With the retirement of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host Pat Sajak, Drew Carey became the longest-running sports show host after taking over for Bob Barker in 2007 — with no plans to retire.
Drew Carey He loves what he does and has no plans to stop anytime soon. The longtime host of The value is adequatewho took over in 2007 after By Bob Barker retirement, is now the host of an older sports program.
As he enjoys his 17th year behind the long-stemmed microphone, Carey opened up about how much he loves his job, some of the things he sees in many of the contestants and why he’s changed Barker’s traditional nod.
As we talk to TV InsiderHe joked that many of the times the contestants “Come on!” they’ve already started having fun. “It happens here regularly,” he shared. “They’ll eat a gummy bear, or I’ll smell alcohol on their breath. It’s common.”
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He then shared one man in particular who appeared “tripping on mushrooms.” Carey said: “He came with a bunch of friends. He was a sketch (comedy) man. Only Carey had no idea of the era – at least as far as the sketch’s background was concerned; he was probably sure this man was thinking about one thing.
“I found out later, after I went to UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) to hang around, they were usually like, ‘Did you see that man who claimed to be a skateboarding rabbi?’” Carey recalled. “I asked him what he did for a living. And he said, ‘I’m a skateboarding rabbi.’ He didn’t think he was going to be chosen, and he completely stumbled.”
Carey also opened up about why he took it upon himself to tweak Barker’s iconic signature line, which he continued for years and years. A true animal lover, Barker would always end his show by reminding his viewers to “spay and neuter your pets.”
Carey, however, gives this wise recommendation to The value is appropriate viewers, however, he has added something more that is meaningful to him. “Maintain yourself, especially your psychological health,” he says on the show. “It is so necessary. And I like you.”
As for why he puts these quotes out there every day, Carey explained, “It’s necessary for me. I’ve been through a tough few years and I wanted to put my mental well-being first. It’s been a huge help for me to try that and never give in to disappointment or sadness.”
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He shared that with the help of his therapist and doctor, he realized how one can “discover tools to not completely shut down. That’s all it is: ways and tools that you can learn to help your brain not burn out.”
“You can get into a habit of feeling down and not knowing how to get out. You normalize it, or you normalize feeling bad about yourself,” Carey added, explaining how easy it can be to slip into a dangerous place with your mental health.
“Life will be so much better with love, forgiveness, boundaries, speaking your mind, telling your facts and living your true life,” he said. “I really feel better about being here. So I move on.”
He also argued that there is still a stigma around talking about mental health, or even acknowledging it, with people not speaking out because “they don’t want to seem weak or entitled or be called, ‘Oh, this guy is being an idiot. He’s asserting his worth and he can’t take it anymore. Why doesn’t he just play alongside everyone else?’”
Now that he’s in a better place personally, Carey is clearly having the time of his life in what has become the longest job he’s ever had. He spent 9 years on his hit sitcom Drew Carey’s Gift and as host of Whose line is it anyway? (with most of these years occurring simultaneously).
Although he has said that he does not consider himself the longest-serving sportscaster, he has stated, “I have a purpose: I want to continue until I die.” Despite this, he joked that while he is in his 18th season, “I need to catch 35 and 41 so I can catch Bob Barker and Pat Sajak.”
He stated that while he used to worry about making it to the top of his contract, he then thought about 5 or 10 years. Once he reached that milestone, which surpassed his previous revelations, he declared, “Wow, this is the longest job I’ve ever had in my life. It’s just a good part of my day, my year, my life. I can’t think about giving up.”
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“I don’t like CBS knowing this,” he laughed. “However, it will be a few years until my next contract negotiation. So maybe I forgot to say that. I can stop whenever I want!”
That said, he says it’s a very enjoyable set to work with. He loves interacting with the contestants, saying, “They’re ordinary people living ordinary lives. This is ordinary America right here.”
“Ordinary people attract more attention than celebrities. Indeed,” she added. “They all had their own problems to overcome and their own demons to get their own lives. I learned more from them than from anyone else.”
Plus, he’ll join the viewers and everyone there rooting for the contestants to do well. “Everyone wants to see people win,” he said. “They’re thinking, ‘What would I do? What would I be like in their shoes?’ … It’s not my money — it’s CBS’s money, and we’re all trying to put it all together.”
The value is appropriate is currently in its 52nd season, airing weekdays on CBS, with regular primetime airings throughout the year.