Career Timeline of Drew Carey: Major Achievements and Milestones
Discover the career path of Drew Carey, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Drew Carey is an American comedian, actor, and game show host. He achieved recognition after his service in the U.S. Marine Corps, transitioning into stand-up comedy before starring in his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show. He also hosted Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Carey has since appeared in various films, television series, and other media. Since 2007, he has been the host of the game show The Price Is Right.
1980: Enlistment in the Marine Corps Reserve
In 1980, Drew Carey enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
1983: Move to Las Vegas
In 1983, Drew Carey moved to Las Vegas and worked as a bank teller and waiter.
1985: Start of comedy career
In 1985, Drew Carey began his comedy career after being encouraged to learn how to write jokes.
1988: Star Search Competition
In 1988, Drew Carey gained his first national exposure by competing in the Star Search competition.
November 1991: Appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
In November 1991, Drew Carey appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", receiving the rare honor of being invited to sit on the couch next to Carson.
1993: Film Appearance in Coneheads
In 1993, Drew Carey appeared in the film "Coneheads", marking one of his first forays into film.
1994: Co-starring in The Good Life
In 1994, Drew Carey co-starred with John Caponera in "The Good Life", a short-lived sitcom on NBC.
1994: Drew Carey: Human Cartoon
In 1994, Drew Carey wrote and aired his stand-up comedy special, "Drew Carey: Human Cartoon" on Showtime, which later won a CableACE Award.
September 13, 1995: Premiere of The Drew Carey Show
On September 13, 1995, "The Drew Carey Show" premiered on ABC, revolving around a fictionalized version of Drew Carey.
1997: Publication of Autobiography
In 1997, Drew Carey published his autobiography, Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined. In the book, Carey shared memories of his early childhood, his father's death, being molested, suffering bouts of depression, and making suicide attempts. It was featured on The New York Times bestseller list for three months.
November 1998: Contract with A&W Terminated
In November 1998, Drew Carey's two-year contract with A&W Food Services of Canada was cut short after an episode of "The Drew Carey Show" featured McDonald's, leading Carey to sue A&W for compensation.
1998: Hosting Whose Line Is It Anyway?
In 1998, Drew Carey began hosting the American version of the improvisational comedy show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and was inducted into the New York Friars' Club.
1999: Debut of Sounds Dangerous!
In 1999, "Sounds Dangerous!", a 12-minute attraction featuring Drew Carey, debuted at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in Walt Disney World Resort. The attraction has since closed.
1999: "It's All About the Pentiums" Music Video
In 1999, Drew Carey appeared in "Weird Al" Yankovic's music video for "It's All About the Pentiums".
May 2, 2000: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Celebrity Edition
On May 2, 2000, Drew Carey selected the Ohio Library Foundation to receive his $500,000 winnings from a celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
2000: Cameo in The Sims
In 2000, Drew Carey made a cameo appearance in the House Party expansion pack of the computer game "The Sims".
2000: Debut of Geppetto
In 2000, the television film "Geppetto", an adaptation of Pinocchio, debuted on "The Wonderful World of Disney", featuring Drew Carey.
January 21, 2001: Entry in Royal Rumble
On January 21, 2001, Drew Carey entered the Royal Rumble match as Vince McMahon's guest entrant.
2001: Royal Rumble Participation
In 2001, Drew Carey became the first television actor to enter the World Wrestling Federation's 30-man "Royal Rumble" match to promote an improv comedy pay-per-view. He eliminated himself after a brief encounter with Kane.
2002: White House Correspondents' Dinner Entertainment
In 2002, Drew Carey provided the entertainment for the Annual White House Correspondents' Dinner.
September 2003: Comedy Tour of Iraq
In September 2003, Drew Carey led a group of comedians on a comedy tour of Iraq.
2003: World Poker Tour Celebrity Edition
In 2003, Drew Carey competed in the first celebrity edition of the World Poker Tour. He finished fifth, winning $2,000 for his charity.
2004: Co-Production and Starring in Drew Carey's Green Screen Show
In 2004, Drew Carey co-produced and starred in "Drew Carey's Green Screen Show" for the WB's prime time schedule.
2004: "Mexican Wine" Music Video
In 2004, Drew Carey made a cameo in Fountains of Wayne's video for "Mexican Wine", introducing the video as if on stage.
2005: Drew Carey's Green Screen Show picked up by Comedy Central
In 2005, "Drew Carey's Green Screen Show" was picked up by Comedy Central after being cancelled by the WB.
2005: Appearances in Robots, The Aristocrats and Fuck
In 2005, Drew Carey appeared in three films: he did a voice-over for the character Crank in the animated film "Robots", retold a joke in "The Aristocrats", and was interviewed in the documentary "Fuck".
