As he gets ready to make his big debut as the new host of “The Price Is Right,” Drew Carey invited “Access Hollywood’s” Nancy O’Dell to the set for a tour of his new digs.
But in between the laughs, O’Dell also found Carey’s life has a dramatic dark side.
“It does seem that you have the golden life,” O’Dell said to Carey.
“It is pretty cool,” he smiled. “I have a really good life.”
And while Carey is riding high with his new “Price” gig, plus his hit primetime show “Power of 10,” O’Dell found out life wasn’t always easy for the seemingly happy-go-lucky Carey.
“I was depressed for a long time,” Carey revealed.
In fact, both at 18 and in his early 20s, Carey attempted to take his own life by swallowing pills.
“You are so known for your cute personality and your funniness… it seems like so many funny people have a side that they’ve had to go through to get there,” O’Dell noted.
“There is a reason we want attention all the time. Living in Hollywood, you can get disconnected from everybody. You can feel like you are the only one,” Drew explained. “So you feel it, you hold it in and you don’t let it go and you don’t try to find help because you think, ‘Oh man if I tell anybody, I’m going to seem like I’m weak. I won’t get a movie deal. I won’t get invited to…’ whatever goes through your head.”
And as obvious as it is troublesome, Carey clearly isn’t the only celebrity battling his own demons deep down. But what does he think about some of his fellow stars who have also found themselves headed down a dark path?
“The Owen Wilson thing — when you say that, how did you react?” O’Dell asked.
“It’s going to sound cold, but I wasn’t reading the paper going ‘Oh poor guy.’ I was thinking, I hope he’s learning what he is supposed to be learning from this whole experience and not wasting the opportunity to learn,” a candid Carey said.
But for Carey, his priority is making sure he continues to take advantage of any and all opportunities to grow.
“I learned how to believe in myself. Learned how to set goals, you know, self help books man. I just read every single one I can get a hold of and I still do. I read that stuff all the time still,” Carey concluded. “I am always coming out bigger, better, stronger and happier.”