Drew Carey doesn’t see his time performing hosting duties for The Price Is Right to end any time soon. The comedian/actor has been a part of the much-beloved game show since 2007, and he has found a niche for himself following in the footsteps of the legendary Bob Barker. In fact, if it’s up to him, Carey wants to continue being the face of the CBS program until his heart stops pumping and his brain ceases.
One perhaps would not blame Drew Carey if he were to say that his time as the host of The Price Is Right is numbered, as doing anything for the better part of two decades is an impressive run, but the reality is that the opposite is true. TV Insider recently asked him how he feels about being the longest-serving game show host currently on air (with Pat Sajak having recently retired from Wheel Of Fortune), and Carey offered his career goal as part of his response:
I just show up and punch the clock and hope I have a job every day. I don’t think in terms of I’m the longest one. I do have a goal: I want to keep going until I die. This is my 18th season. I’ve got to get the 35 and 41 so I can catch Bob Barker and Pat Sajak.
As noted by Drew Carey, Bob Barker hosted The Price Is Right for 35 years and Pat Sajak hosted Wheel Of Fortune for 41 seasons, so he has a long way to go before he catches up to both of them. Carey is now 66 years old, so he’ll have to be hosting when he’s 83 to catch up to Barker and 89 to catch up to Sajak. Coincidentally, Barker retired at 83 (though Sajak is only 77).
Drew Carey was asked if his declaration meant that he never planned to retire, and he explained how his perspective on the job has changed over the years (seemingly ending with a joke to aid future contract negotiations). Said Carey,
Before, I was like, ‘Can I make it to five years? Can I make it to the end of my contract? Can I make it 10 years?’ The longest I’d been on TV was The Drew Carey Show, nine years. Once I hit 10 years here, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s the longest I’ve ever had a job in my life. It’s such just a great part of my day, my year, my life. I can’t imagine giving it up.’ I don’t like CBS to know that [Laughs], but it’s going to be a few years ’til my next contract negotiation. So maybe forget I said this. I can quit anytime I want!
If your personal dream is to host The Price Is Right, you may want to put that dream on ice for a bit, as it doesn’t seem like Drew Carey is going anywhere for a while.
The Price Is Right airs daily on CBS, and fans can watch the most recent season of the show with a Paramount+ subscription.
Source Agencies
