The world lost a comedy great earlier in January with the death of Bob Saget, who passed away at the age of 65. Friends and fellow celebrities have since spoken out to pay tribute to him and grieve the loss, ranging from those who famously worked with him on Full House to those who knew him for his comedy to those who simply wanted to honor a man who generated so many laughs. Now, stand-up comic, sitcom star, and Price Is Right host Drew Carey shared a fun story about Bob Saget’s kindness, and why he missed an episode of The Tonight Show.
Drew Carey spoke about meeting Bob Saget in the beginning of his career, before becoming host of The Price Is Right. Speaking with ET, he shared:
I met him when I first started out, quite a few times, at a local comedy club in Cleveland. Once, he invited me to a taping a Full House when I was out here in L.A., and it's one of the reasons I missed my first Tonight Show [performance]. That invitation to go see the taping, in some kind of weird way, really affected much of my career. He was very supportive and mentored me and gave me advice and was always so kind to me and nice.
Drew Carey’s earliest credit for The Tonight Show is dated to 1991, when Johnny Carson was still host before the main duties were taken over by Jay Leno in 1992. Full House ran from 1987 - 1995, so evidently Carey’s fans now could have seen him make his Tonight Show debut as a guest comic even earlier if Bob Saget hadn’t given him an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. The support of Saget clearly meant a lot to Carey as his career progressed, and there’s no denying that he became a comedy great in his own right, including a number of later Tonight Show appearances.
Not many people can probably trace their earliest roots to Bob Saget all the way back to a local comedy club in Northeast Ohio, and Drew Carey was evidently lucky enough to do so before making it on a bigger stage, starring in The Drew Carey Show from 1995-2004, and landing hosting gigs like Whose Line Is It Anyway and The Price Is Right (including The Price Is Right at Night). Despite all of his success on the small screen, Carey still has fond memories of his early impressions of Saget. He went on to say of Saget as a stand-up comic:
I would just go as a customer and seeing him when he was there, and he would pack the place because he had such a good rep. Once he was there once, everybody wanted to come back and see him again. And I've seen him do two hour shows, two-and-a-half hour shows. I've once seen him do five curtain calls, five standing ovations... He was so funny.
Drew Carey is far from the only big name in comedy to sing praises of Bob Saget following his death, including Adam Sandler and SNL’s Pete Davidson. Members of his Full House family had messages as well, with the Olsen twins releasing a rare public statement in honor of their former on-screen dad, and Jodie Sweetin shared a “vow” for his funeral. He made an impression on fellow comedians, celebrities, and fans alike, and he won’t be forgotten.
If you want to remember Bob Saget in the wake of his death, he has a long list of projects that are currently available streaming, including (of course) Full House. Be sure to check out a rundown of highlights from his long and successful career that made him such a comedy legend for so many people.
