The Jordan Harbinger Show
1153: Drew Carey | The Price Is Right, But These Stories Are Priceless
Tue, 13 May 2025
The Price Is Right host and comedy legend Drew Carey dishes on his journey from counting pennies in Cleveland to making millions in Hollywood!Jordan's must reads (including books from this episode): AcceleratEdFull show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1153What We Discuss with Drew Carey:Drew Carey experienced extreme financial hardship before fame, counting pennies, putting only $2 of gas in his car at a time, and eating macaroni with water instead of milk because he couldn't afford both butter and milk.Drew's appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1991 was career-defining. He had visualized the entire sequence in real-time the night before, and it happened exactly as he'd dreamed it, including Carson's "You're funny as hell" comment.Comedians often become less funny as they get more successful because wealth insulates them from the everyday frustrations that fuel comedy. When you're rich, you lose touch with common annoyances that connect you to your audience.The "perfect bid" incident on The Price is Right wasn't cheating, but exposed how the show had become predictable. Super-fans memorized prices from the limited rotation of items, leading to changes in how the show operates.Growth mindset is essential for staying relevant and happy. Drew still attends EDM music festivals, keeps up with new slang, and constantly looks to learn and evolve: "Once you stop growing, that's the end of you."And much more...And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:AcceleratEd: Jordan’s must reads (including books from this episode)The Cybersecurity Tapes: thecybersecuritytapes.comSimpliSafe: 50% off + 1st month free: simplisafe.com/jordanOura Ring: 10% off: ouraring.com/jordanAirbnb: airbnb.com/hostAudible: audible.com/jhs or text JHS to 500-500See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: Who is Drew Carey and what is his background?
I enrolled in Kent State. I filled out the paperwork.
I bet they love you now, though. Like, oh, that Drew Carey is one of ours, kind of.
One year they honored me and put me in the homecoming parade, and I think I got an honorary degree and met the president of the— This is the only degree I have from Kent State now. Yeah. They really treated me right once I got famous and had money.
They get the business angle of things. They're selling shirts with Drew Carey, went to Kent State on the front in the gift shop. They should. Leave money on the table. Damn it. You kept that Marine Corps haircut for a long time in your career, or the pseudo-Marine Corps.
Well, I was in the reserves when I started doing stand-up. I was just at the end of my sixth year. About to finish up my sixth year in the Marines when I was like, okay. And then when I decided to do my first amateur night, that's just how I had my hair. That was once a month. The drill was once a month. What are you going to do? You can't grow your hair out. So that was just my haircut.
And then the glasses. The Marine Corps, I don't know what they do in the Army. In the Marine Corps, they call them BCGs, birth control glasses. That's what the drill instructor called it. That's what every other Marine called it. I don't know why they officially just don't call them that. But even when you're getting ready... Don't forget your BCGs. I got to go get new BCGs.
Nobody would just say glasses. Oh, God, that's really funny. It became a part of your brand, right? Well, that's how I look. And the thing is, back then I was broke, stone broke. Paycheck to paycheck, shift to shift when I was waiting tables. I had cash on Friday that lasted the next week when I got cash tips. And that's how I was living, literally counting my pennies.
I had a journal where I would keep track of everything. Like one of those little accounting journals you'd buy at the CVS or Walgreens. back then. And I keep track of every expense, pack of gum. I knew down to the penny and the change in my pocket. Good for you. How much I had. Wow. That's how broke I was. You don't do that now, I assume. No. Okay.
I have a general idea, but that's what I did back then. And like, I remember with my brother, back then it was like the oil embargo. Suddenly, we were learning about drafting behind trucks on the freeway, getting an extra couple miles a gallon.
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Chapter 2: How did Drew Carey overcome financial hardship before fame?
Yeah. A little, but not that. My brother's an engineer, and we were obsessive about keeping track of our miles per gallon. Yeah. made like a game of it. I wouldn't fill it up. I didn't have that money.
Who could afford to fill up the, yeah, I wonder what the price equivalent was.
$2 worth. I need a gallon of gas to last me this next couple days, and I'm getting 30 miles per gallon. I need to get 30 miles today. So let me just get my dollars worth, or two gallons, and I would hand the guy two $1 bills. That's just how I lived. I need enough to get me through to the next time I can afford to put five bucks in. I really felt like a big shot if I could fill it up.
Yeah. It was two bucks worth, five bucks worth. You mentioned that you used to eat macaroni and cheese, but you just put water in it. That's all I could afford. That's crazy.
I lived in Vegas for a time, and I was just, again, stone broke, counting change in my pocket, and I would have enough change... And spare cash to get a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. And then I would buy like the quarter stick of butter. But I couldn't afford the little pint of milk. Or I could afford the pint of milk.
You got to choose one. You got to pick one. I think the butter does it better than the milk.
And then I would use water instead of milk.
