Drew Carey Admits He Was Terrified Of ‘Killing’ The Game Show ‘The Price Is Right’ After Taking Over For Bob Barker

Last month, the iconic game show The Price Is Right celebrated its 10,000th episode since it premiered way back in 1972 – if you can even believe it!

To mark the occasion, host Drew Carey opened up about how afraid he was of potentially “killing” The Price Is Right when he took over as host from Bob Barker 18 years ago.

Yes, that was 18 years ago!

Carey Talks Taking Over Hosting The Price Is Right

The late great Barker, who died in 2023 at the age of 99, hosted The Price Is Right from 1972 until he retired in 2007. Carey then took over hosting for him, and he knew right away that taking Barker’s place would be a challenge – even for a celebrated and seasoned TV comedian like himself.

“They told me it was my 3,317th episode. Sometimes I feel like it’s not that long, and sometimes I feel like I’ve always been there,” Carey, 66, recently told Variety. “Bob Barker is two-thirds. I’m still the new guy!” 

Carey went on to say that when he began hosting The Price Is Right, he was determined “to not be responsible for ruining the show or killing it.”

“I knew there was such a culture there, and I really wanted to honor that culture and not rock the boat,” Carey recalled. “And I also wanted to make it my own, but without stepping on anybody’s toes.”

Watch Carey reveal the advice that he got from Barker about hosting The Price Is Right in the video below.

Related: Drew Carey Reveals When He Wants To Retire From ‘The Price Is Right’

Carey Had ‘Big Shoes To Fill’

Carey was even told outright that he had some “big shoes to fill.” However, he did not let this deter him.

“I don’t need to walk in his shoes; I brought my own shoes,” he explained. “I want to honor the show — certainly — and not forget about the importance of him and the path that he blazed. It’s very important to keep the memory of Bob alive. I’m not replacing anybody. I’m just doing a show that he used to do.”

Carey went on to compare this situation to remodeling a house.

“It was the same structure, but it needed new drapes and wallpaper, you know what I mean?” he said. “You don’t wanna change the show, but you wanna freshen it up a little bit.”

One change that Carey made was the way the host is introduced as he takes the stage at the start. When Barker was hosting The Price Is Right, he was introduced in each episode as “the star of the show.” Carey decided to change this up, and he’s now simply introduced as the “host.”

“I am not the star of the show; the contestants are the star,” he stated. “I’m not downplaying my role on the show, but people tune in to see the interaction of the contestants, and they want somebody there to interact with them in a good way — because they’re the stars.”

Related: Drew Carey Gets Hilariously Blasted About His Career by ‘Price is Right’ Contestant

Carey Honors Barker

Despite hosting The Price Is Right for nearly two decades, Carey has never forgotten Barker. After Barker passed away in August of 2023, Carey spoke out to pay tribute to him.

“Very sad day for the Price Is Right family, and animal lovers all over the world,” Carey wrote on social media at the time. “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.”

“We love you,” he concluded alongside a heart emoji.

While there’s no replacing Barker, Carey has certainly done a great job hosting The Price Is Right. Here’s hoping that he continues hosting the iconic game show for many years to come!