Annette Kowalski is married to her husband, Walt Kowalski. Or unpopular.. She also began peddling Ross to Madison Avenue. And so all that Bob Ross ever painted, all the episodes he created and, most eerily, his likeness now officially legally belonged to the Kowalskis instead of his son. Few could or would go toe to toe with well-heeled, and well-financed, lawyers whose clients had made it clear that there were not many levels to which they would not stoop, the story said. She told The Daily Beast, I know that Im doing exactly exactly what was intended by Jane, Bob, Walt, and Annette.. Ross met the Kowalskis when Annette Kowalski came to take a painting class at a time when she was "desperately grieving" and "devastated" from the loss of her son. Those efforts reached their apex this spring with a commercial for Mountain Dew. I just think that Bob knew how to woo people," Annette said, per NPR. Starting from 1983, Bob hosted more than 400 episodes, making him a global phenomenon. The documentary, produced in part by Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, introduces the Kowalskis as a couple who effectively discovered Bob Ross and plucked him out of relative obscurity. Bob Ross was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 29, 1942. through their ownership of Bob Ross Inc. (BRI), Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed, Bob Ross son, Steve Ross, claims the Kowalskis tried to steal. The documentary alleges that the Kowalskis pushed Ross's half-brother Jimmie into a settlement that turned over Ross's likeness to them, destroying potential evidence at the time that could have contradicted the claims they'd made against Ross. Annette Kowalski saw something special in Bob Ross, and she felt that they could do something good together with his skills. A Netflix documentary shines a damning light on a family that took on the entirety of the painter's empire following his battle with cancer. ET: This article was updated to correctly state that Joan Kowalski took over the Bob Ross Inc. company. Today, she is retired and is enjoying her luxurious life in her home country. His name and likeness was left to his son and his half-brother. On Aug. 25, Netflix will drop a new documentary on its service. Annette and Walt Kowalski are a married couple known for being the business partners of Bob Ross. It's reported the issue between the Kowalskis and Bob started after the painter's wife died of cancer in the early 90s. Walter is a production manager, known for Superheros Dont Need Capes. She was going through depression due to the incident. Brian Boucher, August 30, 2016. The optics, though, might be trickier. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. At the time of the artists death, his one-third ownership of BRI was worth about $650,000, according to The Daily Beast, meaning the companys value would have been around $1.95 million (factoring in inflation, that would be closer to $3.49 million today). Bob Ross passed away in 1995 at the age of 52, due to lymphoma, and at the time the company was said to have been worth millions. After Ross death (the Kowalskis reportedly did not attend the funeral), BRI pursued a variety of lawsuits and financial claims against the Ross estate, his widow, a PBS writer-producer, and the station that aired Ross show, arguing that they owned anything Ross made or used for work. Steve Ross, Bobs good friend Dana Jester, their ally Lawrence Kapp and other friends of Ross have taken to calling the Kowalskis actions Grand Theft Bob. And, the story says, they have been deeply unhappy. Photo via YouTube. (Netflixs own involvement reflects some savvy matchmaking, one of the biggest players in the streaming world exploring one of its most quirky phenomena.). The film, the synopsis says, is the shockingly untold story of Rosss afterlife, a sinister tale surrounding his name and the empire that was built on it being hijacked by once trusted partners, whose slow betrayal of him continued beyond his death in 1995.. Its painful to listen to Bob Rosss son, Steve Ross, recount the ways he feels his fathers business partners, Annette and Walt Kowalski, essentially screwed the painter and his family over in #BobRoss: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed/ https://t.co/8VJRxYDbKb pic.twitter.com/CPzXViw41m. According to his son, Ross had an affair with his business partner. At a loss as to how to help his wife, Kowalskis husband Walt got on the phone and called Alexanders company in Oregon to inquire about making a cross-country trip from their home in Washington D.C. so Annette could take a class. Paintings and other personal effects were deemed work related, but the Kowalskis sought out reimbursements for charges Ross had made on his business cardsoftentimes used to cover expenses when Annette or Walt were also