Drew Carey New “Price is Right’ Host

James Joyner @ Gone Hollywood | Monday, July 23, 2007

It’s official: Drew Carey will replace Bob Barker as the host of “The Price is Right.”

Drew Carey Announces He’s New “Price is Right’ Host on David Letterman Photo

Genial comic Drew Carey was tapped Monday to replace silver-haired legend Bob Barker on the CBS daytime game show “The Price is Right.” The deal was set Monday afternoon shortly before a taping of CBS’ “Late Show” with David Letterman, where he confirmed it.

“I realize what a big responsibility this is,” he said. “It’s only a game show, but it’s the longest-running game show in American television and I plan to keep it that way.”

The selection attracted more attention than usual for a daytime show because of the prospect of replacing Barker, 83. Barker retired after 35 years in the job last month following taping of his 6,586th episode. The opening attracted widespread interest, including from comic Rosie O’Donnell after she left “The View.”

Carey, 49, spent a decade on his own ABC sitcom and also was host of the improvisational game show “Whose Line is It Anyway?” He will also be host of a new CBS prime-time game show, “The Power of 10,” that will air first next month. He told The Associated Press on Monday that CBS officials first contacted him about “The Price is Right” immediately after he completed a pilot of the other game show this spring. “My agent called me and said `I was talking to CBS casting today’ and in my head I was thinking, `Oh, `CSI’ guest star?’ And he said what would you think about replacing Bob Barker on `The Price is Right?’”

Asked if he found the prospect of replacing such a TV legend daunting, Carey recalled talking to a friend who knows the game show business who told him, “as long as Bob Barker is cool with it, the fans will be cool with it.” While he doesn’t know Barker, Carey said he’s comfortable that his predecessor will be accepting.

The negotiation process was nerve-racking. While he was talking with CBS about the job, Carey said he got a call from another lawyer in Hollywood who told him one of his clients was offered “The Price is Right” job. He figured CBS had lined up back-ups if the first choice did not come through. “If I was going after a second baseman, I wouldn’t just talk to one second baseman,” the Cleveland Indians fan said. “If I were the general manager, I would be talking to a few second basemen.”

Carey is a great choice. I must admit, it’s surprising that he’s 49, since I still think of him from the early days of his sitcom. Certainly, he’s a much safer choice than the obnoxious O’Donnell.

UPDATE: CBS just sent a press release touting the fact that Carey made the announcement on the Letterman show:

Drew Carey announced that he will become the new host of the Emmy Award-winning CBS game show “The Price is Right” during tonight’s taping of the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN. Carey’s LATE SHOW interview will be broadcast tonight, Monday, July 23 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

“I actually had lunch with an AP reporter today, we had a big, long lunch,” Carey said. “I couldn’t tell him anything because we were negotiating the deal. And they approached me right after the pilot for ‘Power of 10,’ and they called me, I said, ‘No.’ Then they called me a month later, they said, ‘What if we really’ — they called my agent: ‘What if we really go after Drew.’ This is like a month later after I did the pilot for ‘Power of 10’ and I said, ‘Well, what does that mean?’ and he said, ‘Well, you know, I mean, maybe this kind of money.’ I go, ‘What kind of schedule?’ He said, ‘I don’t know,’ so I met with them and stuff and we’ve been negotiating ever since. Couldn’t say anything, but during your ‘Harry Potter’ bit — honestly it was like 15 minutes ago — they called me. It’s a done deal. I’m the new host of ‘The Price Is Right.’”

With the audience wildly applauding, Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra played the theme to “The Price Is Right” in honor of Carey’s announcement. Letterman offered Carey his congratulations. Carey said that he’s not sure when he’s going to start working on “The Price Is Right,” but did say that already “my girlfriend was on the phone with a personal shopper from Bergdorf’s.”

Drew Carey New “Price is Right’ Host

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