Drew Allison Carey[1][2] (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in theU.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself instand-up comedy, Carey gained stardom in his ownsitcom,The Drew Carey Show, and as host of the American version of the improv comedy showWhose Line Is It Anyway?, both of which aired onABC. He then appeared in several films, television series, music videos, a made-for-television film, and a computer game. Carey has hosted thegame showThe Price Is Right since October 15, 2007, onCBS.
Carey was born inCleveland, Ohio, on May 23, 1958[3] to Lewis Carey and Beulah (née Neal). He is the youngest of three brothers (Neil, 1946–2010, and Roger, born 1952)[4] and was raised in theOld Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland.[5] When Drew was eight years old, his father died from aheart attack.[6][7] Drew played the cornet and trumpet in the marching band ofJames Ford Rhodes High School from which he graduated in 1976.[8]
Carey's early comedy influences included local Cleveland television hostsErnie Anderson and"Big Chuck" Schodowski as well as humor magazines such asMad,Sick, andCracked.[9] In 1985, Carey began his comedy career by following a suggestion byDavid Lawrence (a disc jockey friend who had been paying Carey to write jokes for Lawrence's radio show in Cleveland) to go to the library and check out books on how to write jokes.[10][11] The following year, after winning anopen mic contest, Carey becameMaster of Ceremonies at the Cleveland Comedy Club.[6] He performed at comedy clubs over the next few years in Cleveland and Los Angeles. Carey's first national exposure was competing in the 1988Star Search.[12] Carey was working as a stand-up comedian when he appeared onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in November 1991.[13] His performance that night impressed Carson, who invited Carey to the couch next to his desk; this was considered a rare honor for any comedian.[10][14] In that same year, Carey joined the14th Annual Young Comedians Special onHBO and made his first appearance onLate Night with David Letterman.[15] In 1994, Carey wrote his own stand-up comedy special,Drew Carey: Human Cartoon, which aired onShowtime and won aCableACE Award for Best Writing.[16]
Carey's early stand-up career led to supporting roles on television shows during which he developed the character of a hapless middle-class bachelor. In 1993, Carey had a small role in the filmConeheads as a taxi passenger. In 1994, he co-starred withJohn Caponera inThe Good Life, a short-livedsitcom onNBC.[17] After the show was cancelled,Bruce Helford, a writer on the show, hired Carey as a consultant for the television showSomeone Like Me.[18]
After their stint onSomeone Like Me, Carey and Helford developed and produced the storyline forThe Drew Carey Show. The sitcom revolved around a fictionalized version of Carey, as he took on the stresses of life and work with his group of childhood friends. The show premiered on September 13, 1995, onABC. In his autobiography, Carey revealed his frustration with having to deal withcensors and being unable to employ theoff-color humor common in his stand-up routines.[8] Carey initially earned $60,000 per episode in the first seasons, then renegotiated for $300,000.[19] By the final season, he was earning $750,000 per episode.[20] The show had high ratings for its first few seasons, but declining ratings and increasing production costs (around $3 million per episode) precipitated its cancellation.[20][21] The program had a total of 233 episodes over its nine-year run and Carey was one of four actors to appear in every season.
While still starring inThe Drew Carey Show, Carey began hosting the American version of theimprovisational comedy showWhose Line Is It Anyway? in 1998. He would announce the improv cast, direct the games, and usually take part in the final game of the episode by improvising alongside the regular cast of performers. The show ran for a total of 220 episodes until cancellation in 2006 (it returned with hostAisha Tyler in 2013). In 1998, theNew York Friars' Club made Carey the newest inductee of the group'sComedy Central Roast. His friendRyan Stiles (who costarred inThe Drew Carey Show andWhose Line Is It Anyway?) served as the roastmaster.[22] Carey's income fromWhose Line Is It Anyway? andThe Drew Carey Show led to his inclusion on theForbes list of highest-paid entertainers of 1998, at 24th with $45.5 million.[23]
Forthe WB's 2004–2005prime time schedule, Carey co-produced and starred inDrew Carey's Green Screen Show, aspin-off ofWhose Line Is It Anyway?.[24] It was canceled by the WB, but picked up shortly afterward by Comedy Central.[25] The show's premise relied on the use of agreen screen for some of the actors' improv interaction with each other. Animation on the screen was visible to the live audience and it was also inserted during post-production for the television audience.
