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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.