Mike Rowe | |
|---|---|
 Rowe in 2025 | |
| Born | (1962-03-18)March 18, 1962 (age 63) |
| Alma mater | Towson University |
| Occupation(s) | Television host, narrator |
| Television | |
| Website | www |
Michael Gregory Rowe (born March 18, 1962)[1]: 6 is an American television host and narrator. He is known for his work on theDiscovery Channel seriesDirty Jobs and the seriesSomebody's Gotta Do It originally developed forCNN. He hosted a series produced for Facebook calledReturning the Favor in which he found people doing good deeds and did something for them in return.[2] He also hosts apodcast titledThe Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe.[3]
Rowe has narrated programs on theDiscovery Channel,The Science Channel, andNational Geographic Channel such asDeadliest Catch,How the Universe Works, andShark Week. He has also appeared in commercials for firms such as theFord Motor Company.
Rowe was born and raised inBaltimore County, Maryland, to John and Peggy Rowe, who were both teachers.[4][1]: 6 In commercials forDirty Jobs he stated that the show is a tribute to his father and grandfather. He became anEagle Scout in 1979 in Troop 16 in suburbanOverlea[5] and he read to students at theMaryland School for the Blind during his service project for Eagle Scout. He cites this as one of the reasons that he became interested in narrating and writing.[5][6]
Rowe attended Kenwood Presbyterian Church inNottingham, Maryland, which his parents still regularly attend. He graduated fromOverlea High School in 1980,[1]: 28 where he excelled in theater and singing.[7] He then studied atEssex Community College.[7] In 1985, he graduated fromTowson University[8][1]: 28 with a degree incommunication studies.[9]
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In the early 1990s, Rowe hosted theCD-ROM music trivia gameRadio Active (as "Bobby Arpeggio") for defunctSanctuary Woods. During the same period, he was an on-air host for thehome-shopping TV networkQVC.[10] Rowe has claimed that QVC fired him three times, rehiring him each time until he finally left of his own accord in 1993. When told in a2008 episode ofDirty Jobs that the gourds he was working on would be sold via QVC, he said he was familiar with the corporation and proceeded to ad-lib a sales pitch for them.[11]
In the 1990s, Rowe hostedChannel 999 instructional guide for the defunctPrimeStar satellite television service.
In 2002, Rowe hostedWorst Case Scenarios forTBS.[12]
From 2001 to 2004, Rowe hostedThe Most forThe History Channel.[12] From 2001 to 2005, Rowe hostedEvening Magazine onKPIX-TV in San Francisco. During this time, he appeared in a news segment called "Somebody's Gotta Do It", profiling a number of unpleasant professions; the concept later grew intoDirty Jobs. Rowe's first work with theDiscovery Channel included a trip to theValley of the Golden Mummies to hostEgypt Week Live!, where he explored ancient tombs live withZahi Hawass, an Egyptianarchaeologist.
Dirty Jobs, for which Rowe is probably best known, ran on the Discovery Channel for 10 seasons, from 2003 to 2012, airing 179 episodes in total.
In September 2012, Rowe hosted a three-part seriesHow Booze Built America on theDiscovery Channel.
CNN announced on April 10, 2014, that Rowe would hostSomebody's Gotta Do It, a new "Original Series" that began in the fall of 2014 lineup. The final season aired on theTBN in 2018. Rowe highlights "unique individuals" in their respective passionate undertakings, whether it be work, hobby, or fanaticism.Somebody's Gotta Do It is produced byCraig Piligian'sPilgrim Studios.[13]In mid-July 2020, Discovery Channel airedDirty Jobs: Rowe'd Trip, a four-episode miniseries, billed as "part reunion, part road-trip, part look-back-special".[14]
Rowe has also hostedOn-Air TV forAmerican Airlines,No Relation forFX,[12] andNew York Expeditions forPBS.
In addition to hosting programs, Rowe has an extensive background as a narrator. His work with Discovery Channel includes narratingAmerican Chopper,American Hot Rod,Deadliest Catch,Wild Pacific,Silver Rush,Ghost Lab,How the Universe Works, andSyfy'sGhost Hunters. Rowe hosted the Discovery Channel's annualShark Week in 2006 and 2008, and has hosted the specialYou Spoof Discovery, an amateur parody video special which poked fun at some of the popular series on the Discovery Channel's lineup.