In 2011, Carey began hosting a primetime improv show, calledDrew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza. It was filmed at theMGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, and first aired on April 11.[26] The show took on the premise ofWhose Line? andDrew Carey's Green Screen Show in that it features many of the same performers from both shows and did improv based on audience-provided suggestions.
Carey was one of the founders of the Improv All-Stars, a group of 11 actors who perform in unscripted skits.[27] The group joined Carey in all three of his improv shows,Whose Line Is It Anyway?,Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, andDrew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza, the 90-minutetelevision specialDrew Carey's Improv All Stars, and some members had major roles or guest-starred onThe Drew Carey Show.[28] The Improv All-Stars travel on comedy tours performing at comedy clubs throughout the United States.
Beginning in 2007, Carey began hostinggame shows, beginning with his April selection as host of theCBS game show pilotPower of 10. The show ran from August 7, 2007, to January 23, 2008, and aired twice weekly during the late summer and early fall. Each game featured contestants predicting how a cross-section of Americans responded to questions covering a wide variety of topics in polls conducted by CBS.[29]
After taping thepilot episode forPower of 10, Carey was contacted by CBS about replacingBob Barker who had earlier announced his own retirement as host ofThe Price Is Right. After initially turning down the offer, Carey announced onLate Show with David Letterman that he would succeed Barker as host of the program beginning in the fall of 2007.[30] Carey's first episode ofThe Price Is Right was taped on August 15, 2007, and his shows began airing on October 15, 2007. In response to replacing Barker as host of the game show, Carey stated, "You can't replace Bob Barker. I don't compare myself to anybody... It's only about what you're doing and supposed to do, and I feel like I'm supposed to be doing this."[31] When Carey began hosting, the set, theme music, and show logo were updated. Carey has retained the application of Barker's closing comment aboutspaying and neutering pets. In 2022, Carey celebrated his fifteenth anniversary as host of the show.[32] When Bob Barker died on August 26, 2023, at the age of 99 from natural causes related toAlzheimer's disease, Carey hosted a one-hour special detailing the life and career of his predecessor.[33]
Carey began appearing in commercials for restaurants in the late 1990s in Canada withThe Great Root Bear, but his two-year contract withA&W Food Services of Canada was cut short in November 1998 afteran episode ofThe Drew Carey Show featuredMcDonald's. As a result of his dismissal, Carey sued A&W for compensation.[34]
Disney's Hollywood Studios (then "Disney-MGM Studios"), part ofWalt Disney World Resort in Florida, debuted a 12-minute attraction in 1999 titledSounds Dangerous!.[35] In the show, a camera follows Carey through a day as an undercover detective. When his video camera fails, the audience is left in complete darkness wearing earphones following his adventure through sound cues. The attraction is now closed.
In 2000, Carey was given a cameo appearance in theHouse Party expansion pack of the computer gameThe Sims.[36] To make him appear, the characters in the game must throw a successful party, which causes Carey to arrive in a limo and join the festivities. Carey is a fan ofThe Sims series and during one April Fool's episode ofThe Drew Carey Show a scene takes place completely withinThe Sims.[36][37] Carey made several other cameo appearances inmusic videos, including"Weird Al" Yankovic's 1999 video for "It's All About the Pentiums"[38] andFountains of Wayne's 2004 video for "Mexican Wine", giving an introduction to the video as if it were on a stage.[39]
Although primarily known for his television work, Carey has done limited film work with his first appearance in 1993'sConeheads. His next film was the 2000television filmGeppetto which debuted onThe Wonderful World of Disney. The film, an adaptation ofPinocchio, included actorWayne Brady who had joined Carey on his improv shows.[41] Carey took singing lessons to prepare for the role.[7] In 2005, Carey appeared in three films: the animated filmRobots where he provided a voice-over for the characterCrank;The Aristocrats where he retold a dirty joke along with other celebrities; and the documentaryFuck where he was interviewed.
Carey provided the entertainment for the 2002 AnnualWhite House correspondents' dinner.[15] Once Carey completed his stand-up routine for the 1,800 guests, PresidentGeorge W. Bush, noting Carey's improv work, made a joke of his own: "Drew? Got any interest in the Middle East?"[42] In 2003, he joinedJamie Kennedy to host the WB's live specialPlay for a Billion.[43] In September 2003, Carey led a group of comedians, includingBlake Clark andThe Drew Carey Show'sKathy Kinney, on a comedy tour of Iraq.[44]
On March 4, 2014, it was announced onGood Morning America that Carey would compete on theseason 18 ofDancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancerCheryl Burke. They were eliminated during the sixth week of the competition, finishing in 8th place.