When you made it, did you get those shells with the Velveeta that you could squeeze out of the foil bag?
It's the story. The punchline is once I got on the Drew Carey show and made money, I would buy Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Deluxe. Liquid cheese you squeeze out of the foil. No mixing. And I'm rich, bitch. Who knows what chemicals are in there? Didn't even care.
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Chapter 3: What was Drew Carey's experience on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson?
And I'd already had three Pepsis at work all day and crashed after every show. And then feet would be hurting. And then I'd get home. Crack open another Pepsi. Oh, at night? Oh, man.
Oh, yeah.
Doritos, ranch dip. Ooh, that sounds good. Something Twizzler, something like that. Watch TV, have a beer, have a couple beers, and then go to bed. And I wouldn't be able to sleep, so I was taking Ambien, and I would take one.
My friend Roseanne said they make you racist.
I think Ambien is like the work of the devil, honestly.
You hear about people driving and they're like not remembering how they got somewhere and they were asleep.
And I would end up having to take, I don't know if I had to, but I think I did, taking two Ambien's just to sleep. And then I'd get up exhausted. Couldn't wait to get a coffee in me. And that's how I lived. That's scary. And to me, that was like, oh, this is what everybody does. You're probably not too far off. I think a lot of people do that. And I'm at the Gap buying clothes.
I had such a stupid mindset. Like, I bought everything from the Gap because in my head, this is only temporary. So why am I going to invest in expensive clothes when I'm going to lose this weight in a few months anyway? So I just buy Gap clothes. I knew it fit me. It was fine. I was just going to work and who cares? And if they were selling XXLs, that's...
normal because it's hey it's at the gap it means i'm still a normal person's side i'm not over the limit i have to go to the big and tall place right that was in my head i remember going to urban outfitters once i only style up a little bit and i went to urban outfitters and the biggest waste they sold was like 36 i was like these motherfuckers was the only kids allowed to buy hair and sell the clothes to adults i was really like okay fine you're not getting my money yeah yeah
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Chapter 4: How do comedians stay funny despite success and wealth?
Chapter 5: What is Drew Carey's approach to engaging audiences on The Price is Right?
Chapter 6: What is the story behind the 'perfect bid' incident on The Price is Right?
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This episode of The Jordan Harbinger Show has some explicit language, so if you're offended by that, well, skip to the next one. And mom, it wasn't me. It was the guest. Coming up next on The Jordan Harbinger Show.
And I'm acting like an idiot, just like drunk out of my mind. Fucked up drunk, but in a really good, happy way. Like, we got to do something with Drew. And somebody had the idea, let's put Drew in a wheelchair and wheel him out of here. So they got the Disney guy to get a wheelchair, put me in the wheelchair, and they're going to wheel me out of there, which they do.
And I'm in the chair just like fireworks going off.
Welcome to the show. I'm Jordan Harbinger. On The Jordan Harbinger Show, we decode the stories, secrets, and skills of the world's most fascinating people and turn their wisdom into practical advice that you can use to impact your own life and those around you.
Our mission is to help you become a better informed, more critical thinker through long-form conversations with a variety of amazing folks, from spies to CEOs, athletes, authors, thinkers, and performers, even the occasional organized crime figure, war correspondent, or neuroscientist.
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Just visit jordanharbinger.com slash start or search for us in your Spotify app to get started. Today on the show, the one and only Drew Carey, comedy legend, host of The Price is Right. This episode is really full of funny stories from a long career in Hollywood and comedy, plenty of laughter, and of course, inside baseball on one of the most popular game shows of all time.
I wondered, and of course asked him if anybody had ever cheated on The Price is Right or tried to, some hard times in his career, and his love for raves and partying, which I did not see coming at all. Of course, I wanted to hear about the downsides, how he handled rejection, setbacks, and a I feel compelled to say, Drew Carey, come on down. You look good for, are you 66? Wow. I'll be 67 in May.
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Chapter 8: What are Drew Carey's memorable stories from comedy and game show experiences?
Oh, no, he did.
He never said the word fuck. There, you want me to not say the word fuck? This is what's going to happen. Oh, man. You give me complete freedom or I'll tank my career. It's like a political statement almost, yeah. And he never got as famous here as in England. Like wildly popular in England. Huh. But here he was popular with comics and people in the know and people that were hip to him.
Yeah, it's like a comics comic. Yeah.
Yeah. There was no Bill Hicks sitcom because the people were like, what do we do with you?
Yeah. The networks are probably like, yeah, just make sure he doesn't say, oh, wait a minute.
No, not that guy. He would just be arguing all the time with the writers about how he can't talk about what he wants to talk about.
Yikes. Yeah, no.
How can I talk about drugs and how they should be legal? You do that now? Yeah. He had a great bit about how great drugs were. You never hear that from people, do you? Jeez. Drugs are great.
Yeah.
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