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You have probably heard of Steve Ross, who is the son of the famous painter Bob Ross. Steve is quite a well-known person by all of us. 

During “The Joy Of Painting,” Bob Ross highlighted Steve multiple times, mentioning how his son makes a lot of money selling his works.

So, what’s trending these days is the new Netflix investigative documentary about Bob Ross, which investigates the life and legacy of Bob Ross, focusing on the legal battle over his name and likeness.

On August 25, 2021, the documentary was released on Netflix, which sparked controversies around Bob Ross’s life and career.

Who is Steve Ross?

Steve Ross, like his father Bob Ross, is a painter and teacher. Bob Ross has a son from his first marriage. He followed in his father’s footsteps and became well-known for his artworks.

How old is Steve Ross?

Robert Stephen Ross, better known as Steve Ross, was born in the United States on August 1, 1966. He is 55 years old now. Steve and his family always followed the religion of Christianity.

Bob Ross had married three times in his life. With his first wife, Vivian Ridge, he has a son named Robert Stephen “Steve” Ross. 

With his parents, he grew up in the United States. Ross and Ridge later parted ways in 1977, when Ridge found out he was in a relationship with another woman.

Ross again tied a knot with a woman named Jane Zanardelli. Steve was attached to her. Ross and Jane were married from 1977 till 1992 until she died from cancer. 

When Steve’s mother died when he was still a youngster, his father, Bob Ross, a drill sergeant in the United States Air Force, raised him as a single father throughout his adulthood.

Steve and Bob went into horrible phases after that. Their grief was channeled into art, which the two pursued as a lifelong hobby.

Netflix’s Documentary Revealed the Dark Side of Bob Ross’s Life

The name of the new Netflix documentary is “Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal, and Greed.” 

The documentary is described as a “shockingly untold story” about Ross’s 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.” according to the Netflix description.

That documentary includes narration from Ross’s son, Steve Ross, as well as others who worked with him throughout the course of his 31 seasons, “The Joy of Painting.”

Bob’s family and friends repeatedly emphasize throughout the documentary, “He wasn’t in it for the money.” They say he was just eager to share his passion for art with the people.

However, the documentary indicates that characters in the whole strange story of Bob’s life had more capitalist purposes, such as the commodification of the merch owned by Bob Ross.

What is it all about?

Annette and Walt Kowalski are unquestionably the documentary’s antagonists. They were the ones who brought Bob Ross into the limelight and also became friends with him.

When Bob was married to Jane, he chose to establish his production line and expand his business. The Kowalskis were important in gaining Ross’ PBS contract for The Joy of Painting since they were his financial supporters.

Their friendship grew stronger when Bob’s show “The Joy of Painting” became one of the most-watched shows. After popularity, Bob and Jane Ross, and Annette and Walt Kowalski formally signed Bob Ross, Inc. incorporation documents in Virginia. 

Although all four were officially equal partners, most people knew Bob was the one who made the decisions. According to documents made public as part of Steve’s case, each of the four partners was making about $85,000 ($180,000 now) by the end of the 1980s.

Bob made about $120,000 ($220,000 today) throughout many successful years in the early 1990s. The venture was bringing in around a half-million dollars each year for the partners to share.

Using Bob Ross Merch to Make Money

Bob’s company still exists to this day, producing much of the stuff that has helped establish Ross’s status as a creative and famous personality. But matters worsened over time, as the Kowalskis were driven by the desire to capitalize from Ross’ notoriety. 

Ross’s son, Steve, is the narrator in the documentary, and he appears in several interviews throughout the film. He revealed many deep secrets that Bob was hiding behind a beautiful smile.

Everyone who knew Bob can attest to the fact that he was not motivated by money. However, his newfound financial independence gave him the opportunity to live his life as he pleased. 

Death of Steve’s Stepmother

Bob’s show ended, he found new pursuits, but Annette and Walt were not pleased with his lifestyle. Things got messy when Jane Ross died of cancer in 1992, barely five years before Bob Ross died of lymphoma after a five year struggle.

Bob Ross was in deep shock when he lost his wife, and his health also started deteriorating. Jane’s death was the catalyst for loosening his grasp on the business that bears his name.