Rowe was originally tapped to be the on-screen host of theDiscovery Channel'sDeadliest Catch, a show about crab fishing in theBering Sea, and shot footage aboard several crab boats in addition to narrating the series. WhenDirty Jobs was picked up by Discovery, he was told to choose which show he wanted to appear in on-screen.[15] Rowe chose to hostDirty Jobs and narrateDeadliest Catch; the footage of him on the boats was not used in the series, although he did appear in a season finale ofDeadliest Catch, interviewing the boat captains. Rowe hosted a related show about life on the Bering Sea, a 2007 miniseries,After the Catch, a show which has continued after each season ofDeadliest Catch.
Other narration work by Rowe includesMystery Diagnosis,Drydock: A Cruise Ship Reborn,Southern Steel,Powertool Drag Racing,Scavengers Rock (Animal Planet),Airplane Repo and the opening ofGhost Hunters, aSyfy series from the producers ofAmerican Chopper. Additionally, Rowe has done voiceover work for the reality television showThe Ultimate Fighter and theNASCAR pre-race show for the2009 Chase onESPN.[16]
From December 21, 2009, to June 2012, Rowe was the announcer onABC World News with Diane Sawyer.[17][18]
He hosts a podcast calledThe Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe, in partnership with Red Seat Ventures.[19]
On October 7, 2007, Rowe appeared onFox'sAmerican Dad! as the voice of ameter maid.
Rowe appeared on an episode ofSesame Street (Season 39) in a segment called "Dirtiest Jobs With Mike Rowe", which aired on October 13, 2008. Rowe visits Sesame Street to find the dirtiest job, which happens to belong to Oscar. Rowe must do all the things Oscar does. His tasks include finding and counting stinky cheese, sorting trash, and giving his pet pig, Spot, a mud bath. To Oscar's chagrin, Rowe does not want to stop, as he is having too much fun.
Rowe spoke to more than 70,000 scouts, leaders, and visitors at the2010 National Scout Jamboree inFort A.P. Hill,Virginia, and a second time at the2013 National Scout Jamboree inBechtel Summit. Rowe, an Eagle Scout, spoke to the crowd about the importance of being physically and mentally clean, but emphasized the need for all scouts to get dirty.[20]
In 2012, Rowe appeared in the "Baxter & Sons" episode of theABC sitcomLast Man Standing playing the role of Jim Baxter, the brother ofTim Allen's character.
In June 2013, Rowe spoke to the delegates at the 49th Annual National Leadership and Skills Conference forSkillsUSA in Kansas City, Missouri. He addressed the crowd of 15,000+ at Kemper Arena about the importance to "Work Smartand Hard".[21]
In 2017, Rowe was a guest on the premiere episode of Season 39 forThis Old House. This first project of the season spotlights "Generation Next", an organization that is training young people to learn the building trades. Rowe, through his "mikeroweWORKS" foundation and the "This Old House" people are supporting this initiative.[22][23]
Beginning in March 2007, he was featured in severalFord Motor CompanyF-Series truck commercials, presented in a style similar toDirty Jobs, including one forFord Sync.[24] In the summer of 2009, he appeared in advertisements for Ford andLincoln-Mercury vehicles that used the tagline, "Why Ford. Why Now."[25]
On July 26, 2010, Rowe became the spokesperson forCaterpillar, "spending time with Caterpillar customers and dealers to get a real world perspective on their jobs and how the two partner to be successful."[26]
In 2011, Rowe appeared with his parents in television spots for Viva paper towels.[27]
On Labor Day 2008, Rowe launched the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which is focused on the decline in theblue collartrades and the crumbling state of infrastructure.[28] A trade resource center has been launched and provides information, resources, and forums for people interested in learning about, or pursuing a career in, the trades,[5] as well as a new blog aggregator for the trades and construction industry, called the "Trades Hub", which launched in April 2011.
