Drew Carey net worth is estimated at $165 million, built over decades through stand-up comedy, sitcom acting, game show hosting, and smart business investments. Drew Allison Carey is an American comedian, actor, game show host, television producer, screenwriter, photographer, and voice actor. He is best known for starring in The Drew Carey Show and hosting The Price Is Right on CBS.
Drew Carey’s career earnings come from 4 main income streams: his long-running sitcom The Drew Carey Show, his role as host of The Price Is Right, his improvisational comedy work on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and his 7.5% ownership stake in Seattle Sounders FC. His annual salary from The Price Is Right alone stands at $12.5 million, placing him among the 20 highest-paid TV hosts in the world.
This article covers Drew Carey’s complete financial journey from his early days performing at open mic nights in Cleveland to his peak earnings of $45 million in a single year. It also explores his business ventures, real estate, personal life, and his investment in Major League Soccer (MLS). For more celebrity financial profiles, check out Lauren Sanchez’s net worth for another fascinating story of wealth built through entertainment and media.
Quick Overview Table
| Category | Details |
| Full Name | Drew Allison Carey |
| Net Worth | $165 Million |
| Annual Salary | $12.5 Million |
| Birthdate | May 23, 1958 (Age 67) |
| Birthplace | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Profession | Comedian, Actor, Game Show Host, Television Producer, Screenwriter, Photographer, Voice Actor |
| Known For | The Drew Carey Show, The Price Is Right, Whose Line Is It Anyway? |
| Sports Investment | Seattle Sounders FC (7.5% ownership) |
What is Drew Carey’s Salary and Net Worth?
Drew Carey net worth is $165 million, with an annual salary of $12.5 million. He is one of the richest comedians in America and ranks among the richest celebrities in the entertainment industry.
Drew Carey built this wealth through a career spanning more than three decades, starting from small comedy clubs in Cleveland and growing into one of the most recognizable faces on American television.
At his career peak in 1998, Drew Carey earned $45 million in a single year from his various endeavors. After adjusting for inflation, that figure equals approximately $70 million in today’s money.
His time on The Drew Carey Show made him one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world, and his transition to hosting The Price Is Right kept that income steady and strong.
Beyond television, Drew Carey’s financial portfolio includes his ownership stake in the Seattle Sounders FC.
He has held 7.5% of the team since its founding, and that stake is now valued at approximately $51 million based on the team’s $700 million overall valuation.
The Price is Right Salary
Drew Carey earns $12.5 million per year hosting The Price Is Right. That salary makes him one of the 20 highest-paid TV hosts in the world. He took over the host role in October 2007, replacing the legendary Bob Barker who had hosted the show for 35 years.
Initially, viewers wondered how Drew Carey would fill Bob Barker’s shoes. Carey handled the transition smoothly, honoring the show’s traditions while bringing his own warm, comedic style to the role.
In 2017, he celebrated his 10th anniversary as host, becoming only the second person alongside Bob Barker to reach that milestone on the show.
Drew Carey’s hosting salary from The Price Is Right represents a consistent, long-term income source that has significantly contributed to his $165 million net worth.
For comparison with other top television earners, you can read about Courteney Cox’s net worth to see how TV careers translate into lasting wealth.
Career Beginnings and Early Life
Drew Allison Carey was born on May 23, 1958, and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, as the youngest of three sons. His father passed away from a heart attack when Drew was eight years old.
He graduated from James Ford Rhodes High School in 1975, where he played the trumpet in the school’s marching band.
Drew Carey attended Kent State University but was expelled twice for poor academic performance.
He left after three years and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Reserve in 1980. He served for six years as a field radio operator based in Ohio.
His military discipline and persistence would later shape his approach to his entertainment career.
His comedy career began in 1985 after his friend David Lawrence suggested he borrow books from the public library on how to write jokes. In 1986, Drew Carey won an open mic contest and became the Master of Ceremonies at the Cleveland Comedy Club.
Over the next several years, he performed at comedy clubs across Cleveland and Los Angeles, steadily building his reputation as a stand-up comedian.
Improv and Acting Career
Drew Carey first gained national recognition in 1988 when he appeared on Star Search. That appearance led to bookings on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman, giving him exposure to a nationwide audience for the first time.
His first stand-up comedy special, Drew Carey: Human Cartoon, aired on Showtime in 1994 and won a CableACE Award for Best Writing.
The special’s success opened doors to acting work, including a supporting role in the 1993 film Coneheads and a part in the sitcom The Good Life in 1994.
