The Story Behind Why Drew Carey Kept His Military Haircut For So Many Years

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Drew Carey has become a notable name in showbiz, starting with his standup comedy then continuing with The Drew Carey Show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and The Price is Right. What not everybody may know about the comedian/actor/game show host is that he was in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years, resulting in a military haircut that ultimately stuck for him… whether he liked it or not.

The star, who ranks on the list of popular celebrities who are from Ohio, joined Stephen Colbert on The Late Show to explain why he sported the same haircut for many years. After sharing with the late night host that he was in the Marine Reserves for six years, starting when he was just 22 until getting out in 1986, he went on:

I got out a few months after I started doing standup. The whole time I was in the Reserves, you still have to keep your hair cut short even though it’s once a month, so I never really got to grow my hair out ever… I always promised myself I was gonna grow my hair down to my butt as soon as I got out of the Marine Corps, because I can’t believe that I always had to keep it short all the time. So I started doing standup and I had my BCGs – my Marine Corps glasses – on and my suit and my buzz cut when I first started doing amateur nights. And it caught on, and I was like, ‘Aw, man.’ I was stuck with this. [laughs]

(Image credit: Johnny Carson)

The military style haircut wasn’t due to Drew Carey just really liking the look, but because he got his break before he was out of the Marines and free to grow his hair as long as he liked. As fans of The Drew Carey Show know (which ran for nine seasons from 1995-2004), he had that look for quite a long time after 1986. He mixed it up a bit once he started on The Price is Right, which he was – to quote the host – determined to not “let the show be canceled with me.”

Of course, the show certainly hasn’t flopped with him, given that Carey has been hosting the iconic game show since 2007 and successful enough that he was feeding writers throughout the long WGA writers strike… without needing to keep his hair military-length! In his interview with Stephen Colbert, the Late Show host recalled Carey’s first appearance on The Late Show when Johnny Carson was still hosting, and he commented on his look. Take a look at the Carson debut from back in 1991!

Drew Carey got his start in comedy clubs, and he actually met the late, great Bob Sagat at a local club in Cleveland, Ohio. Following Sagat’s death, Carey shared how much the Full House star supported him… and how attending a taping of the sitcom led him to miss his first Tonight Show performance. He has come a long way from his days in the Marine Corps, although he was still sporting short hair when he played a Marine on NCIS back in 2018.

You can see Drew Carey’s current ‘do with new episodes of The Price is Right on weekdays on CBS. Episodes of the current Season 52 are also available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.