Pawn Stars: 10 Facts About Rick Harrison's Life in 2024 & Legal Issues (His Mom Sued Him)

Pawn Stars legend Rick Harrison is a smart and funny guy whose onscreen presence is inevitably electric, and it’s time to talk about his life today, as well as his checkered past. Since 2009, Rick has been entertaining viewers through his Pawn Stars appearances. The long-running and popular series follows the Harrison family and their sidekick, former bad boy Austin Lee “Chumlee” Russell, as the group operates Sin City’s Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.

The Las Vegas pawn shop is a place where potential buyers, including “smooth operator” Rick, sometimes tangle with sellers. They don’t always agree on what items are worth, whether they’re Super Bowl rings or Civil War weapons. Sometimes, experts are brought in to tell stories about the items and appraise them. The experts shed light on their history (provenance), potential resale value and more. Amid the buying and selling, the dynamic between the cast members provides excitement, whether scenes are humorous or dramatic. Now, learn more about Rick’s life on and off-screen.

10 Rick Harrison Was Sued By His Own Mother

This Made Him Look So Bad

Most people get through life without being sued by their parents, but not Rick. The wily pawn shop buyer was accused of ripping off his own mother, who was 81 years old when she filed her lawsuit. Rick has denied the allegations, but his mom, JoAnne Rhue Harrison, said that Rick took financial advantage of her when she was vulnerable.

Rick seemed so greedy when JoAnne accused him of cutting her out of trusts and companies, and hoarding the contents of a safe loaded with money and silver.

This stuff makes Rick look like an uber-villain. This woman gave birth to him! While there is so much curiosity about the outcome of this lawsuit, it seems like it’s in limbo – perhaps it was settled privately. Even the most exhaustive Web search about the lawsuit yields no new information.

It’s actually possible that JoAnne passed away, but that hasn’t been proven. One website, Findagrave, shows her picture and place of burial, but this isn’t conclusive proof. In fact, one person who commented on the FindaGrave listing disputed the claim that she’d passed away. If she did die, it might explain why the outcome of the lawsuit was never discussed. If real evidence of her status surfaces, this article will be updated.

JoAnne sued Rick in 2022, via Nevada’s Clark County District Court. Her husband, who is Rick’s father, died in the summer of 2018. His name was Rick “Old Hoss” Harrison. At this stage, JoAnne believed that Rick went super low, taking control of the late Rick Sr.’s finances. She felt entitled to large percentages of the profits from three companies, including the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.

Rick played the victim, saying that people were messing with his mother’s head to get money from her. As per the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he tried to clear his name:

“I think that my 81-year old mother is being manipulated by others for their personal gain.”

Of course, that could be true, but if it wasn’t, it’s exactly what a crafty scammer would say. Rick’s learned a thing or two about the art of the deal and how to finesse the public. Perhaps the truth about this high-drama lawsuit will always be kept under wraps. Hopefully, more details will emerge, establishing the truth about a strange situation.

9 Rick Harrison Lost His Son Adam

Rick Reeled After Such a Great Loss

Rick’s beloved son, Adam Harrison, passed away in January 2024, due to an accidental overdose. Toxicology tests revealed that he’d ingested too much methamphetamine and Fentanyl. This loss was devastating for Rick, and it took him time to recover. He spoke about the horrors of the opioid crisis, trying to raise awareness. Rick also honored his son online, as seen in the post above. Nothing can bring back the son he lost, but Adam would want Rick to keep going… and that’s just what he’s doing. About his son’s passing, he said:

You will always be in my heart! I love you Adam. 💔

Hopefully, increased awareness about the dangers of opioids is helping people. It seems to be – as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people who died due to opioid overdoses in 2023 in America was 107,543. That was three percent lower than the statistic for the year before. These overdoses are so hard on the families and friends of those who died. This is why Rick deserves all the compassion in the world. He’s a strong man who doesn’t give up, but he must feel like he’s lost a part of himself.

