Drew Carey Shares How Bob Barker Inspired Him
Bob Barker was a staple of the game show The Price is Right for many years. When he retired in 2007, comedian and actor Drew Carey took over and he knew he had big shoes to fill. While their hosting styles are inevitably different, Carey said that he was very inspired by Barker for his onstage presence. Barker recently passed away at the age of 99 from Alzheimer’s disease.
Carey shared, “He was so good at this. On ‘The Price Is Right’ stage, he was so good at relating to people and getting them to be relaxed and be themselves. You watch his demeanor and his attitude. He never seemed stressed. I’ve learned to relax while I’m onstage and not be so uptight about what’s going on. I just have to own the show and make it like my living room, because he was so comfortable in front of a camera. He always seemed in control [like] everything’s going to be fine. I don’t always think like that! But I can fake it through an hour.”
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After Barker’s death, Carey was involved in several tributes to the late star. He shared his own thoughts on social media and talked about Barker’s longtime love of animals and their rights. During his time on The Price is Right, Barker always used his sign-off to remind viewers to get their pets spayed and neutered. Carey wrote, “Very sad day for The Price Is Right family, and animal lovers all over the world. There hasn’t been a day on set that I didn’t think of Bob Barker and thank him. I will carry his memory in my heart forever.”
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Carey also hosted a special tribute episode that honored Barker and his many years of service. Barker had a 50-year career in television and was a huge part of the reason that the game show went on to be so successful. The show continues to air weekdays on CBS at 11 a.m. ET. The Price is Right at Night, the primetime version of the show, premieres on Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS as well.
May Barker rest in peace.
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