Drew Carey and Craig Ferguson
It was an April Fools’ Day stroke of genius, made possible by CBS, proximity and bromance.
Craig Ferguson and Drew Carey, friends and former co-stars on The Drew Carey Show, celebrated the holiday by swapping hosting duties; Ferguson held the skinny microphone on The Price is Right, while Carey put his feet up on The Late Late Show desk.
While the prank wasn’t much of a surprise — the hosting switch was promoted by CBS weeks before Tuesday — it proved to be a fun, creative experiment that highlighted the two comedians’ strengths.
Both men fit their new roles quite easily, and it wasn’t a significant strain on CBS’ part because the shows are filmed on the same lot. The longtime friends wanted to keep their plans — originally Ferguson’s idea — a secret from viewers but were unsuccessful.
“Originally, when I heard the concept I thought, ‘That would be a fun thing to spring on people,’” Carey told The Washington Post. “And then once CBS found out about it, they were like, ‘No, we’re going to publicize the hell of it and get people to watch.’”
Carey began the events, hosting The Late Late Show less than an hour into April 1. As a talk show host, Carey resembled most other guys on network late night, which is decidedly unlike Ferguson’s modus operandi. Carey read off his cards during the interviews, instead of attempting Ferguson’s habit of tearing them up and talking about whatever pops into his brain. However, Carey proved witty and affable enough to appear as though he had hosted a talk show for years.
Carey, who is pulling double-duty as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, took a few potshots at Ferguson and his viewership (or lack thereof), not dissimilar to Ferguson’s nightly self-deprecation. (It’s OK — Ferguson frequently rips on Carey for his dramatic weight loss.)
Carey’s installment of The Late Late Show really thrived once the guests were introduced. It was truly impossible to go wrong with legends Carl Reiner and Joan Jett visiting the show. Here, Carey willingly undertook a secondary role as Reiner told stories of working with Mel Brooks and Jett performed with the Blackhearts.
Carey brought a bit of The Price is Right flavor to late night, introducing George Gray, the game show’s narrator, as his sidekick and imposing name tags on his guests, who walked out with The Price is Right models. Carey even threw in a quick game with guest Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, in which she had to guess the relative price of a coffeemaker.
Similarly, Ferguson took the staples of his show — his robot skeleton sidekick Geoff Peterson, pantomime horse Secretariat and announcer Shadoe Stevens — over to The Price is Right. The game show was a less suitable environment for Ferguson, who was left without room for improvisation, but he still found time to banter with Geoff and tease the anxious contestants.
Ferguson’s stint served as a practice run for when he takes on a similar role, hosting the upcoming game show Celebrity Name Game in the fall.
“I’m going to have to start [to get in shape] again — like Drew,” Ferguson told The Hollywood Reporter. “Maybe it’s because it’s new, but it feels quite taxing, more taxing than I thought it was going to be, and more than running my own show.”
Ferguson proved he could endure the excitable contestants as well, despite his fears that he “will be in a bath of Purell for two days” after interacting with them.
On both ends, the execution of the swap was a smooth transition — casual viewers of the shows might not have even noticed the change. Still, the idea was whimsical and innovative enough to make some viewers wonder why it hadn’t been done before.
