Drew Carey Reveals He Attempted Suicide Twice, Talks Ongoing Mental Health Struggles

The Price Is Right host Drew Carey recently reflected on his two suicide attempts during an interview on Max’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? The comedian explained to the former Fox News host that he tried to take his own life at age 18 and again when he was 20 while suffering extreme mental health struggles.

Carey said the first time he attempted to take his own life was in an upstairs bedroom during the middle of a college party. “I was so mad that everybody was having a good time. I remember that,” Carey admitted. “I remember walking down the stairs and everybody’s drinking and I was like, ‘What the hell are they so happy about?’

“I was just tired of my life and [thought], ‘Who's gonna miss me?’”

At the time, Carey was adrift and looking for meaning. He recalled being "broke, lost, and sleeping on my brother's couch" before ultimately joining the Marines, a decision which gave him “purpose.” Carey emerged further from his shell after leaving the service and beginning his lucrative career as a stand-up comedian and actor.

"I think the suicide attempts were calls for help,” Carey told Wallace. But he also admitted to having many of the same feelings that tormented him in his younger years.

“I have a lot of that still. Like, the who's-gonna-miss-me type of thing,” he reflected. ‘A lot of times I think to myself, if I die, I'm just gonna have my body cremated. No funeral and anything associated with, like, all my mementos and stuff. You can just burn them and give them away. Like, who cares?”

However, the comedian said he now understands how to control, and combat, those dark emotions. “I still get depressed, often, just like everyone else,” Carey said. “But it’s not as bad. I mean, just because you’re a celebrity and you have money doesn’t mean bad things don’t happen to you or you don’t have bad days. Everybody’s a person.”

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).