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‘Pawn Stars’ Chumlee Opening Candy Store? What He’s Doing A Year After Arrest

By Georgia Makitalo
Published on: 04:04 PST, Mar 7, 2017

A year ago, Chumlee, one of the stars of History Channel’s Pawn Stars, made headlines when he was arrested and charged with possessing a plethora of weapons and drugs. Today, there are rumors that Chum is opening, of all things, a candy shop!

Recently, the Pawn Stars fav was trending on Google followed rumors that he had died. There were also questions about whether he was kicked off the popular reality show after the arrest. So, what is really going on with Chum now? Is Chumlee okay, and is he still on Pawn Stars? You might be surprised to know what he has been up to a year after his infamous arrest.

Starting with Chumlee’s latest news, it looks like entrepreneur Chum is expanding his personal businesses, which already include T-shirts and tennis shoes, and is opening a candy shop!

A week ago, on Rick Harrison’s Instagram account, Chumlee’s boss and Pawn Stars co-star posted an adorable photo of Chumlee with his new, cute little girl, Pinky, who is sporting an adorable pink bowtie. Along with the photo, Harrison posted a caption instructing fans to follow Chumlee on his new Instagram handle. After Chumlee’s arrest, he had to delete his original one because of all of the RIP comments. Rick then added the bombshell that Chumlee is opening a candy shop. What do we know about this new venture?

“Go follow @chumlee702 he’s opening a candy shop.”

The Las Vegas Review-Journal recently shared this tidbit as well and rhetorically asked if perhaps Chumlee is going to open a shop in the struggling Pawn Plaza adjacent to the World Famous Gold and Silver Pawn Shop where he, his childhood pal Corey Harrison, Rick Harrison, and the “old man” Richard Harrison film Pawn Stars. No one knows any details — yet.

Chumlee himself has not revealed anything about opening a new candy store, but fans of the popular reality star have to wonder what sorts of goodies is he going to sell at the shop. Could he surprise everyone and demonstrate that he has skills as a high-end chocolatier and will specialize in some homemade indulgences? Is he going to open a store with some old-time favorite candies and gum? Either way, there is certainly going to be a lot of delicious fun for any visiting fan who wants a sweet snack to munch on while waiting in line to visit the pawn shop or taking the Pawn Stars tour.

Although the Google trend that Chumlee is dead is totally false, what is true is that he has made some major changes to his hair! Within the past six weeks, Chumlee got braids. This new look is shown from the back on his Instagram account.

Based on the wording of his enthusiastic message, “Fresh braids by @sincitybradis always got me looking clean,” it sounds like he may have tried this look before.

From the front, Chum’s new ‘do lets him show off his sparkly earring. The show began filming last fall, so it is hard to know if fans will see him in the braids in the upcoming season. And if there was any question about whether Chumlee was returning to Pawn Stars, this affirmative message indicates that he is indeed returning to the History Channel show.

“New episodes start soon #pawnstars #chumlee #historychannel”

And speaking of the show, not only is Chumlee back on Pawn Stars Season 13, but he also told John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there is going to be a lot of “solo Chum” this new season.

“Rick has finally taken the leash off and let me out on my own! After 440 episodes, Chum finally gets to be on his own! Look for lots of solo Chum!”

Just a year ago this week, Chumlee’s fans and the millions of Pawn Stars viewers probably never imagined such a happy ending after his shocking arrest.

On March 9, 2016, Austin Lee Russell, better known as Chumlee from Pawn Stars, was charged with unlawful possession of weapons and drugs. In addition to the contraband, the Inquisitr revealed that the affable Pawn Stars fav had a “Chum Chum room” in his home, complete with a stripper pole. This entertainment room is where much of these items were located.

At that time, there was a lot of questions as to whether Chumlee was still on Pawn Stars. The History Channel did not reveal anything on this matter. The patriarch of the pawn shop, Rick Harrison, stood by his son Corey Harrison’s childhood friend and sent an email to a local Fox station indicating that they were there for Chumlee. About 10 weeks later, in late May, Chumlee entered into a plea deal, which resulted in no jail time. However, he was sentenced to three years of probation.

When Chumlee returned to social media after the arrest, he genuinely thanked fans, and throughout the summer, he posted photos of his various charity functions and in-store meet-and-greet events.

Throughout this year, Chumlee has made it clear that he appreciates the fans and has really gone all out to interact with them on social media. Last summer, just after the drama of his arrest and plea bargain, Chumlee spoke with the Big D at 93.1 and talked about his past, his nickname, his charity work, and how he ended up on Pawn Stars. Most of all, he made a point of talking about his great fans. He made a point of going to the pawn shop to meet and greet the fans, take photos, and sign autographs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm8steiiEyo

“I enjoy meeting the fans and I actually do this every day. I go out there for an hour to two hours.”

Besides the candy shop and “solo Chum,” what is next for Chumlee? Sounds like he wants to start a YouTube Channel and film an episode every week! Would you subscribe?

“Thinking about doing a YouTube channel 1 episode a week of me talking about an item from the shop sometimes from the show. Would u subscribe?”

Have you been following Chumlee since his arrest? Are you looking forward to the new season of Pawn Stars?

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

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