On September 29, 2010, Rowe and theAssociation of Equipment Manufacturers started a campaign called "I Make America", aimed to create jobs in the manufacturing sector by encouraging infrastructure investment and export agreements. The group stated that the campaign would improve the economy and global competitiveness of the United States.[29]
In May 2011, Rowe testified on the issue of trade activism before theU.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.[30][31][32]
Rowe has contributed video content to The Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute's trade-worker recruiting campaign GoBuildAlabama.com, culminating in anIron Bowl-themed commercial broadcast on local CBS affiliates during Thanksgiving weekend 2010.[33]
Rowe sent a letter to President Obama at the start of his first term offering to help promote the three million "shovel ready" jobs promised during the campaign, suspecting it might be a tough sell, "given the country's then-current relationship with the shovel." He did not receive a reply.[citation needed] During the2012 presidential election, Rowe contacted GOP candidateMitt Romney and appeared with him on September 26, 2012, at a campaign event inOhio. "He's non partisan, he's not here to endorse me, he's not here to add support to one campaign or another," Romney said of his guest. "He's here to talk about his ideas about how to help America create more jobs."[34]
In spring 2013, mikeroweWORKS launched its newest initiative, Profoundly Disconnected. Rowe states, "many of the best opportunities that exist today require a skill, not a diploma. The purpose of this site is to promote that simple truth." While in high school in 1979, Rowe saw a poster in hisguidance counselor's office that read "Work Smart, Not Hard". He hated it so much, he changed it to "Work Smart AND Hard"; he now prints such posters and wants them hanging all over the country to get people to change the way hard work is perceived.[35]
Rowe describes himself as a cheerleader for bothblue-collar workers andwhite-collar workers, hoping to promote individual initiative and positive thinking throughout theU.S. economy. He has stated that he feels alienated from the currentU.S. political system given that both business owners and regular workers receive, in his opinion, unfair criticism, with issues such as geographical mismatching and a lack of job training causingunemployment.[citation needed]
His mikeroweWORKS Foundation has received financial support fromCharles Koch.[36][37]
In April 2021, when asked about the debate about raising theminimum wage, Rowe said, "I worry that the path to a skilled trade can be compromised when you offer an artificially high wage for, I hate the expression, but an unskilled job."[38]
Rowe sang professionally with theBaltimore Opera.[9][39][40] A former resident of San Francisco, California,[40][41] Rowe now resides in nearbyBelvedere, California.[42] A voice-over for aWalmart ad in 2014 sparked death threats from fans.[40] In 2016, he was subject to rumors describing his death, leading him to quote the famous line attributed toMark Twain: "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."[41][40] He has stated that he is a gun owner and a supporter of theU.S. 2nd Amendment, but not a member of theNational Rifle Association because he is "not much of a joiner".[41] He is in a long-term relationship, but not married.[43]
Rowe was the first winner of theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Reality Show Host in 2011.[44] In June 2012, Rowe was awarded theDistinguished Eagle Scout Award by theBoy Scouts of America.[45][9]
In 2017, Rowe was made an Honorary Lifetime Member of theBarbershop Harmony Society.[46]
Rowe received the Outstanding Host for a Daytime Program award forReturning the Favor at the 2020 Daytime Emmy awards.[47]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2004 | The Most | Host & narrator | History Channel | |
| 2002 | Worst Case Scenarios | Host | TBS | |
| 2002–2010 | American Chopper | Narrator | Discovery Channel | |
| 2003 | Incredible Basements | Host & narrator | HGTV | |
| 2003–2012, 2020–2023 | Dirty Jobs | Host | Discovery Channel | |
| 2004 | American Hot Rod | Narrator | The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel | |
| 2004–2010, 2021–present | Ghost Hunters | Narrator | A&EDiscovery+ | |
| 2005–present | Deadliest Catch | Narrator | Discovery Channel | |
| 2005–2010 | The Ultimate Fighter | Narrator | Spike TV | |
| 2006 | Shark Week | Host | Discovery Channel | |
| 2007–2012 | After the Catch | Host | Discovery Channel | |
| 2007 | American Dad! | Meter Maid | Season 3, episode 2 | |
| 2008–2010 | Ghost Hunters International | Narrator | Syfy | |
| 2009 | Wild Pacific | Himself | Discovery Channel | |
| 2009-2011 | Ghost Lab | Narrator | Discovery Channel | |
| 2010, 2014–present | How the Universe Works | Narrator | Seasons 1, 3, 4, 6–11 | |
| 2011 | Human Planet | Narrator | Discovery Channel | |
| 2012 | How Booze Built America | Himself | Discovery Channel | |
| 2012 | Last Man Standing | Jim Baxter | Episode 18 | |
| 2013–2014, 2019–present | Bering Sea Gold | Host | Discovery Channel | |
| 2013–2015 | Airplane Repo | Narrator | Discovery Channel | |
| 2013 | Bering Sea Gold: Under The Ice | Host | Discovery Channel | |
| 2013 | Huckabee | Himself | TBN | |
| 2013–present | C.R.A.P. | Host | web series | [48][49] |
| 2014 | Building America | Host & narrator | TheBlaze | |
| 2014–2015 2018 | Somebody's Gotta Do It | Host | CNN TBN | [50] |
| 2016 | America's Greatest Makers | Guest judge | TBS | |
| 2017–2021 | Returning the Favor | Host | Facebook Watch | |
| 2021 | Six Degrees with Mike Rowe | Host | discovery+ | |
| 2021–present | How America Works | Host & narrator | Fox Business | |
| 2024 | Tuttle Twins | Himself | Libertas Institute | [51] |
| 2024 | Something to Stand For | Himself |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
