Drew Carey's Net Worth: How Much Is The Price Is Right Host Worth?

Odds are, you know Drew Carey. You probably know him from a number of different places, as his impressive entertainment career stretches back to the mid-1980s. But beyond that, he's established himself as somewhat of a figure of the American zeitgeist, with his infallible love of Cleveland, his signature glasses, and his success in multiple forms of classic television.

Drew Carey's main business model is laughs. He started out doing stand-up before making it big with his own sitcom. From there, he continued to dominate the airwaves, taking over the position as the host of the "The Price Is Right" when Bob Barker retired. Like everything Carey touches, he's made the daytime TV staple his own.

Because he's consistently worked in the entertainment industry for decades, he's also made a lot of money. Drew Carey's salaries have been substantial, and this has made it possible for him to amass quite a fortune. According to Celebrity Net Worth, all of his success has led him to accrue an estimated net worth of $165 million. This is the journey he took on his road to that sum.

Before Drew Carey made people laugh via his stand-up career, he served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. He remained in service for six years, working as a radio operator attached to the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. Carey began working as a stand-up comic during his time in the service, which helped him earn the recognition he needed to become a star.

Of course, getting to that point wasn't easy, and he had to put in a lot of work to make it big. Serving in the USMC Reserves isn't a lucrative career — although Carey reached the rank of Sergeant, his pay in 1986 was probably $1,075.32 per month. As a result, Drew Carey's net worth these days has little to do with his time in the service. He did take away his signature look from the Corps, choosing to continue wearing what are unaffectionately referred to as "Birth Control Glasses" even after he had his eyes fixed with laser eye surgery.

It was his early work in stand-up comedy that started making him some money, though it was a pittance compared to his earnings now. Carey told Us Weekly that when he was 28-years-old and working primarily as a waiter to make ends meet, he "was once so broke" that he "had to give blood to get money for food." Carey put in the hours, and after a few years, he got his big break via a performance on "Star Search" in 1988 (above).

If your endgame is making lots of money, stand-up comedy probably isn't the quickest route. According to Comparably, the average annual salary in 2021 came to around $48,000. If the pay was similar in the 1980s, when Drew Carey was getting started, that was around $19,000 (adjusted for inflation), so he likely struggled to make a living telling jokes.

With what little cash he did have, Carey spent some on self-help books. One of his favorites is Zig Ziglar's "See You at the Top." Carey's performance on "Star Search" in 1988 brought him to national attention, and in 1991, he performed on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (shown above). He was one of the lucky few comics asked to sit on the couch next to Johnny, an honor Carey credits with building his career.

Carey continued working in stand-up after his "Johnny Carson" appearance, but with a much larger audience. Per his CBS bio, he appeared in an HBO special highlighting young comedians in 1991 and was given his own, "Drew Carey: Human Cartoon," which premiered on Showtime. It's difficult to ascertain the exact salary Carey earned for his own special, but according to The New York Times, a Comedy Central special only paid around $15,000 in 2012.

Drew Carey's transition from stand-up comedy to dominating television came in 1995 with the premiere of "The Drew Carey Show." He had a few roles prior to the show's development, but they were minor in comparison to the success he had on his own show. According to CBS, he was pulling in $60,000 per episode when the show premiered. That salary continued for the first few seasons.

Carey wrangled a higher salary once the series hit its stride. His renegotiated salary jumped to $300,000 per episode, and since each season averaged around 25 episodes (some had one or two more or less), his salary in the show's fourth season was around $7.5 million per year. "The Drew Carey Show" continued for nine seasons, ending in 2004.

For the series' final season, Carey was earning up to $750,000 per episode or around $18.75 million for 25 episodes. Drew Carey's continued salary boosts and substantial paycheck during his sitcom years made him an A-lister and high-earner. He was featured on Forbes' list of highest-paid entertainers of 1998, coming in at #24 with $45.5 million (via Kitsap Sun). While still working on "The Drew Carey Show," Carey also launched an American version of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" — which was a major hit. The series ran for 220 episodes until 2007. Carey's salary for the show hasn't been disclosed, but it was clearly ample enough to boost his net worth substantially in 1998.

