Unmasking the Fractured, Fraught, and Famously Frigid Secret Relationship Between TV Legend Bob Barker and Iconic ‘The Price Is Right’ Announcer Rod Roddy That the Cameras Never Dared to Show.

Bob Barker and “Price Is Right” Announcer Rod Roddy Were ‘Not Friends’ by the End of Their Mutual Time on the Game Show

The pair got along well on-screen, but things changed over time behind the scenes

Bob Barker (left), Rod RoddyAmerican Broadcasting Companies via Getty; CBS via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Bob Barker served as host of The Price Is Right for 35 years, from 1972 to 2007

Rod Roddy became the show’s announcer after being among those who auditioned for the gig after the death of original announcer Johnny Olson in Oct. 1985

Friend of Roddy opened up about the evolving relationship between Barker and the announcer for an episode of Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia

There was a lot going on behind the scenes of The Price Is Right.

When Rod Roddy came into the game show family in 1986, he had big shoes to fill. The show’s original announcer, Johnny Olson, had died in Oct. 1985. Olson had a special bond with host Bob Barker. Early on, Roddy and Barker got along well.

Roddy’s friend, fellow announcer Randy West, talked about the tides turning during an appearance on Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia.

“If I may be so bold and disrespectful, Bob Barker liked him because he was not a leading man. Bob, as he was getting on in years, always the alpha male on any show that he did, was very conscious of his appearance and certainly didn’t want a leading man type to be competing with,” West shared.

Bob Barker on “The Price Is Right” in 1986CBS Photo Archive/Getty

“And Rod, of course, offered no threat for his leading man appearance. So he liked Rod for his second banana look. They liked him for his delivery and his style of voice.”

After over a decade of working together, the shift between the two became palpable for those around the production.

“They were great for the first… 13 or 14 [years]. That was great and they fit together perfectly, top banana and sidekick. It was wonderful. But… there was a strained relationship between the two of them as the years went on,” West noted.

“Toward the end, there was not a lot of off-air camaraderie. They were not in a position… Barker would never dismiss Rod from the show because he was such a fan favorite. He was an integral part of the program, but no, they were not friends at the end, and that was a great frustration to Rod, who would talk about it with me. He didn’t want to be on anybody’s bad side and he felt bad that the relationship had evolved to where they took him off the air.”

Rod Roddy on “The Price Is Right” in 1986CBS Photo Archive/Getty

While Roddy remained on the show, camera shots of him were limited, which “upset Rod,” especially because there was “no single incident” that changed the dynamic between host and announcer.

Craig Kilmore, who hosted The Late Late Show also recalled hearing of discord between Barker and Roddy.

“I think one of his friends told me some of the problems with Bob, but Rod didn’t really complain about it. But I do know that there was some friction.”