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Chumlee From ‘Pawn Stars’ Reveals What He’s Been Doing With His Time Off From The Show

By Inquisitr Staff
Published on: 03:59 PST, Aug 17, 2016

Chumlee has been keeping fans updated on what he’s been doing with his time off from Pawn Stars. The 33-year-old beloved Pawn Stars cast member has been on a summer hiatus from filming the History Channel reality TV series due to some legal trouble that started last March. But Chumlee has been faithfully posting to his Twitter account to keep fans up-to-date on what he’s doing now.

The Morning Ledger shared on Tuesday that Chumlee may be absent from Pawn Stars, but he’s still out in the community doing charity work for different organizations. Austin Lee Russell, who was given the nickname “Chumlee” when he was about 12-years-old, also recently had hand surgery, and now he has to wear flip flops to work because he is not able to put on his shoes. But even as he recovered from surgery, Chumlee continued to raise money for charities.

Rick Harrison, Chumlee’s boss and the owner of the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas where Pawn Stars is filmed, has reportedly been helping to organize some fundraising efforts for Chumlee, including a fundraising gig back in July that raised more than $600 for the Epilepsy Foundation. And just last Thursday, Chumlee teamed up with iHeartMedia personality, Big D, to raise money for Make-A-Wish America. Fans could reportedly stop by the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop to meet Chumlee and leave a “small” donation to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Even though Chumlee was caught up in a legal battle that he pleaded guilty to back in May, fans still support the Pawn Stars favorite and attend his charity events. Several fans have shared photos of themselves on social media meeting Chumlee at one of the many fundraising gigs he has put together. His work with charities has increased since he started his three years’ probation and counseling as part of his sentence in May for drug and weapons charges. USA Today reported that Chumlee took a plea deal to avoid jail time in a case stemming from guns and drugs that were found in his Las Vegas home in March.

A Pawn Stars co-worker also alleged that Chumlee had sexually assaulted her, but no charges were filed in connection with that case. Chumlee was cleared of the sexual assault allegations, and the plea agreement was approved by the Clark County District Court in a June hearing. If Chumlee can stay out of trouble until 2019 and attend counseling, the felony weapons charge will be dismissed, and only one misdemeanor conviction will be left on his record. If not, Chumlee could face up to five years in a state prison. So, to clear Chumlee’s good name and help him stay out of trouble, all the Harrisons from Pawn Stars, Richard, Rick, and Corey, have been helping him say goodbye to his “crazy old life.”

According to Movie News Guide, the Harrison family has known Chumlee since he was a child. In fact, Chumlee and Corey actually spent a lot of time at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop as children. Corey, his father Rick Harrison, and grandfather Richard Harrison have all supported Chumlee since his arrest on March 9 after police found a small amount of crystal meth, less than half a pound of marijuana, and several unregistered firearms at Chumlee’s home. Police also reportedly found evidence of cocaine use on Chumlee’s Las Vegas, Nevada, property. But Chumlee’s “second family” and employers for more than a decade continued to stand behind Chumlee.

“Rick Harrison, father-figure to Chumlee and owner of Gold & Silver Pawn, showed support to the brazen and cheeky actor of the reality show.”

“Harrison did not lose sight of Chumlee’s potential and fame.”

Chumlee was reinstated on Pawn Stars with no definite return date, although Fox News says that there was never a change in Chumlee’s status on the show, and he’ll return to filming after a summer break. In the meantime, Chumlee is staying busy raising money for charity, and he even says his legal trouble made him a better man. Chumlee no longer lives the “extravagant life” he once did, as reported by the Review Journal, and even auctioned off some of his hundreds of pairs of Nikes and Jordans. Together with the pawn shop, Chumlee does humanitarian work and also continues to work on a healthier lifestyle through exercise and a Paleo diet as he prepares for what the Morning Ledger calls a Pawn Stars comeback for next season.

[Image via Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

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