Drew Carey wants to host 'The Price Is Right' for life — has amassed a significant fortune from it

Earlier this year, when Pat Sajak left “Wheel of Fortune” after 41 seasons, Drew Carey became the longest-serving game show host on television, leading “The Price is Right” since 2007. Recently, Carey made it clear that he has no intention of following Sajak's lead and wants to smash his and Bob Barker's record by hosting Price Is Right for life. 

Drew Carey doesn't want to retire ever

The Price is Right has been a staple of American television since its inception in 1956. With Bob Barker at the helm for 35 years, the show witnessed unprecedented popularity and success. Thus, when Barker hung up his gloves, it marked a turning point for the show. 

Taking over the mic was famous actor/comedian, Drew Carey, and his arrival was met with some skepticism. However, Carey didn't just mark a change of faces but went on to transform the show's dynamics and presentation. 

He brought a unique persona and flair to the stage with his approach being distinctly different from his predecessors. Serving as the host since 2007, Carey has played an integral role in making The Price is Right a household name.

Despite a legendary run, Carey still has a long way to go before his tenure parallels his predecessor, Barker, or Sajak. Thus, Carey says he doesn't plan to let go of the mic any time soon. 

"I think Bob made a mistake by retiring," Carey told Entertainment Tonight. He clarified that he wasn't going to make the same mistake. "As long as my heart is ticking and they want me to be on the show, I think I'm gonna do The Price Is Right. I just love it. I'm not going anywhere," he added, stating that he was "made for" the job.

Earlier, Carey had expressed the same sentiment to TV Insider as well. Speaking to the publication, he mentioned that he plans to go after the records of Barker and Sajak. 'I do have a goal: I want to keep going until I die. This is my 18th season. I’ve got to get the 35 and 41 so I can catch Bob Barker and Pat Sajak," he said. 

This ever-hustling attitude of Carey is perhaps the key factor that has made Carey an evergreen figure in comedy and American television. This naturally has also added to his fortune as well. 

 Carey has an estimated net worth of $165 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Carey is best known for his role on "The Drew Carey Show" and as the host of "The Price is Right." At the peak of “The Drew Carey Show”, he was one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world for playing a fictionalized version of himself. He has also appeared in other shows like “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and films like “Geppetto” and more. In 2007, he became the host of "The Price Is Right," succeeding the legendary Bob Barker.

Carey was recently hailed as one of the heroes of the WGA writers’ strike for providing free meals to writers initiative. In May this year, he announced that he would be covering for meals for the duration of the strike. Now that the strike has ended, Carey is estimated to have paid about $500,000 for the initiative, as per Variety. 

Carey was one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world at his peak. As per Celebrity Net Worth, he made $45 million from his various endeavors in 1998 alone. Carey earned $750,000 per episode of "The Drew Carey Show" (same as around $1 million per episode today). With a total of 79 episodes, Carey earned an estimated $59,250,000 (before inflation) for the last three seasons as per the publication. Today, he earns about $12.5 million per year for hosting "The Price is Right," making him one of the 20 highest-paid TV hosts in the world.

Apart from TV shows, Carey has been a part of Disney's attraction "Sounds Dangerous!" and appeared in commercials for various companies. He also published his autobiography "Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined" in 1997 and briefly participated in professional wrestling as he entered the 2001 Royal Rumble of the WWE. In 2011, he was also inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Further, Carey was an early investor in the Seattle Sounders F.C. Major League Soccer team and owns about 7.5% of the team. As per estimates from Celebrity Net Worth, Carey’s stake was worth $51 million at the time of purchase.