As it transformed into a struggle for ownership of Bob’s trademarks, the Rosses and the Kowalskis began to disintegrate and eventually implode.

Bob Ross’s Fight with Cancer

Bob was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma only a few weeks after the death of Jane. In 1995, Bob got married to his caretaker nurse, Lynda Brown.

Bob Ross met his third wife, Lynda, at the hospital during his last days. They stayed married until his death two months later, in July 1995, from lymphoma-related difficulties. However, the Kowalskis were not present at the funeral.

Steve Ross Statements

Even though the documentary claims that Steve had not profited off his father’s name, it also claims that Ross intended his son and half-brother to be in charge of his name before his death.

Steve was uninformed of the final change because of his uncle Jimmie, Bob’s half-brother. The estate executor, Jimmi, had not revealed the facts, which would only come to the forefront more than 20 years later.

Several times, Bob had slammed the phone down before storming out of a room, fuming hot and shouting about how the Kowalskis intended owning his name and everything linked with him, Steve recalled.

Bob Ross Inc.

The Kowalskis tried to persuade Ross to give over the rights to his name to them on his deathbed, as per Steve Ross. They stole the brand, his image and sold every merchandiser in the name of Bob Ross after he died.

Bob’s third wife, Lynda Brown, barely two months before his death, became a significant figure in the estate and Bob Ross Inc., which is quite surprising.

According to the documentary and a 2021 article from The Daily Beast, the dispute worsened after Ross’s death in 1995, when the Kowalskis filed a case against Ross. 

They sued Bob’s estate and his third wife in an attempt to gain absolute control of his trademarks. Both contacted Steve Ross every other day to persuade him to accept, but Steve always declined.

Why did Steve lose his lawsuit?

Steve Ross attempted to regain the Bob Ross brand. He filed a lawsuit in 2017 to gain possession of the name and likeness. He suffered a loss in 2019 when a judge determined that Bob Ross Inc. was the legitimate owner.

Steve and his companions believed they had a legitimate case on appeal, but they lacked the financial means to pursue it. Steve Ross was going into a deep melancholy by Bob’s death, which almost got Steve killed.

Did Steve Ross Appear on “The Joy of Painting”?

The answer is, “Yes.” Steve Ross started his TV career with the final episode of the first season, which was “Final Reflection,” in which he was helping his father by reading questions from the viewers and Bob Ross, his father, was answering all of them.

In total, Steve Ross was featured in 13 episodes of his father’s show “The Joy of Painting.” He also painted 12 original paintings for the show in addition to his appearance in the Question and Answer segment of the show.

How their distinctive hairstyle became a trademark

Did you know Bob Ross’ son Steve Ross does not have curly hair like his father had? Well, Bob’s signature hairstyle was unique in a way, and there is a reason behind it.

Many things were passed down to Steve Ross from his father, such as his love for art and nature, including his calm voice. Although their hair could be the only thing that distinguishes them, otherwise, everything is quite similar. 

The Son of Bob Ross, a PBS television legend, had a mullet hairstyle with umber curls when he first appeared on the show. And if we talk about Bob’s hairstyle, Steve’s father had something to do with saving money.

Bob Ross, the legend, was famous for his signature red perm. He started a new career as a painter and instructor in the early 1980s after serving 20 years in the United States Air Force.

Ross chose to get his hair permed to save money on haircuts as a tactic for savings, cutting the cost of a haircut. Hadn’t it been for a developing brand in need of products, that ingenious if unconventional, the cost-saving method would have failed to remain popular.

On the other hand, Ross was not naïve and embraced the afro because he, likewise, understood it was good for business. He will have his signature bushy hairstyle for the rest of his life.

Bob Ross’s gorgeous crown of hair was so in sync with his calm demeanor that it almost appeared too lovely to be genuine, which he was.

As he was soft-spoken by nature, he had a really therapeutic feel about him. He was meticulous, considerate, and well-organized. He had a lovely personality which made him different from his son.

Steve Ross Net worth

Steve Ross has kept silent about his life and disappeared from the public view since he lost his father, Bob Ross. On the other hand, Bob Ross had a net worth of $10 million before he died.

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