In 2007, Drew Carey took over as host of the long-running game show, "The Price Is Right." After initially turning down the role over fear of rejection, he ultimately accepted and started taping episodes for the Fall 2007 season of the show. Taking the reins from Bob Barker was no small task, which Carey acknowledged to CBS News, saying, "You can't replace Bob Barker. I don't compare myself to anybody... It's only about what you're doing and supposed to do, and I feel like I'm supposed to be doing this."

Drew Carey's work as the host of "The Price Is Right" has been exceptionally popular, and he's paid handsomely for his work. In 2012, he celebrated his 1,000th episode, and he clearly loves his job. At the time, he told the New York Post, "I didn't need the work, and I didn't need the money," but that doesn't mean he isn't paid a ton of cash to host the show.

When he signed on to fill Barker's shoes, Drew Carey was given "a $9 million signing bonus on top of a reported annual salary of $12 million," per the New York Post. Additionally, his schedule at the time had him only working alternate weeks, which means he made $12 million for about 26 weeks of work every year. As of this writing, Carey has been with the series for over a decade, and while he may have negotiated a higher salary, it hasn't been made public.

Drew Carey also has a keen and likely lucrative interest in sports photography, although you wouldn't know it from his photo credits. Using the alias "Brooks Parkenridge," Carey shot 109 photos at the US National Team soccer matches alongside professional press photographers in 2006. He explained the subterfuge on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" in 2013 as a safeguard against people "[buying] the pictures just because they're [by] me."

The same year he photographed the FIFA World Cup, Carey simultaneously filmed "Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures," a one-hour special for the Travel Channel about his photography of the event and European travel alongside the team. Carey's income from his photography venture hasn't been revealed, but according to ZipRecruiter, the average pay for a sports photographer is around $42,000 per year. Of course, not all sports photographers manage to land deals with the Travel Channel, so it's safe to say he's made a little more shooting soccer matches than the average shutterbug.

Carey's passion for photography continues, and it's something he has wanted to pursue for a long time. In 2005, he told Sports Illustrated, "If I wasn't a comic or TV star, my other dream job was to be a photojournalist." In 2010, he joined the National Press Photographers Association's National Board of Directors, so it's fair to say Drew Carey will be shooting sports photography and involving himself in the practice for as long as he can.

Like many people in his profession, Drew Carey has diversified his talent into other areas. He published an autobiography, "Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined," in 1997. ABC reported that the book remained on The New York Times bestseller list for three months, so Carey padded his net worth a bit with his debut book. We don't know exactly how much Carey made on the book's sales, but he reportedly scored a $3 million advance for writing it (via Reason.com). 

Outside of entertainment and publishing, Carey's financial interests became intertwined with his love of soccer when, in 2009, he became a part-owner of the Seattle Sounders. At Carey's request, the Sounders FC Alliance was created, with Carey sitting as the first honorary chairman. He also is the reason the team hired a marching band, making it the first MLS team to do so. Carey may only be a minority owner, but he certainly has some clout with the organization.

SB Nation's Sounder's blog reported that Carey's ownership of the Seattle Sounders started at 7.5% and increased to an unreported figure in 2019 — and some basic arithmetic reveals how much his initial share was worth. Forbes estimated the Sounders' worth in 2018 to be $310 million. Taking that estimate, 7.5% of $310 million is $23,250,000. Carey remains active with the organization, taking photos and handling Alliance business whenever necessary, so his financial interest in the football club should keep him invested for a long time.

Drew Carey has been a hot commodity for decades, and he's managed to sign some lucrative endorsement deals as a result. He's been paid to promote a number of products and companies over the years, but one deal, in particular, made headlines. Carey signed a six-figure, two-year contract with A&W Food Services in Canada, but he was fired in 1998 over an episode of "The Drew Carey Show."

In the episode, Drew wanders into a Mcdonald's for a meal while he's lost in China. According to E!, A&W saw this act as an affront to the deal signed with Carey. The company refused to pay out the contract and demanded Carey return the $450,000 he'd been paid up to that point. Not only did he refuse to do that, but he also sued the company for the $600,000 he was owed due to a recently-signed contract extension.

