‘Pawn Stars’: Chumlee Hospitalized for Severe Pain and Breathing Issues

Pawn Stars cast member Austin Russell, better known to fans as Chumlee, was hospitalized Monday in Las Vegas after suffering from severe abdominal pain and having trouble breathing. Chumlee shared a photo from his hospital bed on Instagram, and shared more details in his Instagram Story. At the beginning of one clip, the 37-year-old joked he “probably got coronavirus.”

“It’s been a tuff day,” Chumlee wrote on Instagram, alongside the hospital bed photo.

“What’s up guys… stuck here in the hospital,” he said in his Instagram Story, adding, “Probably got Coronavirus.”

He later clarified that he does not think has has COVID-19, but was waiting for test results. He said he was having “trobule breathing” and was suffering from abdominal pain so bad his boss, Rick Harrison, told him to go to a hospital.

“Rick made me come, I didn’t want to go,” Chumlee said, reports The Blast. “I was at work when it happened. Trust me, I did not want to be here.”

Later, he assured fans that all “tests are good,” but the doctors still needed to run one last one. As for the abdominal pain, Chumlee suggested he was constipated.

“I think it looks like I just need to poop,” he said.

Last year, Chumlee made headlines when he lost over 100 pounds thanks to a gastric sleeve surgery. He also married Olivia Rademann.

The reality star has been open about his struggles with weight. In 2014, he lost almost 100 pounds, but later put the weight back on. His Pawn Star co-star Corey Harrison also had the gastric sleeve surgery, dropping from 402 pounds to 210 pounds.

“It was time for me to get healthy,” Chumlee told PEOPLE in 2014. “I started at 320 lbs. and now I’m down to 225. When I first began, I eliminated all processed foods except mustard. Now, ‘everything in moderation’ is my motto.”

There was also a rumor that Chumlee was being fired from Gold & Silver Pawn, the store at the center of Pawn Stars. However, Harrison and Chumlee debunked that rumor in an Instagram Story video.

“Do you wish you could fire me?” Chumlee asked Harrison.

“Sometimes… but I love ya,” Harrison joked.

Pawn Stars debuted on the History Channel in 2009. The show led to to the spin-offs American Restoration and Counting Cars, as well as international editions.

Photo credit: Getty Images