In October 1995, host Bob Barker dismissed Hallstrom from The Price Is Right, purportedly because she had gained 14 pounds (6.4 kg) because of a prescription medication that she was taking.
[1] Hallstrom later alleged that the real reason for her dismissal was her refusal to support Barker when model Dian Parkinson sued him for sexual harassment.
Hallstrom claimed that Barker ordered her to appear on talk shows and solicit interviews to assert that Parkinson was lying, and that he pressured her to misrepresent her memory of certain events.
To retain her right to speak about the case, and to protect herself against what she called Barker's "shameful manipulation of the media," Hallstrom accepted a lesser financial amount but with a settlement that did not contain a hush clause.
[5] She has also started a foundation for people who have suffered wrongful or malicious workplace conditions and who do not have the resources to confront powerful individuals or companies.
[3] Following their testimonies in Barker's lawsuit against Hallstrom, models Janice Pennington and Kathleen Bradley, production assistants Linda Riegert and Sherrill Paris and veteran director Paul Alter all departed The Price Is Right.
[4] Hallstrom has never married and has no children, which is why she believes that she was the one member of The Price Is Right who could fight what she called "miserable tyranny at the hands of a mad dictator" (referring to Barker).