The A&W endorsement blew up on Carey, who told Esquire he "was really sad about that." Fortunately, he didn't shy away from endorsement deals due to the negative experience. Since breaking ties with A&W, Drew Carey has joined forces with numerous companies, including Walt Disney. He's promoted the company's parks, hotels, and attractions.

Drew Carey is generous with his money, and he's given a lot of it away to causes he's passionate about. In fact, Look to the Stars reports that throughout his career, he's supported Children Afflicted by AIDS Foundation, Children International, Mercy for Animals, Larry King Cardiac Foundation, and Save the Children.

There isn't a great deal of information as to how much money he regularly donates to these causes, but some philanthropic financial data has surfaced. In 2007, he challenged the US National Men's and Women's soccer teams to play Electronic Arts' FIFA '07. For every match he lost, he promised to donate $10,000 to charity. When the competition came to an end, Carey donated $160,000 to the Mooch Myernick Memorial Fund for losing two of the six games he played.

Drew Carey credits self-help books with the success of his career, so it's not surprising that he's also given money to libraries over the years. In 2000, he participated in the celebrity edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and won $500,000. Carey donated the money to the Ohio Library Foundation. He returned to the show a second time, playing for the same charity and won just $32,000, which he promised to match "out of [his] pocket." Similarly, Carey's appearance on "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" netted $55,550 for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. 

Drew Carey is a Libertarian. Although he's sometimes not that serious about his political views — Carey once tweeted, "My standard joke is that a Libertarian is a conservative who still gets high" — he's been outspoken about his beliefs, and he puts his money where his mouth is, often donating money to political campaigns he favors.

In terms of political contributions, Carey donated thousands to political campaigns since at least as far back as 2004, according to campaign finance watchdog site Open Secrets. Interestingly, in spite of Carey's admitted conservative slant, he's contributed to candidates across the political spectrum, including a $2,300 check to Libertarian Ron Paul in 2001, a $2,800 donation to Republican William F. Weld in 2019, and a $2,800 boost to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. 

While he has given money to state and national campaigns, Carey has also focused his political contributions around his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. In 2010, Cleveland.com reported on his support of Libertarian reform actions concerning Cleveland's administration of the West Side Market and the city's golf course, both of which were losing money at the time. Carey's support of Cleveland is also addressed via the Reason Foundation's online docuseries "The Drew Carey Project." However, it's unclear what he earns through this venture.

Drew Carey has been in the news for decades, and while you'll find articles about his generosity towards others, there's not a lot of mention regarding the things he spends his money on. He's not known for spending tons of cash on extravagant purchases. That said, one instance related to the World Cup nearly cost him a considerable sum in 2010. A tour company sued the comedian over a South African World Cup trip.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Carey reportedly requested tickets for some of the matches as well as "a 35-night stay at a 5-star resort." According to the lawsuit, the trip cost $376,930.13, but "Carey only paid for the tickets," and left the tour company on the hook for the resort bill. Carey's reps laughed off the tour company's claims as "ridiculous," and the outcome of the lawsuit is unclear.

For the most part, though, Carey seems to keep his spending at a responsible level. Or maybe he's just so busy with his myriad projects, he just doesn't have the time to spend money like crazy? Regardless, he's managed to avoid the more sensational celebrity extravagance headlines, like when Bono bought a $1,700 plane ticket for a hat or when Paris Hilton built a mansion for her dog. 

Information regarding Drew Carey's real estate holdings isn't widely available to the public. Still, he did reveal something interesting in a 2010 phone interview with Cleveland.com. He mentioned that while he lived in Los Angeles, California for work, he still owned a home in Cleveland. Specifically, he owns his childhood home in the city.

While the purchase price and address of the home aren't verified, Virtual Globetrotting.com, a site that relies on user-generated info, claims to have aerial shots of Carey's childhood abode. Zillow lists the 2021 value of the property at that address at $138,300. While that's not a home value most would associate with an A-lister like Carey, he does reportedly have one property in Los Angeles where he permanently resides, according to the same unverified outlet. According to Zillow, that home is worth around $2.5 million.

It's unclear if Drew Carey owns any additional properties, as this information isn't public. Regardless, his known real estate portfolio is only a drop in the bucket for a man whose net worth is estimated by Celebrity Net Worth to be an impressive $165 million.