present. There, without fanfare, Rosss legacy lives on through art classes and instructor training and a The ruling concluded that Because Bob Ross gave the Kowalskis his right to publicity during his lifetime, it could not have transferred to his son on his death and that the court is persuaded that [Steve Ross] does not own the rights to the Bob Ross intellectual property.. Annette Kowalski is probably 70-something years old, but I dont know for sure because she wouldnt disclose the exact number. Another employee, Sarah Strohl, spends part of her day regularly updating social accounts with Bob bromides We dont make mistakes, we just have happy accidents, and the like. She advises Kowalski what brands are cool, like the Deadpool 2 teaser video with Fox in 2017, which Kowalski might have passed up had Strohl not advised her of the brands meaning to younger consumers. They became the sole owner of the company after the death of Bob. In the spot, an actor digitally enhanced to look like the artist stands at his easel painting a bottle against a mountain backdrop and, in his gentle baritone, talks to the audience about happy little droplets, an in-jokey contrast to the soft drinks hyper-caffeinated image. Eventually, they turned to TV, and Ross show proved a success on PBS. Bob Ross is remembered as a shining positive figure in American pop culture, but the new Netflix documentary Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed shows the dark side to his legacy. She said, I was so devastated. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. In 2012, the couple turned over the company to their daughter, Joan, who has since turned Ross's likeness into a brand all its own. I was so enthralled with him that I wasnt even doing my painting. Court documents, however, show that licensing activity is significant. According to his son, Ross had an affair with his business partner. He was really wonderful, said Ross business partner Annette Kowalski. The company is headquartered in Sterling, Virginia, which is where Annette and Walt live. Following Rosss death in 1995, his partners Walt and Annette Kowalski continued managing his legacy through the company they had createdBob Ross Inc. Now that duty fell to Ross's third wife, who he married only a few months before his passing. She traveled to Florida, and this became the start of a great partnership. Bob Ross hosted The Joy of Painting for 31 seasons in the 1980s and '90s. In 2019, a Virginia district court judge, Liam OGrady, found against Steve Ross. As Ross and the Kowalskis relationship grew, some of the dynamics of the two couples running the business became suspect. Ross met the Kowalskis when Annette Kowalski came to take a painting class at a time when she was "desperately grieving" and "devastated" from the loss of her son. Bob Ross' Former Partners: Who Are Annette And Walt Kowalski. His father was a carpenter. 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Annette and Walt Kowalski retired in 2012 and handed over the reins of Bob Ross Inc. to their daughter Joan Kowalski, who started to market the Bob Ross name away from just paint products. The Time Ray Liotta Eviscerated Bradley Cooper. Were busy getting Bob into every nook and cranny, Kowalski said in an interview. People were mesmerized by Bob. It used to be when you thought of something fond from your childhood youd call a friend, talk about it for a minute and move on, he said. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The estate of Michael Jackson made $48 million last year; John Lennons, $13 million. William was Bob Ross mentor and had taken him under his wing. I have no idea, she said when asked what she thought of it. This is aging with style people. The movies reported portrayals contradict the image Joan Kowalski projects. In Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed there are several clips of previous interviews from Annette and Walt Kowalski, as well as their daughter Joan Kowalski, whom they eventually handed their company over to. Ross eventually studied under Alexander after seeing him on TV and decided to try to carve a path as an artist and painting instructor before being tapped to continue the Alexander legacy. Ross was a former military man who had served in the Air Force and was stationed for a time in Alaska, where he became well-acquainted with the kinds of landscapes hed go on to paint on television. Experts say it wouldnt be surprising if the tide just as suddenly turned against Ross products with a Free Bob movement along the lines of the recent Free Britney campaign. We had no idea when we heard from him almost 25 years later, she said. The struggle reportedly continued into the nineties, as Bob became unwell himself withnon-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 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