Sumith Prasad
HBO’s documentary series ‘Ren Faire’ opens a window into the personal life of George Coulam, the founder of the Texas Renaissance Festival. As seen in the series, George is actively seeking a companion with whom he can share his twilight years. His official website describes him as a sexually active man as well. George has not shied away from talking about his current dating life, which even involves “sugar daddy” websites, as Lance Oppenheim’s show reveals. However, considering that the series premiere doesn’t dive too much into his past, there’s a lot more to learn about the “King,” especially regarding his married life!
George Coulam’s Married Life
George Coulam was previously married. Even though the Texas Renaissance Festival founder has been extremely private about it, we can confirm that he once was part of a marriage. His ex-wife is named Susie, and she is from Thailand. Like George, Susie was also into arts, which can even be the common factor that brought them together. Jordan Mackay, in his profile of George for Texas Monthly, had written about the wife of the “Renaissance Man.” “His [George’s] 28-year-old wife, Susie, who is from Thailand, often works side by side with him on her own art projects,” Mackay wrote in the November 1999 issue of the magazine.
George and Susie’s marriage didn’t last long after the new millennium was born. In February 2004, an ad was published by Houston Press, which stated that George was seeking a “local bride.” The ad was arranged by a horticulturist, who has remained anonymous, employed by the TRF founder, who has an arboretum in his estate grounds. Therefore, we can assume that George and Susie separated from each other before the same period. He has not publicly addressed the reason behind the couple’s separation. As far as the available reports are concerned, they did not have any children as well.
The ad for finding a new wife was “handcrafted” by George himself, as per the horticulturist. It was headlined, “Loving wife for loving husband.” The ad promised a wedding gift of $10,000, annual personal allowances worth $35,000, complete expenses and medical coverage, and his captivating estate, Stargate Manor, as the residence. According to the horticulturist, George turned his attention to a potential local woman after his search for a mail-order bride from Thailand, which didn’t yield any results. The anonymous person was also involved in this Thailand affair.
“I had to contact a doctor and a village elder to translate for her family. The financial arrangement had already been made; it was around $35,000. He [George] traveled to Thailand a lot and knew about kathoey [Thai trans women]. I had to express to the doctor that it was important that this was not a surgically created vagina,” the horticulturist told Houston Press about George’s search for a bride from Thailand. “He [George] liked to have beautiful women on his arm. We had a budget for this, but we weren’t supposed to tell him we were hiring prostitutes,” the person added.
George Coulam Reportedly Likes Being a Sugar Daddy
After his separation from Susie, George did not publicly marry again. Several reports and even ‘Ren Faire’ suggest that he fills the void of a companion by securing women’s presence using his money. The aforementioned horticulturist claimed that she used to arrange escorts for him. “I knew a woman from New York and asked her if she’d like to make $1,500 a night to walk around in a costume. He would touch her all over in public. She said that back at his house, he was vile and disgusting in ways she wouldn’t describe to me later. She wouldn’t even finish the festival that year,” she added to Houston Press.
Two of George’s former employees have sued him or his company for making them find dates for him. Toni Ewton, who was his personal assistant, claimed in her lawsuit that he made her set up his profiles on “sugar daddy” websites. Amid all the controversy, George is seemingly yet to find a long-term companion.
Read More: Where Was HBO’s Ren Faire Filmed?
