Drew Carey spent nearly two decades on The Price Is Right as one of television’s most recognizable hosts, known for his jokes and easygoing charm. But in early 2025, he opened up about the painful history behind that public image, revealing two suicide attempts, childhood trauma, and years of private struggles that preceded his Hollywood success. Born on May 23, 1958, in Cleveland, Ohio, Carey grew up in a working-class family. When he was eight, his father, Lewis Carey, died from a brain tumor, leaving his mother to raise three boys alone.
Money became tight, stress filled the home, and Carey later said depression entered his life early. In his memoir “Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined,” he revealed that he had been sexually abused by a family member as a child. He stayed silent about it for decades. By the time he was 18, the emotional weight became unbearable, and he attempted suicide for the first time.
He later said he felt angry watching others seem happy while he felt empty inside. In his early 20s, he tried again. In 1980, at age 22, Carey joined the U. S.
Marine Corps Reserve, serving until 1986 and reaching the rank of sergeant as a field radio operator. He credited the Marines with giving him structure and purpose. Around the same time, he began writing jokes for Cleveland radio personality David Lawrence, who encouraged him to pursue comedy seriously. After winning an open mic contest in Cleveland, he became master of ceremonies at the Cleveland Comedy Club in 1986.
His rise was gradual, with years of small clubs and struggle before his 1991 appearance on HBO’s Young Comedians Special and a spot on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Carson was impressed enough to invite him to sit on the couch afterward, a significant endorsement in comedy. In 1995, he co-created The Drew Carey Show, a sitcom inspired by his life in Cleveland. It ran for nine seasons and more than 230 episodes.
Around the same period, he hosted Whose Line Is It Anyway? , becoming a major television personality. Privately, however, the struggles did not disappear. In 2010, doctors diagnosed him with type 2 diabetes and warned that his future could be cut short without changes.
He transformed his routine, cutting carbs, committing to intense cardio, and losing around 80 pounds. He later said he no longer needed diabetes medication. He also worked on rebuilding himself mentally through self-help books and personal development teachings. Heartbreak continued to follow him.
In 2007, he became engaged to Nicole Yarash, and the relationship lasted nearly five years before ending in 2012. He remained close to her son Connor, making the breakup feel like the loss of family. In 2017, Carey met therapist and author Amie Harwick at a Hollywood party. He later said he fell deeply in love almost instantly.
By early 2018, they were engaged, and Harwick appeared on The Price Is Right during a Valentine’s Day episode. Later that year, the engagement ended. The split was described as friendly, but Carey later admitted he never truly stopped loving her. On February 13, 2020, Harwick texted Carey saying she had been thinking about forgiveness and wanted to meet and talk.
He replied warmly and ended the message with “I love you. ” It was their final conversation. Two days later, on Valentine’s Day weekend, Harwick was attacked inside her Hollywood Hills home. Investigators found signs of a violent struggle before she was thrown from a third-floor balcony.
She died at the hospital. She was 38. Police arrested Gareth Pursehouse, an ex-boyfriend Harwick had previously accused of abuse. Prosecutors argued he broke into her home and murdered her in a planned act of violence.
In September 2023, Pursehouse was found guilty of first-degree murder. In December 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Production on The Price Is Right paused temporarily as Carey processed the loss. In a public statement, he described Harwick as a woman he loved deeply and called their relationship the kind of love people are lucky to have once in a lifetime.
Just days before her death, the two had been discussing forgiveness and reconnecting. In early 2025, Carey spoke more openly than before about the darkness he had carried through his life. He publicly revealed the suicide attempts, calling them cries for help from a younger version of himself who could not see a future. He also explained that comedy was never just entertainment for him—it was survival.
Humor became the tool he used to fight depression and process pain. The public saw the smiling host, the sitcom star, the improv host. Behind that image was a man shaped by grief, trauma, heartbreak, health scares, and years of hidden emotional battles.
Through every setback, Carey kept rebuilding himself through discipline, work, self-improvement, and laughter.
