Does Drew Carey’s $165 Million Net Worth Make Him The Richest Game Show Host?

Drew Carey net worth via: Instar images

Drew Carey has been in the entertainment industry for a long time. Once recognized for his acting and comedic skills, Carey is now widely recognized as a very successful TV game show host. A gig that started in 2007, when Carey took over the hosting duties of The Price Is Right over from Bob Barker, who decided to retire after hosting the hit game show since 1972.

While some had their doubts that Carey would be able to fill Barker’s shoes, he has done well with his hosting duties. Instead of trying to replace Barker, Carey has made The Price Is Right his own. But just how much cash has Drew Carey pulled in from his hosting duties, and how does he rank against other hosting greats?

Here’s how Drew Carey’s net worth stacks up against others in the industry (and how he built it up in the first place).

Updated January 2024: As the new year begins, so does another season of ‘The Price Is Right After Dark’. The game show began in 2023 and is also hosted by Drew Carey. As such, Drew may be expediting his timeline to becoming the richest game show host of all time, pulling double duty on both The Price Is Right, of which Season 52 premiered in September 2023 and The Price Is Right After Dark. Both game shows air on CBS.

Is Drew Carey The Richest Game Show Host?

Drew Carey has a net worth of $165 million

Drew Carey on the red carpetDrew Carey on the red carpetvia Instar

While he is one of the highest-paid game show hosts to ever grace television, Drew Carey isn’t the richest. With his net worth of $165 million, Drew has clearly amassed an impressive fortune. But he hasn’t caught up to the late Dick Clark, whose net worth at the time of his passing was $200 million.

But like Dick, Drew has had a varied career on TV. A lot of his earnings come from projects other than his game show hosting duties.

How Did Drew Carey Earn His Money?

Mainly Whose Line Is It Anyway? and The Drew Carey Show

Drew Carey on the red carpetDrew Carey on the red carpetvia Instar

So, how is Drew Carey so rich?

Prior to 2007, Carey wasn’t a game show host. Instead, he was widely recognized as an actor, and in fact, some people had reservations about him taking over on The Price Is Right. He also edged out an actress that a lot of people wanted to see nab the role.

But as it turned out, Drew was a great fit for the role, and his history on TV shows might have something to do with that. After all, Drew Carey had his own show for almost ten years, and he had a hand in producing most if not all of the 230+ episodes as well.

The cast of Whose Line Is It Anyway seems to delight in mocking the show’s host Drew Carey.

Drew was also on Whose Line Is It Anyway for ages, which was another way he was well-prepared for the game show hosting gig that would come later.

How Much Is Drew Carey Paid Per Episode?

Drew Carey is paid $1 million per episode of The Price Is Right

Drew Carey on the red carpetDrew Carey on the red carpetvia Instar

After many years in the industry, Drew now commands a high salary per episode of any show he appears on. But sources suggest he earns at least $1 million per episode on The Price is Right. Those earnings alone, which started back in 2007, explain Drew’s massive wealth.

But since he has producing, writing, and acting credits on his resume for most of the shows he’s been on, that likely helped round out his earnings. Acting alone likely earned him a high amount of cash per episode once his self-titled sitcom caught on back in the ’90s.

Drew Carey saw a steep increase in his salary on The Price Is Right after taking over from Bob Barker’s iconic hosting duties in 2007.

Rather than showing up on set and acting, Drew helps develop material and works behind the scenes, too, and he’s been doing it since the ’90s and even earlier.

How Did Drew Carey Become Famous?

Drew Carey on the red carpetDrew Carey on the red carpetvia Instar

Most younger generations recognize Drew as the host of The Price is Right. More mature generations remember him from The Drew Carey Show. But he earned a reputation as a stand-up comedian long before that.

In fact, Drew’s story began back in 1988 when he competed on Star Search. Before that breakthrough, he’d been performing comedy in clubs, writing jokes for friends’ projects, and MCing at a comedy club.

By entering the national spotlight, Carey was able to make the connections that later helped him launch his own show and remain in the public eye for long enough to nab a coveted game show hosting role.

Who Is The Richest Game Show Host On TV?

Merv Griffin is the richest game show host to date with a net worth of $1 billion when he passed

Merv Griffin on the red carpetMerv Griffin on the red carpetvia Instar

The richest host on TV was Merv Griffin, though he passed away in 2007. At that time, he was worth a staggering one billion dollars. He was 82 at the time of his passing and had a long list of shows under his belt, including Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

The thing is, Drew Carey is only in his 60s at this point, which means he may have a lucrative future yet ahead of him. Who knows, maybe he’ll rack up a few more game show host roles and catch up with the late Griffin’s worth.

Of course, he’d have to surpass a few others first, in order to get there.

Other higher-earning TV hosts include Steve Harvey (about $200 million) and Don Francisco, also worth $200 million, whose Spanish-language market Drew has very little hope of breaking into.

Although, since Don Francisco is already in his 80s, Drew has time to catch up. Steve Harvey, however, is around the same age as Drew, so the two may be competitors in the game show space for years to come.

Still, Drew has had a varied career so far, so it’s possible he’ll find other and lucrative opportunities to continue building his net worth.