Highlights
- Bob Barker dedicated his life to animal rights, supporting over 15 charities and organizations and donating millions of dollars to help protect animals from cruelty.
- Despite being worth $70 million at one point, Barker vowed to give away all his money to animal-related causes and died penniless as a result.
- Barker's commitment to animal welfare was recognized by organizations like PETA, who called him a "national animal rights treasure" and mourned his passing.
Bob Barker always had a love of animals. This was made clear not only by his actions as an animal rights activist but also by how he signed off daily from the hit game show, The Price Is Right, a show that Barker never rigged, though it seemed to the contrary at times. It was this need to protect those who did not have a voice to protect themselves that Barker embarked on a decades-long journey to ensure he could do everything in his power to end animal cruelty.
Over his lifetime, Barker supported 15-plus charities and organizations that fought for animal rights. All the organizations received funding from Barker who, much like Betty White, wanted to use his platform and fortune to bring forth legislation to protect animals and spotlight the topic of animal cruelty to make the public more aware of what was happening not just nationally but worldwide.
Because Barker never had any children and was widowed by his one and only love, Dorothy Jo Gideon in 1981 after a battle with lung cancer, he made it a goal to give all of his money to animal-related charities. As such, Barker actually died penniless after giving away his fortune as promised.
Bob Barker Once Had A Net Worth Of $70 Million
To put into perspective just how much money Barker had to work at giving away, it is necessary to know how much he was worth. At one point, that figure was at least $70 million as a result of his long-time presence on television.
Barker was always a presence on radio or television after he graduated from college. It was not until he was made the host of The Price Is Right, however, that Barker began to really build his fortune. This began in 1972 and Barker hosted the show until he decided to retire in 2007, where he gave a memorable speech that left fans in tears.
During the last decade of hosting the popular game show, Barker made "$10 million annually." While this is a hefty sum, his replacement, Drew Carey makes surprisingly more.
Yet his income helped Barker to pursue his true passion, which was saving animals. As such, between donating money and starting organizations of his own, Barker spent millions on that pursuit.
Bob Barker Vowed To Die Penniless After Donating All His Money To Animals
Barker's goal throughout his life was to give all the money he ever earned to organizations that would save animals and would continue his work after he passed. Given the amount of money donated to charities and organizations over the past several decades, Barker appears to have completed what he set out to do.
One of the biggest organizations that Barker supported was PETA. PETA felt Barker's loss after it was announced that he passed away in August 2023, and made a statement reflecting such.
"Bob’s influence on the entertainment industry is indisputable, but what mattered to him most was using his voice and prominent position to protect animals," People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said in a statement.
"To us—and to so many animals around the world—Bob will always be a national animal rights treasure."
In 2010, Barker donated $2.5 million to the organization to build a new building in Los Angeles.
Outside of PETA, Barker started his own organization, called the DJ&T Foundation, in memory of his wife, Dorothy Jo, and mother, Tilly. The organization was created to help reduce the number of unwanted domestic animals in the US by providing funding for free or low-cost spay and neutering.
Over the course of the time Barker was on earth, he donated $25 million of his money to the DJ&T Foundation.
Barker also donated $5 million to purchase a boat that is used specifically to "intercept and interrupt Japanese whaling boats," according to Celebrity Net Worth. This purchase has saved countless whales lives.
More recently, Barker donated 400 acres of property in Moreno Valley, California to an organization called Donkeyland. The charity works at healing and rehabilitation injured and ill wild burros and donkeys.
Outside these organizations, Barker also supported several other charities. Those charities include the Orca Network, Save the Chimps, The Humane Society, Mercy for Animals, Cruelty Free International, and many more.
As a result of his deep desire to keep animals safe, Barker appears to have accomplished what he wanted to do, which was to pass away penniless.
Bob Barker Had A $0 Net Worth At Time Of Death
At the time of his death, Barker was worth $0, according to Celebrity Net Worth. While his net worth was still showing $70 million in the days leading up to his passing, it is unclear if there was a massive donation that was to be made to one organization upon his death or if it was parceled out to many.
With Barker not having any family surviving him, save for a half-brother, there was no one to leave the money to. His partner, Nancy Burnet who was linked to Barker from 1983 to present, shared his passion for saving animals.
While she does not have the same net worth that Barker did, Burnet is worth an estimated $1.2 to $9 million. Given that she has lived 97 years of life giving back to animals and running the United Activists for Animal Rights, she did not need any of the money Barker had at his disposal.
In fact, given that the two felt the same about saving animals, any money left to her would likely have been donated in Barker's name.
While Barker was best known by the masses for his time on The Price Is Right, he is a tremendous loss to the animal rights community, a community that will do its best to carry on Barker's legacy to ensure animals are safe and cared for not only in the US but worldwide.
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