April Fools’ Day musical chairs
No joke: Ferguson, Carey to swap seats on ‘Late Late Show,’ ‘The Price Is Right’
They starred on a sitcom together. They’re studio neighbors. So what’s a little jobsharing between friends?
Daytime game-show emcee Drew Carey and late-night talk host Craig Ferguson are pulling an April Fools’ Day switcheroo, with Carey taking over CBS’ Late Late Show very early April 1 (12:37 a.m. ET/PT) and Ferguson giving away prizes on the network’s long-running The Price Is Right (11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. PT).
On the Price set, Ferguson looks slightly askance when considering Carey’s guest lineup, including comedy icon Carl Reiner and rocker Joan Jett. “You’re raising the tone a little. Be careful. Don’t raise it too much.”
It’s the look you might expect from a married couple, which their Drew Carey Show characters are, at least by the power vested in television. In a 2000 episode, Drew and his English boss, Ferguson’s Nigel Wick, joined in a civil union in Vermont so Wick could get his green card.
“First gay wedding in television history, actually. Thank you,” Ferguson says, though it wasn’t quite. He offers feigned perspective on the union: “We have our days. But you know, he’s nice, and he brings me a present every now and then. Just kind of keeps it fresh. Wears lingerie.”
Like Ferguson, Carey plans to ad-lib his monologue when he tapes his show this week. “I’m not going to burn my stand-up on his show,” he says.
And Ferguson approached TV’s longest-running game show with a simple strategy: “I’m just going to give away money, as much as I can get away with. Legally, of course.”
The late-night host, who starts his own syndicated game show, Celebrity Name Game, in the fall, says he was prepared for the hard-charging, bear-hugging Price winners. “They come at you fast. You’ve got to move.”
Carey revels in the contestants’ enthusiasm. “I love it. People go crazy. It’s a big day for them. And you get to be a part of it.”