Drew Carey Reflects on Mental Health Struggles, Suicide Attempts
The comedian discussed his lifelong battle with depression and disclosed two suicide attempts from his past in the process.
Drew Carey opened up about his mental health during a new interview this weekend, talking about the two suicide attempts he has survived in more detail than ever before. Carey was a guest on Friday's episode of Who's Talking to Chris Wallace, and they discussed Carey's history of depression and his strategies for coping with it over the years. Carey said that he hopes being brutally honest will resonate with as many people as possible.
"I think the suicide attempts were calls for help," Carey said. He recounted his first suicide attempt at age 18, explaining that it happened at a fraternity party in college. He said: "I was so mad that everybody was having a good time. I remember that. 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 angry that they were so happy. I was just tired of my life and [I thought], 'who's going to miss me?'"
Carey said that that sentiment remains one of his dark, intrusive thoughts to this day. he said: "I have a lot of that still. Like, the who's-gonna-miss-me type of thing. A lot of times I think to myself. Like, 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?"
Carey did not give any graphic details on that attempt, and he said even less of the second one, which took place sometime in his early 20s. Instead, he described some of the things that helped him improve his mental health over the years. An important one, he said, was enlisting in the U.S. Marines and going through boot camp. At the time he, he said he was "broke, lost, and sleeping on my brother's couch." The military training helped break him out of his rut, forcing him to eat "three meals a day" and focus on a "purpose" in life. Later, Carey said that he leaned on self-help books and for insight and inspiration, which he has continued to do throughout his life.
Still, Carey emphasized that treating depression is a long-term project, and he is not finished yet. He said: "I still get depressed, often, just like everyone else. "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." He said that he even tries to make this point on The Price Is Right with his often-repeated joke: "I'm just a regular guy from Cleveland. My girlfriend ties me to the bed one leg at a time, just like everyone else."
Carey wrote about his own life in his 1997 book Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined. The book is available now in print, digital and audiobook formats. He continues to host The Price is Right, which airs in syndication. You can find the show's schedule for your area on its website here.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.