Was Bob Barker Racist? Allegations About the Late Host Have Come to Light
"They would have the letter ‘B’ written on the card.”
Published April 6 2026, 2:37 p.m. ET
When you think of Bob Barker, you think of the Gen X host who was a permanent fixture on daytime television. Known as the host of The Price Is Right, the host was a beloved figure who cheered folks on to win money and fabulous prizes. And while Bob passed away in August 2023 with a good reputation intact, it appears there may be a side to him many people didn’t know.
In two episodes of the E! Docuseries Dirty Rotten Scandals, Bob doesn’t appear to be the lovable host everyone knew and admired. Allegations have come to light about his behavior during airing and behind the scenes with staff and his “Barker Beauties” that suggest he had negative feelings toward people of color. So, was Bob Barker racist? Here’s what we know.
Was Bob Barker racist?
According to former Barker Beauty, television personality, and model Claudia Jordan, Bob exhibited racist behavior.
In the documentary, Claudia revealed that contestants were selected based on their race. In fact, she shared that Black contestants were given an episode cap of “two per taping.”
“And then I started to hear that they were only allowed to have two Black contestants on the show at a time,” Claudia said. “And to let Barker know the race of the contestant that’s about to come on down.”
She continued: “They would have the letter ‘B’ written on the card.”
Claudia also elaborated on Bob’s behavior toward Black contestants in one-on-one settings.
“A Black contestant may try to hug Bob Barker, and he would kind of shrink away from them,” Claudia said.
Interestingly, a clip from the docuseries then shows a Black contestant who won a car trying to hug Bob. Bob can be seen walking away from the contestant and telling him, “Don’t attack me. Don’t touch me.”
Sadly, The Hollywood Reporter shares that Claudia recalled other instances where racism was prevalent on set toward staff. Claudia shared that she was a victim of “racial tropes” on set and was subject to stereotypes.
Kathleen Bradley, who made history as the show’s first Black model, also recalled experiencing disrespect on and off set, including production using racial slurs to refer to Black models.
“Some of the fans were writing negative things about me being on the show,” she said on the docuseries.
And of course, Holly Hastrom, another Barker Beauty, shared Bob’s disdain for Black people. In a clip, Holly shared that Bob had expressed his belief that Black men were “the most diseased people on Earth.”
Bob Barker reportedly denied any wrongdoing before his death.
Although there are numerous damning allegations against Bob, he consistently denied wrongdoing until his death in 2023. In fact, USA Today reports that his longtime representative, Roger Neal, made a point of denying any and all claims against Bob in the documentary.
"Barker was and is beloved, and people to this day love him," Neal said. "He was part of the fabric of American pop culture. He was the greatest MC in TV history. I was honored to have represented him."
Keep in mind, many women, including Holly and Dian Parkinson, have publicly accused Bob of sexual harassment. Still, many members of Bob’s team and the show's production team have continued to stand by him.