Together with writer Bruce Helford, Drew Carey developed The Drew Carey Show, a sitcom in which he played a fictionalized version of himself set in his hometown of Cleveland.
The show premiered on ABC in September 1995. It earned strong ratings in its first several seasons and ran for 9 years, producing a total of 233 episodes.
Production costs eventually reached around $3 million per episode, which contributed to its eventual cancellation due to declining ratings.
While starring in The Drew Carey Show, he also took on the improvisational comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? starting in 1998.
On the show, Drew Carey served as both host and occasional participant announcing improv guests, directing the games, and taking part in the final segment of each episode. The show ran for 220 episodes before it was canceled in 2006.
Drew Carey also co-produced and starred in Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show, a spin-off of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which Comedy Central picked up after it was initially canceled by the WB network.
He continued building on that success by hosting Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza, a primetime improv show filmed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 2023, it was announced that Drew Carey would appear in a four-episode documentary called The Game Show Show, covering the history of game shows in America.
Drew Carey Earnings Show Salary
At his peak, Drew Carey earned $45 million in 1998 alone from all his combined work. Adjusted for inflation, that equals roughly $70 million today. Between 2001 and 2004, he earned $750,000 per episode of The Drew Carey Show. That rate translates to approximately $1 million per episode in today’s money.
During that final three-season stretch, Drew Carey filmed 79 episodes of The Drew Carey Show at the $750,000-per-episode rate.
The total for those episodes alone came to $59,250,000 before inflation. That volume of high-value work placed him among the most financially successful actors in American television during that period.
To put his earnings in context with other comedians who turned entertainment into major wealth, check out Bert Kreischer’s net worth for a look at how a different comedy career path builds financial success.
Drew Carey Hosting Career
Drew Carey’s game show hosting career began in 2007. His first hosting role was on the CBS game show pilot Power of 10, which ran from August 2007 to January 2008. During the taping of that pilot, CBS contacted Drew Carey about replacing Bob Barker as host of The Price Is Right.
Drew Carey taped his first episode of The Price Is Right in August 2007, and those episodes began airing in October 2007.
The show’s long history and loyal audience meant the transition required careful handling. Drew Carey respected the show’s established format while naturally incorporating his personality, which viewers responded to positively.
In 2017, Drew Carey celebrated his 10th anniversary hosting The Price Is Right, a milestone that only Bob Barker had previously reached.
His consistent performance and strong audience ratings have kept the show running successfully under his leadership for nearly two decades.
Drew Business Ventures and Other Pursuits
Drew Carey began appearing in commercials in the late 1990s. He signed a two-year contract with A&W Food Services of Canada, but that contract was cut short in November 1998 after an episode of The Drew Carey Show featured McDonald’s.
Drew Carey sued the corporation for compensation following the contract’s early termination.
In 1999, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, part of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, debuted an attraction called Sounds Dangerous! that featured Drew Carey. The attraction ran for several years and gave his public profile additional reach outside television.
Drew Carey also published his autobiography, Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined, in 1997. The book offered a candid look at his life and earned strong readership.
In the world of professional wrestling, he briefly participated in WWE events entering the 2001 Royal Rumble and being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.
Seattle Sounders Investment
Drew Carey owns 7.5% of the Seattle Sounders FC, a Major League Soccer (MLS) team. He has held this ownership stake since the team’s founding, having purchased it for an undisclosed amount around the time of the club’s inception.
In June 2022, a new investor purchased a 3 to 5% stake in the Sounders from one of the other partners at a reported overall team valuation of $680 million. Based on that valuation, Drew Carey’s 7.5% stake was worth approximately $51 million at that time. The team’s current overall value is estimated at around $700 million.
This sports investment represents a significant and growing portion of Drew Carey’s overall wealth. His early entry into MLS ownership proved financially rewarding as the league’s popularity and franchise valuations have grown substantially.
For other celebrities who have diversified into sports and business, see Travis Kelce’s net worth for an example of an athlete who turned on-field success into a broader financial portfolio.
Drew Carey’s Home
Drew Carey lives in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, California. His home reflects the success he has built throughout his entertainment career.
The Hollywood Hills neighborhood is known for its elevated views of the Los Angeles skyline and the Pacific Ocean, and it is home to many high-profile celebrities and entertainment industry figures.
While Drew Carey has maintained a relatively low profile regarding the specific details of his real estate holdings, his Hollywood Hills residence represents a substantial property asset consistent with his $165 million net worth.
