Two famous game show emcees had reason to celebrate on Friday, May 23. It was the birthday for both Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings and The Price Is Right host Drew Carey. Jennings turned 51 on Friday; Carey turned 67.
That connection has taken social media users by surprise. “I was today years old when I learned that Drew Carey and Ken Jennings share the same birthday,” Reddit user bluegambit875 wrote in a recent post on the r/gameshow subreddit. “Kind of incredible that the hosts of the two most popular and well-known game shows have the same [birthday].”
A commenter on the thread confirmed the coincidence, writing, “Drew Carey and Ken Jennings were born on the same day 16 years apart (5/23/58 and 5/23/74).”
And another social media user raved about the connection, per the Daily Express U.S. “Ken Jennings and Drew Carey on the same day? That’s incredible,” that user wrote. “Happy birthday to the both of ya!”
Other famous folks born on May 23 include filmmaker Ryan Coogler, Dynasty star Joan Collins, The Walking Dead veteran Melissa McBride, General Hospital star Kelly Monaco, Melrose Place alum Linden Ashby, and the late singer Rosemary Clooney.
Orange Is the New Black alum Lea DeLaria and The Five People You Meet in Heaven author Mitch Albom share Carey’s birthday in 1958, meanwhile, and singer Jewel and former NFL star Duane Starks share Jennings’ birthday in 1974.
On Instagram, The Price Is Right honored Carey with a photo of the “incomparable” host on the set of his game show, while Jeopardy! shared a montage of bizarre things Jennings has said on the Alex Trebek Stage as a contestant and host. (Remember when Jennings buzzed in on a clue about a term for a long-handled gardening tool or an immoral pleasure seeker? “What’s a hoe?” Jennings responded with a smirk.)
Carey recently explained to TV Insider why he didn’t pass along any words of advice to Jennings or to Wheel of Fortune’s Ryan Seacrest as they took the podia of their respective game shows.
“I think Bob [Barker] gave me the best advice. He said, ‘You have to make the show your own, and don’t try to copy me.’ And he’s right,” Carey told us. “Ken Jennings is doing his own thing. He should do his own thing. Ryan Seacrest has been in the hosting business forever. He knows how to make it his own thing and have it come from himself authentically. That’s the thing when you’re on TV for an hour every day — you can’t really fake too much. It always comes out one way or the other.”
If Carey didn’t share advice, though, perhaps he did share some birthday cake on Friday…
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, Check Local Listings
The Price Is Right, Weekdays, 11/10c, CBS