8 Rick Harrison Is Dating A Nurse

Her Name Is Angie Polushkin

Rick‘s gotten a lot of shade, but he didn’t seem to care when he flaunted his glamorous date Angie Polushkin in the Instagram post shown above. The post showed them dining in high style at an Eiffel Tower restaurant in the City of Light, Paris. Angie is a nurse who specializes in injectables. She’s a health care professional who looks great and seems very happy with her beau. Rick has been called a womanizer, but he appears to be serious about Angie. Rick has had other relationships:

Angie, his latest flame, has her own Instagram account. Angie posted about her Paris date with Rick on June 26 of this year. Since then, she hasn’t featured the Pawn Stars icon in her posts. However, that doesn’t mean he’s not in the picture. She seems to be living large, and recently enjoyed a Mexico getaway that she said was sponsored by a fast food chain, Carl’s Jr.

7 Rick Harrison Is Still Close To Bad Boy Chumlee

They Seem To Genuinely Like Each Other

Rick’s been filming with Chumlee for years. Chumlee, who posted a clip featuring Rick to his Chumleecollects Instagram two hours ago, is someone whose star quality shines through on the famous History channel series. In the IG video shown above, Chumlee gives Rick a Pokémon quiz. He shows him a bunch of Pokémon cards and asks him to name the creatures. Watch the clip to see how Rick does. Chumlee’s passionate about Pokémon. He even went to the 2024 Pokémon World Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii. Rick may not be quite as emotionally invested in “catching them all.”

Nonetheless, he clearly loves Rick and the feeling seems to be mutual. In another fun video, Chumlee pranked Rick by making him a cup of coffee. That seemed harmless enough – however, Chumlee the joker had a trick up his sleeve. He spiked the java with a heavy dose of sugary syrup, which made it undrinkable. Rick clearly isn’t into sicky-sweet designer coffee. However, he is into Chumlee and probably always will be.

6 Rick’s Amassing An Impressive Car Collection

He Loves Upscale Cars & Trucks

Rick’s probably made good money over the years – his show is one of the perennial favorites, and he’s appeared in tons of Pawn Stars episodes. He also appears in the Pawn Stars spin-off, Pawn Stars Do America. That spin-off’s second season finished airing on April 24, and fans can check out the trailer above, via The History Channel Canada at YouTube. Rick may have bought a different kind of trailer for his 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor truck.

It’s a beast that cost him 84 grand, according to Hot Cars. However, that big and bold vehicle isn’t the only one in Rick’s stable. He also owns (to name just a few more jewels in his crown) these vehicles:

• 1967 Shelby Cobra
• 1966 Imperial Crown Convertible
• 1947 Power Wagon

Rick’s net worth isn’t something that he’s revealed. However, Pawn Stars began airing in 2009 – there’s also the spin-offs, the money Rick makes from his businesses, including the pawn shop, and promo deals. There are plenty of ways for Rick to drum up cash if he wants to, and if spending it on cool rides is what he likes best, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t indulge himself. However, he may want to add an electric “beast” to his menagerie.

Yes, It’s Carl’s Jr.

Rick is still with Angie, based on the Carl’s Jr. promo he added to Instagram – this ties together Angie’s previously mentioned post about Carl’s Jr. sponsoring her trip to Mexico. So, it’s nice to know that Rick’s enjoying life with his partner and making a little money from a possibly iconic fast food item known, perhaps unimaginatively, as:

“Rick’s burger.”

Yes, Rick has many irons in the fire. He’s hustling hard, just like a pawn shop owner should do. The thing is, this burger is only available in Mexico, and it’s a limited-time special offering. So, some people may not be able to sample this culinary creation. Other big celebs have also promoted Carl’s Jr., including Paris Hilton.

It’s not shocking that Rick’s a part of a Mexico-based business deal as he clearly loves to travel. His Instagram shows him in a variety of locations, including Paris, Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas. Sin City is his home turf.

4 Rick Shared Juicy Details About Valuable Pawn Shop Items

He Gave People The Inside Scoop

Like the Bond villain Goldfinger, Rick believes in the power of the gleaming precious metal. In fact, according to an interview with Moneywise, he thinks that gold is the most pawn-able thing of all. Rick also said that only five percent of items pawned go “unclaimed,” as per the publication. So, most people try to get back what they pawn… and succeed.

