Drew carey: ‘i feel freer than i’ve ever been in my whole life’ | members only

As he approached his 50s, Drew Carey says, he was fighting getting older. “I just didn’t want to acknowledge it,” _The Price Is Right _host admits. But now, at 66, he tells AARP that he’s

embracing it: “I can be an example of having a robust life and living a healthy life — no matter what your age is.” The new season of the long-running CBS game show kicks off Sept. 23, along

with a special _Price Is Right at Night_ airing that evening. Carey shares the advice former show host Bob Barker gave him, why he advocates for mental health awareness and how he’s finally

living his life to the fullest. _This interview has been edited for length and clarity._ What do you like about hosting _The Price Is Right_? Everything. First of all, I get to meet regular

people that are friendly and fun and they’re having a good day. Contestants are all in such a great mood. You’re in a room full of people in a playful mood, nothing heavy going on.

Everybody’s supporting everybody and genuinely full of love for one another and excited to see other people succeed. Even if they don’t get picked [to play the game], they still want to see

people win. DO YOU IMPROVISE, OR DO YOU HAVE A SCRIPT? There’s no cue cards. I don’t have an earpiece in. They used to give me a list of what games we were playing, but I never looked at it,

so they don’t bother anymore. It’s hard to believe, but I just walk out on stage and play it totally by ear.  Carey has been the host of "The Price Is Right" since 2007. Season 53

of the long-running CBS game show kicks off Sept. 23. Sonja Flemming/CBS YOU TOOK OVER AS HOST IN 2007 AFTER BOB BARKER’S ICONIC 35-YEAR RUN. DID HE OFFER YOU ANY ADVICE? His advice was to

make the show my own and not try to copy him. And he was absolutely right. In the last couple of years, I figured out what I was doing, because I knew there were big shoes to fill. I didn’t

want to screw up the show. It was all my years of doing stand-up: There’s an opener, a middle and a headliner. If you’re the headliner, you just hope the other two people are good, but I

don’t get up on the stage worried about what the last person did. When I go on stage, it’s my stage, it’s my time, my turn to do my thing.