Before becoming the presenter of ‘The Price Is Right,’ comedian Drew Carey rose to national prominence with his smash sitcom ‘The Drew Carey Show.’

Who Is Drew Carey?

Drew Carey went to comedy after serving in the Marine Corps, and his stand-up talent landed him a primetime sitcom, The Drew Carey Show. He was also the host of the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and now hosts The Price Is Right.

Early Life

Drew Allison Carey was born on May 23, 1958, to Beulah and Lewis Carey in Cleveland, Ohio. The youngest of three brothers, Carey became especially withdrawn when his father, a draftsman for General Motors, succumbed to a brain tumor in 1966. As a result, Carey asked for psychiatric care, but his mother, who was working multiple jobs to support the family, didn’t have time to help him seek out therapy.

Since there was a large age gap between Carey and his older brothers, the solitary, depressed boy was often left to his own devices. When the school day was done, he entertained himself with humor books, recordings of comedians and cartoons, and spent time with friends such as David Lawrence.

Education and Mental Health

Carey attended Rhodes High School and, as a trumpet and a coronet player, he was deeply involved in the marching band. After graduating in 1975, he enrolled in Kent State University, joined the Delta Tau fraternity, and became an avid board game player. However, Carey had difficulty with focus — he couldn’t decide on a major and still battled depression. By his junior year, Carey had attempted suicide at least once and had been expelled twice from Kent State. He eventually dropped out of college with the aim of pursuing a career as a stand-up comedian. As he traveled across the country and tried his luck, his depression worsened. In his early 20s, he attempted suicide again. Knowing he needed to work through his emotional problems, Carey returned home to Cleveland — his brother Roger paid for the ticket — and voraciously consumed self-help books.

Marine Corps

In 1980, while visiting his brother Neal in San Diego, Carey signed himself up for the Marine Corps Reserve, believing the armed forces would provide the structure he had been craving. During his six-year tenure, Carey developed physically and mentally and gained self-assurance and direction. He was so defined by this period of his life that it helped to develop his signature look — a military buzz cut and thick, black, standard-issue glasses — as well as his Libertarian leanings.

Early Comedy Career

In 1986, childhood friend, actor and radio personality Lawrence contacted Carey. At the time, Lawrence was a morning radio DJ, and he asked Carey to help him write comedy bits for the show. Carey’s contributions to the show buoyed his confidence even further, and with Lawrence’s encouragement Carey began to make the rounds on the local comedy circuit. By April, he’d won a competition at the Cleveland Comedy Club and began working as their regular emcee. In the following year, he made two notable appearances on TV talent show, Star Search. Over the next few years, he continued perform as much as possible, often shuttling between Ohio and Los Angeles. His persistence paid off, and in 1991 he bolstered his career with a celebrity-making appearance on The Tonight Show. The audience loved Carey, and his performance earned the respect of host Johnny Carson.