With the retirement of “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak, Drew Carey becomes the longest-tenured sportscast host after taking over for Bob Barker in 2007 — with no plans to retire.
Drew Carey loves what he does and has no plans of stopping any time soon. The longtime host of The value is appropriatewho took over in 2007 after Bob Barker retirement, is now the oldest sports show host in the world.
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 changed Barker’s traditional farewell.
While talking 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 a graphic man who confirmed he was “on mushrooms.” Carey stated, “He came with a bunch of his friends. He was a sketch comedy guy.” Only Carey had no idea at the time — at least regarding the background of the sketch; he was probably sure this man was on to something.
“Later, when I went to UCB (Vertical Citizens Brigade) to hang out, I found out they were like, ‘Did you see that guy who claimed to be a skateboard rabbi?’” Carey recalled. “I asked him what he did for a living. And he said, ‘I’m a skateboard rabbi.’ He didn’t think he would be chosen and completely tripped up.”
Carey also explained why he decided to tweak Barker’s iconic approval, which he continued for years and years. A true animal lover, Barker always ended his program by reminding viewers “to spay and neuter your pets.”
Carey, however, gives this wise recommendation to The value is adequate viewers, but he puts in something extra that is meaningful to him. “Maintain, above all, your mental health,” he says on the program. “It is so necessary. And I like you.”
As for why he puts these phrases out there every day, Carey defined, “It’s necessary for me. I had been through a difficult few years and wanted to put my psychological well-being first. It was a great help for me to try this and never succumb 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 go completely down. That’s all it is: ways and tools that you can possibly learn to help your mind not go down the drain.”
“You could possibly get into a habit of feeling depressed and never understand how to get out. You normalize it, or you normalize feeling sick about yourself,” Carey added, explaining how easy it can be to slide into an unhealthy place along with your mental health.
“Life will be so much better with love, forgiveness, boundaries, expressing your thoughts, telling your facts and living your honest life,” he said. “I actually feel better about being here. So I move on.”
He also argued that there is still a stigma around talking about psychological well-being, or even acknowledging it, with individuals not speaking out openly because “they don’t want to appear weak or entitled or be called, ‘Oh, this man is being an asshole. He’s asserting his worth and won’t tolerate anything anymore. Why doesn’t he play along like everyone else?'”
Now that he’s in a better position personally, Carey is clearly having a great time 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 said he doesn’t consider himself the longest-serving sports talk show host, he stated, “I have a purpose: I want to keep going 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 said that while he worried about reaching the end of his contract, he thought about five or ten 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 such a great part of my day, my year, my life. I can’t think of quitting.”
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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 are normal people who maintain a normal life. This is normal in America right here.”
“Ordinary people get more attention than celebrities. In fact,” he 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’s able to connect with the audience and everyone in attendance rooting for the contestants to do well. “Everyone wants to see the individual win,” he said. “They’re thinking, ‘What would I do? What would I look like in their shoes? … It’s not my money — it’s CBS’s money, and we’re all trying to get it together.’”
The value is appropriate is currently in its 52nd season, airing weekdays on CBS, with regular primetime airings throughout the year.