Drew Carey is a multi-millionaire American actor, comedian, and television personality. He is best known for his portrayal of Drew Carey on “The Drew Carey Show” and as the innholder of “The Price is Right.”
He was one of the highest-paid performers in the world during his tenure on The Drew Carey Show, obtaining the inflation-modified match of $1 million every episode.
Early Years and Career Initiation
Drew Allison Carey was born on May 23, 1958, was raised as the youngest of three kids. He passed his schooling at James Ford Rhodes High School in 1975, when he was a marching band trumpet player. He resumed his study at Kent State University, where he was dismissed twice for academic failure.
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After three years, he left the institution and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1980. For six years in Ohio, he acted as a Marine as a field radio operator.
He started his career in comedy in 1985 when his buddy David Lawrence recommended he borrow books on creating jokes from the library. In 1986, after winning an open mic contest, he was named Master of Ceremonies at the Cleveland Comedy Club.
His subsequent years were spent performing in Cleveland and Los Angeles comedy clubs.
Career in Acting
Carey initially achieved national attention as a comedian in 1988, when he featured on the program “Star Search,” followed by performances on “The Tonight Show castingJohnny Carson.”
“Drew Carey: Human Cartoon” premiered on Showtime in 1994 and earned him a CableACE Award for Best Writing.
His breakthrough in stand-up comedy enabled him to gain minor parts in television series and films like “Coneheads” (1993) and “The Good Life” (1994).
Carey co-created the narrative for “The Drew Carey Show” with writer Bruce Helford, a comedy centered on a fictitious version of Carey. It made its television debut on ABC in September 1995.
It initially drew strong ratings but was discontinued due to dwindling viewership and rising production costs (about $3 million each episode). It aired a total of 233 episodes over its nine-year span.
He started working on other projects while appearing in “The Drew Carey Program,” including the improvised comedy series “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” in 1998.
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He served as both host and player on the program; he introduced the improv guests, led the games, and often took part in the final episode.
The series aired for 220 episodes until being canceled in 2006. Additionally, he co-produced and acted in “Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show,” a spin-off of “Whose Line?” that was taken up by Comedy Central after being canceled by the WB.
He built on the popularity of “Whose Line?” by presenting the primetime improv program “Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza,” which was shot at Las Vegas’s MGM Grand.
It was based on “Whose Line?” and included several original cast members’ improv based on audience suggestions.
Drew Carey Net Worth, Earning, and Salary
Drew Carey was one of the world’s highest-paid comedians. He made $45 million from his many ventures in 1998 alone. That equates to around $70 million now, adjusted for inflation.
He got $750,000 every episode of “The Drew Carey Show” from 2001 and 2004. That equates to about $1 million each episode now. At that pace, he shot 79 episodes, which equates to $59,250,000 (before inflation) for the final three seasons.
Each year, he makes $12.5 million as the host of “The Price is Right.” That is enough to place him among the world’s top 20 highest-paid television hosts.
