Drew Carey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Drew Carey
Carey in 2019
Birth name	Drew Allison Carey
Born	(1958-05-23) May 23, 1958 (age 67) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Medium	Film, stand-up, television
Years active	1985–present
Genres	Improvisational comedy
Notable works and roles	The Drew Carey Show Drew Carey's Green Screen Show Host of: Whose Line Is It Anyway? The Price Is Right Power of 10 Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1981–1987
Rank	Sergeant (E-5)
Unit	United States Marine Corps Reserve

Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is a famous American comedian, actor, and game show host. Before becoming a star, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and became well-known for his stand-up comedy.

Drew Carey became very popular with his own TV show, The Drew Carey Show. He also hosted the American version of the funny improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Both of these shows were on the ABC network. Since October 15, 2007, he has been the host of the popular game show The Price Is Right on CBS.

Carey has many different interests, including sports and photography. He has worked as a photographer at U.S. men's national team soccer games. He also partly owns the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC, which won the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019. Drew Carey even took part in professional wrestling once, entering the 2001 Royal Rumble. He was later added to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.

Drew Carey's Early Life and School

Carey in his U.S. Marine Corps uniform, with the rank of a Corporal

Drew Carey was born on May 23, 1958, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the youngest of three brothers. When Drew was eight years old, his father passed away.

He played the cornet and trumpet in the marching band at James Ford Rhodes High School, where he graduated in 1975. After high school, he went to Kent State University for three years. In 1980, Carey joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve and served for six years. He worked as a field radio operator. After leaving the Marines, he worked briefly as a bank teller and a waiter.

Drew Carey's Career Journey

Starting in Stand-Up Comedy

Drew Carey began his comedy career in 1985. A friend suggested he learn about writing jokes. The next year, he won a contest and became the host at the Cleveland Comedy Club. He performed in comedy clubs in Cleveland and Los Angeles.

His first time on national TV was in 1988 on Star Search. In 1991, he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. His performance was so good that Johnny Carson invited him to sit on the couch, which was a special honor for comedians. That same year, he was on HBO's 14th Annual Young Comedians Special. In 1994, Carey wrote his own comedy special, Drew Carey: Human Cartoon, which won an award for Best Writing.

Acting on Television and in Movies

Early Acting Roles

Drew Carey's stand-up comedy led him to acting roles. He often played a regular, middle-class guy. In 1993, he had a small part in the movie Coneheads. In 1994, he starred in a short-lived TV show called The Good Life on NBC.

The Drew Carey Show

After working on another show, Carey and a writer named Bruce Helford created The Drew Carey Show. This TV show was about a made-up version of Drew Carey and his friends dealing with everyday life and work. The show started on September 13, 1995, on ABC.

The Drew Carey Show was very popular for its first few years. It ran for nine years and had 233 episodes. Drew Carey was one of only four actors who appeared in every season.

Improv Comedy Shows

While still starring in The Drew Carey Show, Drew Carey also started hosting the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? in 1998. This was a show where actors made up scenes and songs on the spot. Drew would introduce the actors, suggest games, and sometimes join in the final game. The show ran for 220 episodes until 2006.

In 2004, Carey co-produced and starred in Drew Carey's Green Screen Show. This show was a spin-off of Whose Line Is It Anyway?. It used a green screen, so animations could be added later to make the improv even funnier.

In 2011, Carey hosted another improv show called Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza. It was filmed in Las Vegas and featured many of the same performers from his other improv shows. They would create comedy scenes based on ideas from the audience.

The Improv All-Stars

Drew Carey helped start a group called the Improv All-Stars. This group of 11 actors performs unscripted comedy skits. They appeared with Carey in all three of his improv TV shows and also tour comedy clubs across the United States.

Hosting Game Shows

Power of 10

In 2007, Drew Carey started hosting game shows. His first was the CBS show Power of 10. The show ran from August 2007 to January 2008. Contestants had to guess how Americans answered different questions in polls.

The Price Is Right

Carey at a charity event in 2014

After filming Power of 10, CBS asked Drew Carey to take over as host of The Price Is Right. The show's longtime host, Bob Barker, was retiring. Drew Carey announced on Late Show with David Letterman that he would be the new host.

Carey's first episode of The Price Is Right aired on October 15, 2007. He said, "You can't replace Bob Barker. I don't compare myself to anybody... I feel like I'm supposed to be doing this." When he became host, the show got new sets, music, and a new logo. Drew Carey still ends each show by reminding people to spay or neuter their pets, just like Bob Barker did. In 2022, Carey celebrated his fifteenth year as host. When Bob Barker passed away in 2023, Drew Carey hosted a special TV show about Bob's life and career.