These are interesting insights from an industry professional. Rick is definitely an expert in this niche.

Yes, gold retains its value. It’s an asset that people trust. However, that doesn’t mean that Rick’s counting gold bars from some private version of Fort Knox, or painting scantily clad women gold. He’s just a fan of the rock-solid precious metal’s eternal value. If there’s one thing that Rick understands, it’s how to convert valuables into cold, hard cash.

3 Rick Has Clashed With Gold & Silver Pawn Shop Customers

Rick Won’t Back Down From A Fight

The Filmy‘s YouTube clip, as seen above, shows Rick unleashing pent-up rage at rude customers. Some people might consider Rick combative too. Rick spazzed when a customer dared to bring their own “cheap little tester” (for diamonds) to the pawn shop, as though that was a personal affront to his years of expertise. Perhaps it was. He thinks that some customers are so vile that they push him into confrontations. He could be right.

The funniest fracas involved a Golden State Warriors championship ring. The customer checked out the bling, hoping to give it to his fiancee, whom Rick said must have, “big hands.” The unruly customer then proceeded to pull out a tester tool to see if the diamond was genuine. One can almost see Rick’s temperature rising as the drama unfolds. The customer said that he thought Rick wanted to “punch me in the face.”

2 Rick Has Been Accused Of Being Transphobic

Rick’s views on trans rights are un-evolved to say the least. He needs to learn more about trans issues before speaking out. As per an interview with The Advocate, Rick worries about men posing as women and using womens’ washrooms. He thinks they’ll abuse that right by doing creepy things. The Advocate called him out for outmoded views. The truth is that there are many gender-neutral washrooms everywhere now and very few abuses.

Rick thinks that political correctness has run amok. He is not afraid to share views that some educated people might consider strange and ignorant. Of course, he has been trashed by The Advocate and others. As per the publication, Rick said:

“It does worry me to a degree. You get these massive liberal PC police, they don’t see the law of unintended consequences. You have some cities that are saying that if you have a man who feels like he’s a woman, he can use the women’s restroom. I guarantee you that will be taken advantage of by some very bad men who want to go into a bathroom where there’s young ladies. That will happen if you pass a law like that. It’s not a perfect world. You’ll never make it a perfect world.”

J.K Rowling’s reputation has never recovered because she overshared her views on such things. Before, she was beloved. Then, she learned that most people want progress in society. They don’t want to go back in time. Rick needs to learn the same lesson.

1 Rick Harrison Supports “The Orange One”

Yes, He’s A Trumper

Donald Trump just sank to a new low during the debate, embarrassing some of his big money supporters, including Elon Musk, who really needs to reassess how he spends his money. He’s poured tens of millions of dollars into Donald’s campaign. What does Elon get in return? An addled and orange man who rants about immigrants eating household pets. That was shameful stuff from The Donald – should this man be in control of nukes? No way. Few could argue that Donald’s comments were disgusting, and even Elon seemed to cringe.

It’s beyond politics and party lines. It’s about human decency. While Rick might not approve of Donald’s latest tirade, Rick is a Trump man. He stands behind the one who wants to “Make America Great Again.” What’s creepy is that Adolf Hilter used the slogan, “Make Germany Great Again” before doing the dirtiest, sickest deeds during WWII.

The scandal-prone Pawn Stars celeb’s gotten heat for supporting Republicans – maybe Donald’s latest cringe comments will change his mind, but then again, maybe not. No matter what people think of Donald’s politics, it can’t be argued that he separated parents from their beloved children. He tore migrant families apart. So, it’s unsurprising that Pawn Stars‘ Rick gets shade for being a friend of Donald’s and voting for him.

Sources: Findagrave, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Rick Harrison/Instagram, Chumleecollects/Instagram, The History Channel Canada/YouTube, Hot Cars, Moneywise, The Filmy/YouTube, The Advocate