways that would concern the Founding Fathers. Following his son Adam's death from a fentanyl overdose on January 19, 2024, Harrison has blamed lax border policies for enabling drug inflows. In January 2024 statements and Instagram posts, he highlighted the "border crisis" as fueling fentanyl's spread, urging stricter enforcement to curb deaths. He praised former President Trump's border measures in April 2025 for reducing fentanyl entries and called for permanent jail terms for traffickers. Harrison links the crisis to unsecured borders, citing his son's accidental overdose from fentanyl-laced substances—due to fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity—and advocates aggressive interdiction like wall expansions over demand-focused approaches alone.

Controversies

In February 2022, Joanne Harrison, mother of Rick Harrison and widow of Richard Benjamin Harrison (who died in June 2018), filed a civil lawsuit against her son in Nevada's Clark County District Court. The suit alleged breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, and undue influence over family-owned entities tied to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Joanne claimed Rick excluded her from trusts and corporate interests, denied access to a safe containing over $100,000 in cash and valuables, and induced her to sign documents transferring control without her full understanding—despite her asserted 51% ownership stake—potentially leaving her vulnerable after her husband's death. She further accused Rick of securing a $3 million loan against family assets without her consent or proper accounting, and diverting revenues that should have supported her. In March 2022, Joanne sought a temporary restraining order to block Rick from interfering with $25,000 monthly distributions she claimed were owed from pawn shop operations. Associates described Rick's position as involving longstanding family business arrangements complicated by estate issues following Richard's passing. The litigation exposed tensions over the pawn shop's structure, founded by Richard in 1989, with Joanne asserting entitlement to oversight and proceeds as co-founder and surviving spouse. As of Joanne's death in November 2025, no public resolution has been reported. The case highlighted challenges in intergenerational transfers of family enterprises amid the shop's prominence from the Pawn Stars series. No other intra-family lawsuits over assets have pitted relatives against one another, including Corey Harrison's 2024 DUI arrest, which resolved without such litigation.

Criticisms of Pawn Stars' authenticity and format

Critics have questioned the authenticity of Pawn Stars, arguing that while core transactions involve real items and customers, producers orchestrate elements to heighten drama. Former extra Mike Hoover stated in a 2021 interview that the show uses paid actors posing as customers with pre-selected items, and negotiations are often re-enacted for filming. This practice, typical in reality television, deviates from unfiltered pawn operations; the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop's popularity blocked genuine customers, leading to a nearby filming set. Negotiation sequences, central to the format, are edited and dramatized for tension, though cast member Rick Harrison has acknowledged that offers reflect real decisions while dialogue is condensed and re-shot for pacing. Harrison defends the show's integrity, noting that appraisals and purchases are genuine but edited for brevity, against claims of full scripting. Skeptics cite inconsistencies, including the unusually high volume of rare artifacts and instances of later-questioned authentications by experts like Drew Max, suggesting production pressures compromised due diligence. Critiques of the format highlight its repetitive structure—item presentation, expert consultation, haggling, and resolution—as formulaic, with later seasons through 2020 incorporating contrived storylines and guest appearances that critics liken to sitcoms rather than documentaries. Pawn industry experts argue it misleads viewers on valuations by overlooking market factors like auction reserves or markups in favor of entertaining lowballs. Proponents counter that Harrison's commentary educates on history and economics, even if sensationalism tempers realism.

References

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