Carey has also been a longtime host onSiriusXM channel, Little Steven'sUnderground Garage radio channel, where for 10 years he hosted a three-hour radio show called "Drew Carey's Friday Night Dance Party" which aired the last Friday of every month. In August 2018, Carey turned his monthly show into a weekly show called "The Friday Night Freak Out" which airs every Friday from 8:00pm to 11:00pm ET on SiriusXM.
In 2018, Carey appeared in an episode ofNCIS as a retired Marine. His character was a sergeant, the last rank he held in real life. Real pictures of him in dress blues and everyday garb were on the plasma screen in the squad room.[46][47]
In 2020, Carey appeared as a contestant inseason three ofThe Masked Singer as "Llama" where the costume had a centaur-like build to it. He was the second to be eliminated.[48]
On March 24, 2023, Carey experimented with an artificial clone of his voice on his "The Friday Night Freak Out"Underground Garage radio show, using a beta version ofElevenLabs andChatGPT-generated jokes. The line "even Drew Carey can use it" was generated by prompting the chatbot to create a joke about how easy it can be used. Carey concluded that the audience still prefers a genuine personality since the listeners complained that the voice sounded "soulless" and unlike the "real Drew".[50]
On April 21, 2023, it was announced that Carey would be featured in an upcoming four-episode documentary byABC News titledThe Game Show Show, covering the history of game shows in America over the last eight decades. The four-part documentary premiered on May 10, 2023.[51]
Carey has routinely written throughout his career. He wrote his own material in his early stand-up career before writing sitcoms. In 1997, Carey published hisautobiography,Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined, wherein he shared memories of his early childhood and of his father's death when he was eight. He also revealed that he was oncemolested, had suffered bouts ofdepression, and had made twosuicide attempts by swallowing a large number of sleeping pills.[8] The book discusses hiscollege fraternity years while attending Kent State University and his professional career up to that time. It was featured onThe New York Times bestseller list for three months.[52]
Carey at the World Cup Fest inKaiserslautern, Germany, in June 2006, while filmingDrew Carey's Sporting Adventures
Carey can sometimes be seen on the sidelines of U.S. National Team soccer games as a press photographer.[53] His images are sold via wire services under the pseudonymBrooks Parkenridge.[54] He was at the2006 FIFA World Cup in the summer of 2006, for his television showDrew Carey's Sporting Adventures.[55]
Carey adopted hiscrew cut hairstyle while serving in theUnited States Marine Corps.[56] He underwentrefractive surgery to correct his vision and, for a time, did not require glasses, but continued to wear them for purposes of recognition and celebrity identity.[57] On the May 17, 2006, episode ofJimmy Kimmel Live!, Carey revealed that when he turned 40, he developed a need for bifocals.
Carey proposed to Nicole Jaracz in 2007. The couple did not wed and called off their engagement in 2012.[58][59]
In January 2018, Carey announced his engagement to sex therapistAmie Harwick.[60] They ended their engagement that November but remained close. On February 15, 2020, Harwick was found dead in aHollywood Hills neighborhood and her ex-boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse, was arrested and subsequently convicted of her murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.[61][62][63][64]
After suffering chest pains while filmingThe Drew Carey Show in August 2001, Carey underwent acoronary angioplasty.[66]
Although his weight was a comedic topic throughout his sitcom and improv shows, Carey began a diet and exercise plan in 2010 and lost considerable weight, which he also claimed had cured his Type 2 diabetes.[67] He had cataract surgery in 2020.[citation needed]
Carey has voiced his political beliefs in several interviews, and in 1998, led a "smoke-in" in defiance of California's newly passedno-smoking ordinance inside bars and restaurants.[68] He has hosted a series of mini-documentaries,The Drew Carey Project, on Reason.tv,[69] an online project ofReason Foundation, a libertarian-oriented nonprofitthink tank on whose board of trustees he sits.[70]The first episode, "Gridlock", addressesprivate highway ownership and was released on October 15, 2007. Other episodes discuss topics such aseminent domain, urban traffic congestion, andmedical marijuana.[citation needed]
I believe the answers to all the problems we face as a society won't come from Washington, it will come from us. So the way we decide to live our lives and our decisions about what we buy or don't buy are much more important than who we vote for.[75]