2006: Cancellation of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
In 2006, "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", hosted by Drew Carey, was canceled after running for 220 episodes.
2006: Appearance at FIFA World Cup
In the summer of 2006, Drew Carey attended the FIFA World Cup in Germany for his television show, Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures. He can sometimes be seen on the sidelines of U.S. National Team soccer games as a press photographer, selling his images via wire services under the pseudonym Brooks Parkenridge.
June 2007: FIFA Soccer 07 Challenge for Charity
In June 2007, Drew Carey offered to donate up to $100,000 to the Mooch Myernick Memorial Fund if anyone could beat him at the video game FIFA Soccer 07 for the Xbox 360. He ended up donating $160,000.
August 7, 2007: Premiere of Power of 10
On August 7, 2007, Drew Carey hosted the premiere of the CBS game show "Power of 10".
August 15, 2007: Taping first episode of The Price Is Right
On August 15, 2007, Drew Carey taped his first episode as the new host of "The Price Is Right".
October 15, 2007: Drew Carey's debut on The Price Is Right
On October 15, 2007, Drew Carey's shows began airing, marking his official debut as the host of "The Price Is Right".
2007: Hosting The Price Is Right
In 2007, Drew Carey began hosting the game show "The Price Is Right" on CBS, marking a significant career milestone.
January 23, 2008: Final airdate of Power of 10
On January 23, 2008, the last episode of "Power of 10" aired; Drew Carey hosted this game show on CBS.
October 2009: Bidding for @drew Twitter Account
In October 2009, Drew Carey made a bid of $25,000 in a charity auction for the @drew Twitter account, later increasing his offer to $100,000 if his follower count reached 100,000 by the end of the auction.
December 31, 2009: $1 Million Livestrong Donation Pledge
On December 31, 2009, Drew Carey pledged to donate $1 million to the Livestrong Foundation if his follower count reached one million.
April 2, 2011: WWE Hall of Fame Induction
On April 2, 2011, Drew Carey was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Kane.
2011: Hosting Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza
In 2011, Drew Carey began hosting "Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza", a primetime improv show filmed in Las Vegas that features performers from Whose Line? and Drew Carey's Green Screen Show.
2011: WWE Hall of Fame Induction
In 2011, Drew Carey was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
2013: Whose Line Is It Anyway? returns
In 2013, "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" returned with Aisha Tyler as host.
March 4, 2014: Announcement of Dancing with the Stars Participation
On March 4, 2014, it was announced that Drew Carey would be competing on season 18 of "Dancing with the Stars", where he was partnered with Cheryl Burke.
September 2014: Reward for Ice Bucket Challenge Perpetrators
In September 2014, Drew Carey offered $10,000 to help find the perpetrators of a faked "ice bucket challenge" that involved an autistic 15-year-old Ohio boy being showered with feces, urine, tobacco spit, and cigarette butts.
August 2018: Weekly Show on SiriusXM
In August 2018, Drew Carey transitioned his monthly show on SiriusXM's Little Steven's Underground Garage radio channel into a weekly show called "The Friday Night Freak Out", airing every Friday.
2018: NCIS Appearance
In 2018, Drew Carey appeared in an episode of NCIS as a retired Marine sergeant, which was his last rank in real life. The show featured real pictures of Carey in his Marine dress blues and everyday attire.
2020: The Masked Singer Contestant
In 2020, Drew Carey was a contestant on season three of The Masked Singer, disguised as "Llama." The costume had a centaur-like build, and he was the second contestant eliminated.
2021: Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Participant
In 2021, Drew Carey participated in Celebrity Wheel of Fortune alongside Teri Hatcher and Chrissy Metz. While he won the first bonus round against his competitors, he failed to solve the final puzzle.
2022: 15th Anniversary as Host of The Price Is Right
In 2022, Drew Carey celebrated his 15th anniversary as the host of "The Price Is Right".
March 24, 2023: Experimenting with AI Voice Clone
On March 24, 2023, Drew Carey experimented with an AI clone of his voice on his "The Friday Night Freak Out" Underground Garage radio show. He used a beta version of ElevenLabs and ChatGPT-generated jokes, but the audience preferred his genuine voice.
April 21, 2023: Featured in The Game Show Show Documentary
On April 21, 2023, it was announced that Drew Carey would be featured in an upcoming four-episode documentary by ABC News titled The Game Show Show, covering the history of game shows in America.
May 10, 2023: Premiere of The Game Show Show
On May 10, 2023, the four-part documentary The Game Show Show, featuring Drew Carey, premiered on ABC News. The documentary covers the history of game shows in America over eight decades.
2023: Support for WGA Strike
During the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Drew Carey arranged to pay for free meals for striking writers at two Los Angeles restaurants.
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