Benjamin Ray Bailey (born October 30, 1970) is an American comedian.
| Ben Bailey | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bailey at the 2012 premiere of Bad Parents | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Ray Bailey |
| Born | October 30, 1970[1] Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Medium | Television, stand-up |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Genres | Observational comedy, satire |
| Subject(s) | Everyday life, self-deprecation, marriage, pop culture |
| Notable works and roles | Host and executive producer of Cash Cab |
He is best known for hosting the Emmy Award-winning game show Cash Cab in New York City.[2]
Early life
editBailey was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and raised in Chatham Borough, New Jersey.[3] He has an older sibling. Bailey graduated in 1988 from Chatham Borough High School as part of the school's 76th and final graduating class.[4]
Bailey attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, before moving to Los Angeles in 1993. Standing at 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm),[1] he was offered a job as a bouncer for The Comedy Store after bumming a cigarette from a man in the parking lot.[5][better source needed]
Career
editAccording to Bailey, he was telling stories with some comedians after hours at The Comedy Store when Skip E. Lowe, who was emceeing at the club, found his stories humorous and offered him an opportunity at stand-up.[6]
Bailey is the host of the American version of Cash Cab, a TV game show played in a taxicab that Bailey drives around New York City, broadcast on the Discovery Channel and Bravo.
He also appeared on the new Shovio.com's TalkBackTV. He narrated the Discovery Channel's series Smash Lab.[7] [better source needed][8][better source needed] From 2011 to 2012, Bailey was the host of Who's Still Standing? on NBC.[9] On May 13, 2012, it was announced that the show would not be renewed for a second season due to high production costs.
Bailey does television commercials for Michigan electric/natural gas company DTE Energy and ALDI.[10]
Personal life
editBailey lives in Morristown, New Jersey.[11] He met his ex-wife, Laurence, in a pub in Morristown in the 1990s.[12] The couple married in 1997 and divorced in 2012.[12] They have two children.[13]
Bailey is a licensed taxi driver in New York City.[14]
Awards
editAs the host of Cash Cab, Ben received Daytime Emmy nominations in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 for "Outstanding Game Show Host", winning in 2010, 2011 and 2013.[15]
The show took home honors at the Daytime Emmy awards for Best Game Show in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Appearances
edit- 30 Rock (2010)
- After the Catch (2009)
- Aspen Comedy Arts Festival in 2002/2004
- Bad Meat as an FBI agent
- Bertcast #331 with Bert Kreischer
- Blue Bloods S11E13 (2021)
- Brain Games (National Geographic)
- Caroline and Friends (2018)
- Cash Cab - host of U.S. version (2005–2012, 2017–2020)
- Comedy Central Presents
- Delivery Man (2013)
- Don't Shoot The Pharmacist
- The Haney Project: Ray Romano
- Friends of the People (2015)
- Hope & Faith
- The Knights of Prosperity
- Last Call with Carson Daly
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
- MADtv
- Premium Blend on Comedy Central
- Road Rage and Accidental Ornithologist
- Smash Lab - narrator (2nd season)
- They're Made Out of Meat
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- The Today Show (April 2, 2008)
- Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
- Unforgettable S04E09 (January 2016)
- Who's Still Standing? - host
- The World Stands Up
References
edit- ^ a b Kaufmann, Joanne (June 26, 2008). "He Drives This Game-Show Vehicle". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
- ^ "Daytime Emmys". Knoxville News Sentinel. March 14, 2007. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008.
- ^ Kuperinsky, Amy. "Cash Cab is back with N.J.’s Ben Bailey on a new network. Here’s a preview.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 6, 2019. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Bailey, 48, a stand-up comedian and actor (and yes, a former driver ... of limousines), lives in Morristown and grew up in Chatham (borough). He won three Daytime Emmys for hosting Cash Cab."
- ^ "Chatham Borough has final graduation", Daily Record, June 30, 1988. Accessed January 27, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The borough's 76th class was the last to graduate Chatham High School.... As of July 1, the borough's and Chatham Township's school districts will merge, and the Chatham Township High School building will become the regional school.... Members of the graduating Class of 1988 are: Denise Marie Adams, Daniel Ralph Agostinelli, David Michael Allan, Troy T. Atterberry, Benjamin Ray Bailey..."
- ^ "Ben Bailey Facts". September 11, 2015.[dead link]
- ^ Tolk, Prescott (September 2, 2001). "Local Comic Keeps the Big City Laughing". The Hudson Reporter. Archived from the original on April 1, 2008.
- ^ "Ben Bailey". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Smash Lab". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.[unreliable source?]
- ^ Ben Bailey biodata, Nbc.com; accessed November 11, 2015.
- ^ Ben Bailey crashes ALDI and gets shoppers to say what they love about it, Adweek.com; accessed April 5, 2016.
- ^ Kuperinsky, Amy (December 4, 2017). "'Cash Cab' is back: How N.J.'s Ben Bailey became master of mobile trivia". NJ.com. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ a b Fowler, Linda (July 16, 2009). "'Cash Cabbie' is a Jersey Driver". NJ.com. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ "Episode 1093 - Ben Bailey". January 30, 2020.
- ^ Koch, Drew (December 11, 2017). "'Cash Cab' Host Ben Bailey Has a Real Taxi Driver's License, and That's Not All You Didn't Know About Him". Bustle. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Profile: Ben Bailey". Therealbenbailey.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