Other Appearances and Roles

Entrance to Sounds Dangerous! at Disney's Hollywood Studios

In the late 1990s, Drew Carey appeared in commercials for A&W restaurants in Canada. In 1999, Disney's Hollywood Studios opened a 12-minute attraction called Sounds Dangerous! where Carey played an undercover detective. The audience wore headphones and followed his adventure through sound when his video camera failed. This attraction is now closed.

In 2000, Carey had a special appearance in House Party, an expansion for the computer game The Sims. If players threw a good party, Drew Carey would arrive in a limo and join in! He also appeared in music videos, like "It's All About the Pentiums" by "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Drew Carey has also acted in a few movies. His first was Coneheads in 1993. In 2000, he starred in the TV movie Geppetto, a musical version of Pinocchio. He took singing lessons for the role. In 2005, he was in the animated movie Robots (as a voice actor) and the documentary The Aristocrats.

In 2002, Carey performed stand-up comedy at the White House correspondents' dinner for President George W. Bush. In 2003, he went on a comedy tour to Iraq to entertain the troops.

In 2006, his TV show Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures started on the Travel Channel. In this show, Carey traveled around Germany to photograph FIFA World Cup soccer games and learn about the local culture. He also appeared as himself in two episodes of The Simpsons and in an episode of Community.

In 2014, Drew Carey competed on Dancing with the Stars with professional dancer Cheryl Burke. They finished in 8th place. He also hosts a weekly radio show called "The Friday Night Freak Out" on SiriusXM. In 2018, he appeared in an episode of NCIS as a retired Marine sergeant, which was his real-life rank. In 2020, he was a contestant on The Masked Singer as "Llama". In 2021, he played on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.

Writing Books

Drew Carey has written throughout his career. He wrote his own jokes for stand-up and helped write his TV shows. In 1997, he published his autobiography. In the book, he shared stories about his childhood and his time in college and the Marines. The book was on The New York Times bestseller list for three months.

Photography

Carey at the World Cup Fest in Kaiserslautern, Germany, in June 2006, while filming Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures

Drew Carey is also a photographer. You can sometimes see him on the sidelines of U.S. National Team soccer games, taking pictures for the press. He uses the name Brooks Parkenridge for his photos. He was at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany for his TV show, Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures.

Drew Carey's Personal Life

Drew Carey got his short haircut while he was in the United States Marine Corps. He used to wear glasses for his TV character, even after having eye surgery that meant he didn't need them.

He was engaged to Nicole Jaracz in 2007, but they later called off their engagement in 2012. In 2018, he was engaged to Amie Harwick, but they also ended their engagement that same year. Drew Carey is a Buddhist.

Health and Well-being

In 2001, Drew Carey had a heart procedure after experiencing chest pains. In 2010, he started a diet and exercise plan and lost a lot of weight. He said this helped him with his Type 2 diabetes. He also had cataract surgery in 2020.

Love for Sports

Carey preparing for a TV broadcast at the dedication of Cleveland Browns Stadium, September 1999

Drew Carey is a big fan of many sports teams. He supports the U.S. National Soccer Team and several Cleveland teams, including the Cleveland Browns (football), Cleveland Cavaliers (basketball), and Cleveland Guardians (baseball). He attended the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

He is also a part-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC soccer team, which started playing in Major League Soccer in 2009 and won the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019. He is also a fan of the Spanish soccer team FC Barcelona.

In 2001, Drew Carey made a surprise appearance in the WWE's "Royal Rumble" match. He briefly stood in the ring before eliminating himself when a wrestler named Kane entered. In 2011, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Carey also competed in a celebrity edition of the World Poker Tour in 2003, finishing fifth and winning money for his charity. He has also completed several half-marathons and a full marathon.

Helping Others (Philanthropy)

Drew Carey is a strong supporter of libraries. He says that libraries helped him start his successful comedy career. In 2000, he won $500,000 on a celebrity version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and gave it to the Ohio Library Foundation. He later won more money for the Cleveland Public Library.

In 2007, he offered to donate money to a charity if anyone could beat him at the video game FIFA Soccer 07. He challenged players from the U.S. Men's and Women's National Soccer Teams. He ended up donating $100,000, plus an extra $60,000 for losing some games.

In 2009, he offered to donate $1 million to the Livestrong Foundation if his Twitter account reached one million followers.

Drew Carey's Film and TV Work

Carey has appeared in many TV shows and a few movies.

Movies

Television Shows

Music Videos

Awards and Honors

Carey's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Entertainment and Media

• 1994: Cable Ace Award for Best Writing: Drew Carey: Human Cartoon
• 1998: Satellite Award for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy Series
• 2000: People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Television Performer
• 2004: Ranked #84 on Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time

Sports

• Two-time MLS Cup champion (as co-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC - 2016, 2019)

Military

• 2021: United States Navy Memorial Foundation Lone Sailor Award

Halls of Fame

• 2003: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• 2011: WWE Hall of Fame

Special Honors

• 2000: Honorary degree from Cleveland State University

See also

In Spanish: Drew Carey para niños