The Truth About Drew Carey And Bob Saget's Relationship
The comedy world was dealt a blow on January 9 when it was announced that Bob Saget was found dead in an Orlando hotel room. Although Saget was best-known as dorky dad Danny Tanner on "Full House," he started out as a stand-up comedian and continued to work on that trade until his untimely death. "It's like, 'How can I be 60 and still love this so much?'" he said during a 2017 interview with the Tennessean. Saget's stand-up included foul-mouthed stream-of-consciousness insights that were always developing. "It's more 'me' than I've ever been on stage," he said of his routine in that same interview.
When news of Saget's death spread, many notable comics shared took to social media to mourn his loss, which showed how esteemed Saget was among his peers. "Everyone loved him in the community. EVERYONE," Ken Jeong tweeted while mentioning how "appreciative" Saget was for any favor done for him. "Still in shock. I just spoke with Bob a few days ago. We stayed on the phone as usual making each other laugh," veteran comic Gilbert Gottfried wrote. "A great friend and one of the funniest and sweetest people I have ever known," Billy Crystal tweeted.
One comedian who had an unexpectedly close friendship with Saget was Pete Davidson. In a statement via a friend's Instagram page, Davidson shared how Saget "helped [him] get through some rough mental health stuff." Similar to Davidson, Drew Carey was another comedian who had a surprising relationship with Saget.
Bob Saget took Drew Carey under his wing
Before Drew Carey became a professional comedian, he was a fan of Bob Saget's stand-up. "I would just go as a customer and seeing him when he was there, and he would pack the place," Carey told Entertainment Tonight on January 12. The "The Price is Right" host mentioned how Saget was tireless on stage and would often perform for over two hours, and come out for "five curtain calls."
Once Carey became a comic himself, Saget wound up having an impact on the early stages of his career. "I met him when I first started out, quite a few times, at a local comedy club in Cleveland," Carey told Entertainment Tonight. At one point, Saget invited Carey to a "Full House" taping. "That invitation to go see the taping, in some kind of weird way, really affected much of my career." Afterwards, Saget helped form the future "The Drew Carey Show" star's career. "He was very supportive and mentored me and gave me advice and was always so kind to me and nice," Carey added. The television host also beamed over Saget's personality and said people "became like instant friends" with him.
Quite fittingly, Saget's final tweet came after a stand-up show where he performed a marathon set. "Loved tonight's show @PV_ConcertHall in Jacksonville. Appreciative audience," Saget tweeted in the early hours of January 9. "I had no idea I did a 2 hr set tonight. I'm happily addicted again to this s**t," he added.