Ben Bailey

{{short description|American comedian, game show host (born 1970)}}

{{infobox comedian

| image =Ben Bailey 2012 (cropped).jpg

| caption =Bailey at the 2012 premiere of Bad Parents

| image_size =

| name = Ben Bailey

| birth_name = Benjamin Ray Bailey

| birth_place = Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|10|30}}

| death_place =

| death_date =

| medium = Television, stand-up

| active = 1993–present

| genre = Observational comedy, satire

| subject = Everyday life, self-deprecation, marriage, pop culture

| notable_work = Host and executive producer of Cash Cab

}}

Benjamin Ray Bailey (born October 30, 1970) is an American comedian.

He is best known for hosting the Emmy Award-winning game show Cash Cab in New York City.{{cite news|title=Daytime Emmys|work=Knoxville News Sentinel|date=2007-03-14|url=http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/telebuddy/archives/2007/03/daytime_emmys_1.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424051012/http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/telebuddy/archives/2007/03/daytime_emmys_1.shtml|archive-date=2008-04-24}}

Early life

Bailey was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and raised in Chatham Borough, New Jersey.Kuperinsky, Amy. [https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2019/10/cash-cab-is-back-with-njs-ben-bailey-on-a-new-network-heres-a-preview.html "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." 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.[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/254899411/ "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..."

Bailey attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, before moving to Los Angeles in 1993. Standing at {{convert|6|ft|6|in|cm}},{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121443709962505255|title=He Drives This Game-Show Vehicle|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|first=Joanne|last=Kaufmann|date=June 26, 2008|access-date=April 30, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517223134/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121443709962505255.html|archive-date=May 17, 2009|url-status=live}} he was offered a job as a bouncer for The Comedy Store after bumming a cigarette from a man in the parking lot.{{Cite web|url=http://www.msgnetworks.com/2015/09/11/ben-bailey-facts/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910040936/http://www.msgnetworks.com/2015/09/11/ben-bailey-facts/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 10, 2017|title = Ben Bailey Facts|date = September 11, 2015}}{{better source needed |date=October 2024}}

Career

According 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.{{cite news|title=Local Comic Keeps the Big City Laughing|first=Prescott|last=Tolk|work=The Hudson Reporter|date=2001-09-02|url=http://www.hudsonreporter.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=2300568&BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=523584&rfi=8|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080401094748/http://www.hudsonreporter.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=2300568&BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=523584&rfi=8|archive-date=2008-04-01}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1344946/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t7|title=Ben Bailey |website=IMDb.com|access-date=2017-07-01}}{{unreliable source|date=October 2024}} {{better source needed |date=October 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1156526/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_7|title=Smash Lab |website=IMDb.com|access-date=2017-07-01}}{{unreliable source |date=October 2024}}{{better source needed |date=October 2024}} From 2011 to 2012, Bailey was the host of Who's Still Standing? on NBC.[http://www.nbc.com/whos-still-standing/about/bios Ben Bailey biodata], Nbc.com; accessed November 11, 2015. 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.[http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/ben-bailey-crashes-aldi-and-gets-shoppers-say-what-they-love-about-it-165846 Ben Bailey crashes ALDI and gets shoppers to say what they love about it], Adweek.com; accessed April 5, 2016.

Personal life

Bailey lives in Morristown, New Jersey.{{cite web | first=Amy | last=Kuperinsky | url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2017/12/cash_cab_return_revival_ben_bailey_discovery.html | title='Cash Cab' is back: How N.J.'s Ben Bailey became master of mobile trivia | publisher=NJ.com | date=December 4, 2017 | access-date=March 16, 2019}} He met his ex-wife, Laurence, in a pub in Morristown in the 1990s.{{cite web | first=Linda | last=Fowler | url=https://www.nj.com/insidejersey/2009/07/cash_cabbie_is_a_jersey_driver.html | title='Cash Cabbie' is a Jersey Driver | publisher=NJ.com | date=July 16, 2009 | access-date=September 16, 2019}} The couple married in 1997 and divorced in 2012. They have two children.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1093-ben-bailey|title = Episode 1093 - Ben Bailey| date=January 30, 2020 }}

Bailey is a licensed taxi driver in New York City.{{cite web | last=Koch | first=Drew | date=December 11, 2017 | url=https://www.bustle.com/p/cash-cab-host-ben-bailey-has-a-real-taxi-drivers-license-thats-not-all-you-didnt-know-about-him-6773014 | title='Cash Cab' Host Ben Bailey Has a Real Taxi Driver's License, and That's Not All You Didn't Know About Him | website=Bustle | access-date=March 7, 2023}}

Awards

As 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.therealbenbailey.com|title=Profile: Ben Bailey|website=Therealbenbailey.com|access-date=November 11, 2015}}

The show took home honors at the Daytime Emmy awards for Best Game Show in 2008, 2009, and 2010.