Carey has shown his support for the Cleveland baseball team by throwing the first pitch at an August 12, 2006 game against theKansas City Royals. He was rewarded by them for being "the greatest Indians fan alive" with a personalbobblehead doll made in his likeness that was given to fans. Carey responded to his bobblehead likeness by saying "Bobblehead Day, for me, is as big as getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame."[82]
In 2001, Carey was the first television actor to enterWorld Wrestling Federation's 30-man "Royal Rumble" match, which he did to promote an improv comedypay-per-view at the time. He appeared in a few backstage segments before his brief participation in the match. Upon entering the ring, Carey stood unopposed for more than half a minute, but after the next entrant,Kane, refused a monetary bribe, Carey eliminated himself from the match by jumping over the top rope and retreating from ringside.[83] On April 2, 2011, Carey was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame by Kane.[84]
Carey competed against five other celebrities in the first celebrity edition of the 2003World Poker Tour. He placed fifth, beating the only other actor,Jack Black. Carey won $2,000 for his charity.[85]
On May 15, 2011, Carey completed the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in 1:57:02; then, on September 4, 2011, he completed the Disneyland Half Marathon in 1:50:46. On October 30, 2011, Carey finished the Marine Corps Marathon with achip time of 4:37:11, placing 10,149th out of 20,940.
Carey is a supporter of libraries, crediting them for beginning his successful comedy career. On May 2, 2000, in a celebrity edition ofWho Wants to Be a Millionaire, Carey selected the Ohio Library Foundation to receive his $500,000 winnings.[86] He later went on to win an additional $32,000 on the second celebrityMillionaire, making him one of the biggest winning contestants onMillionaire who did not win the top prize. Carey also has played on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for theCleveland Public Library charity.[87] In June 2007, he offered to donate up to $100,000 (in $10,000 increments) to the Mooch Myernick Memorial Fund if anybody could beat him at the video gameFIFA Soccer 07 for theXbox 360. Carey dared five players from both the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams to compete against him.[88] He ended up donating $100,000, plus $60,000 for losing two games out of the six he played.[89]
In October 2009, Carey made a bid of $25,000 in a charity auction for the @drewTwitter account. He later increased his offer to $100,000 if the number of followers of his account @DrewFromTV reached 100,000 by the end of the auction.[90] In an interview with CBS News, he said he would instead donate $1 million to the charityLivestrong Foundation if his follower count reached one million by December 31, 2009.[91]
In September 2014, Carey promised $10,000 to help find the perpetrators of a faked "ice bucket challenge" involving an autistic 15-year-old Ohio boy who, instead of being doused in ice cubes and water, received a shower of feces, urine, tobacco spit, and cigarette butts.[92] Shortly thereafter, celebritiesDonnie Wahlberg,Jenny McCarthy andMontel Williams matched Carey's offer.[93] Several teens were eventually charged and admitted to the prank, though they denied that there were feces in the bucket or that they knew the victim was diagnosed with autism.[94]
During the 2023Writers Guild of America strike, Carey arranged to pay for free meals for striking writers at two Los Angeles restaurants, Swingers andBob's Big Boy. According to theNew York Times, his tab at Swingers was averaging $10,000 per week.[95]
^Powell, Joanna; Williams, Amanda (February 5, 2025)."Drew Carey Gets Candid: Price Is Right's Milestone and Healing from Mental Health Struggles With Humor".Us Weekly. RetrievedAugust 9, 2025.One of my comedy idols was Big Chuck Schodowski, who recently passed away. He did a late-night TV show called The Hoolihan and Big Chuck Show. Later it was Big Chuck and Lil' John. On Fridays, the same channel had a guy named Ghoulardi [Ernie Anderson] who became known as the Ghoul and hosted horror films. These guys were all influential for me. When I was a paperboy, some of my first money went to buy Mad magazine. Once I read that, there were two more magazines I'd get, Sick and Cracked. They helped shape my sense of humor.
^"Drew Carey/Claire Foy & Matt Smith/Sebastian Maniscalco/Aimee Mann".The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Season 2. Episode 34. October 28, 2016. CBS. WCCO-TV.