He has also maintained connections to Cleveland, Ohio, the city that shaped his character and became the backdrop for The Drew Carey Show.
Drew Carey Personal Life
Drew Carey was previously engaged to Nicole Jaracz from 2007 to 2012. He announced a second engagement to sex therapist Amie Harwick in January 2018. The couple ended their engagement later that year in November 2018.
In February 2020, Harwick was found dead in Hollywood Hills after a fall, and an ex-boyfriend was arrested on suspicion of her murder. The tragedy was widely covered in the media and deeply affected Drew Carey.
Outside of his personal relationships, Drew Carey is known for his activism on behalf of public libraries. He regularly donates time and money to keeping libraries open and accessible to communities.
Drew Carey is also an outspoken member of the Libertarian Party, which advocates for limited government and lower taxes a somewhat surprising combination given his strong support for publicly funded libraries.
To the viewing public, Drew Carey remains a warm, recognizable figure defined by his trademark spectacles, his connection to Cleveland, and his slightly self-deprecating on-screen persona.
For more on how everyday personalities built remarkable careers in entertainment, check out Danny Go’s net worth as another example of a media personality who connected deeply with audiences.
Drew Carey Career Earnings
Drew Carey’s career earnings come from multiple sources built up over more than 30 years in the entertainment industry. The table below outlines his key income figures:
| Source | Earnings |
| The Drew Carey Show (2001–2004) | $750,000 per episode |
| The Drew Carey Show (79 episodes total) | $59,250,000 (before inflation) |
| Peak single-year earnings (1998) | $45 million ($70 million inflation-adjusted) |
| The Price Is Right (annual salary) | $12.5 million per year |
| Seattle Sounders FC stake (7.5%) | ~$51 million (at $680M valuation) |
| Total Estimated Net Worth | $165 million |
These figures represent publicly available estimates. Drew Carey’s total financial picture also includes earnings from commercial contracts, book sales, comedy specials, voice acting work, and various other entertainment projects accumulated over his long career.
FAQs
How much does Drew Carey make per episode of Price is Right?
Drew Carey earns approximately $50,000 per episode of The Price Is Right, based on his annual salary of $12.5 million spread across the show’s roughly 250 episodes per season. The exact per-episode rate is not publicly confirmed, but the annual figure places his compensation well above most other television hosts.
What is Drew Carey’s annual salary for The Price Is Right?
Drew Carey’s annual salary for hosting The Price Is Right is $12.5 million. This makes him one of the 20 highest-paid TV hosts in the world and represents his primary active income source.
Does Drew Carey live in a mansion?
Drew Carey lives in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles. While the exact specifications of his home are not publicly detailed, the Hollywood Hills neighborhood is known for its large, high-value properties with panoramic views. His residence is consistent with his status as a celebrity with a $165 million net worth.
Who is Drew Carey’s partner?
Drew Carey does not have a confirmed current partner as of 2025. He was previously engaged to Nicole Jaracz from 2007 to 2012 and later engaged to Amie Harwick from January to November 2018. Amie Harwick passed away in February 2020 under tragic circumstances.
What type of car does Drew Carey drive?
Drew Carey’s specific vehicle preferences are not a topic he has frequently discussed in public interviews. He is known for maintaining a relatively private lifestyle away from celebrity car culture and does not prominently feature car ownership as part of his public persona.
What is Drew Carey’s IQ?
Drew Carey’s IQ has not been publicly disclosed or verified. No credible public sources confirm a specific IQ figure for Drew Carey. He has demonstrated strong creative intelligence throughout his career, successfully managing multiple projects as a comedian, producer, writer, and host simultaneously.
Why did Kate leave Drew Carey?
Kate, the character played by actress Kate Walsh in The Drew Carey Show, left the series as part of storyline changes during the show’s run. In real life, the departure was a creative decision tied to the show’s evolving storylines rather than any off-screen conflict. The Drew Carey Show made several cast adjustments over its 9-year, 233-episode run on ABC.
Does Drew Carey have any kids?
Drew Carey does not have any biological children of his own. He has spoken warmly about children in general but has not started a family of his own. During his engagement to Nicole Jaracz, he formed a close bond with her son Connor, whom he helped raise during that relationship.
How old is Drew Carey?
Drew Carey is 67 years old. He was born on May 23, 1958, in Cleveland, Ohio. He will turn 68 in May 2026.
How tall is Drew Carey?
Drew Carey stands 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) tall. His height has never been a prominent topic in his public life, as his personality, comedy style, and trademark glasses define his on-screen presence far more than his physical stature.
