When you think of Bob Barker, you probably hear that iconic voice telling a contestant to "Come on down!" or reminding us to spay and neuter our pets. He was a fixture in our living rooms for decades. But behind the legendary tan and the long-thin microphone was a man who was deeply, almost singularly, devoted to one woman.
So, who was Bob Barker married to? Her name was Dorothy Jo Gideon.
While many Hollywood stars treat marriages like seasonal wardrobe changes, Barker was the opposite. He married his high school sweetheart, and when she passed away, he never walked down the aisle again. Honestly, it’s one of the most enduring love stories in show business history, even if it ended in heartbreak way back in the early '80s.
The 15-Year-Old Who Found "The One"
It sounds like a movie script. Bob was just 15 years old, a kid growing up in Missouri, when he met Dorothy Jo. Their first date wasn't at a burger joint or a drive-in; they went to see an Ella Fitzgerald concert. Imagine that. A teenager in the 1930s taking his future wife to hear a jazz legend.
Barker once told Biography that after that night, he "never cared about any of the other girls."
They were inseparable through high school. Even when World War II broke out and Bob enlisted in the Navy to train as a fighter pilot, their bond didn't snap. In fact, it's what led to their wedding.
The Wartime Elopement
On January 12, 1945, while Bob was on leave from the military, the couple decided they couldn't wait any longer. They eloped in St. Louis. No massive ceremony. No cameras. Just a young sailor and his girl starting a life together in the middle of a global conflict.
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They were married for 36 years.
More Than Just a Wife: The Power Behind the Throne
If you think Dorothy Jo was just sitting at home while Bob became a superstar, you've got it wrong. She was basically his secret weapon.
In his autobiography, Priceless Memories, Barker dedicated an entire chapter to her titled "Dorothy Jo: Wife and Partner." She wasn't just a cheerleader; she was his producer. When Bob was trying to make it in radio in California, Dorothy Jo was the one writing scripts and helping him find his voice.
- She helped launch his career: She was instrumental in his transition to television with Truth or Consequences.
- The "ego" check: A famous story involves a model asking Dorothy Jo the secret to their long marriage. Her reply? "I love Bob Barker, and Bob Barker loves Bob Barker."
- Active partner: She even appeared alongside him on the game show Tattletales in the mid-70s.
She was sharp. She was funny. And according to everyone who knew them, she was the only person who could truly handle Bob's larger-than-life personality.
The Real Reason Bob Barker Became an Animal Advocate
We all know Bob Barker as the face of animal rights, but he didn't start out that way. That was all Dorothy Jo.
She was way ahead of her time. Long before it was trendy or socially "expected," she became a vegetarian. She stopped wearing fur when most Hollywood wives still saw it as a status symbol.
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Bob admitted that he just followed her lead. "She was the one who became a vegetarian first," he told Good Morning America. "I gradually did the same thing with her." When she died in 1981 from lung cancer at the age of 57, Bob didn't just mourn her; he took up her cause as his life's mission.
He founded the DJ&T Foundation in 1994, which provides low-cost spay and neuter services. The "D" stands for Dorothy Jo. The "T" is for his mother, Tillie. He spent the rest of his life—and millions of dollars—honoring her legacy.
Why He Never Remarried
After Dorothy Jo passed, Bob Barker lived another 42 years. He was one of the most famous men on the planet, but he never took another wife.
He stayed true to a very specific sentiment: "I just felt there should only ever be one Mrs. Bob Barker."
Now, that doesn't mean he was a hermit. He had a very long-term, 40-year relationship with Nancy Burnet, a fellow animal rights activist. They met in 1983, two years after Dorothy Jo died. While Nancy was his companion, his partner in activism, and his closest friend until he died in 2023 at age 99, they never married.
Burnet later revealed that Bob actually proposed to her many times over the years. She was the one who said no, citing that neither of them really had a "desire" to be married again. They were happy with what they had—a deep, platonic-turned-romantic bond built on shared values.
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Key Facts About Dorothy Jo Gideon
If you're looking for the quick stats on the woman who captured Bob Barker's heart, here they are:
- Born: February 25, 1924, in Springfield, Missouri.
- Died: October 19, 1981 (Lung Cancer).
- Marriage Date: January 12, 1945.
- Children: They never had any.
- Occupation: She was a singer of commercial jingles and a producer.
Final Resting Place
In a final act of devotion, Bob Barker requested no funeral or memorial service. He wanted to be buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
He isn't just there; he’s buried right next to Dorothy Jo.
What You Can Learn From Their Story
Bob Barker’s life teaches us that a public legacy is often built on a private foundation. Without Dorothy Jo, we likely wouldn't have had the animal-loving, vegetarian Bob Barker we know today. He might have just been another game show host. Instead, her influence turned him into an advocate.
If you want to honor the legacy of Bob and Dorothy Jo, the most direct way is to support local animal shelters or spay/neuter clinics. It’s exactly what she would have wanted—and what he spent four decades ensuring happened in her name.