Benjamin Ray Bailey (born October 30, 1970) is an American comedian best known as the host of the game show Cash Cab.[2] He also does stand-up comedy, and as an actor has appeared in some films and television shows.
Ben Bailey | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bailey at the 2012 premiere of Bad Parents | |
| Born | Benjamin Ray Bailey October 30, 1970[1] Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Notable work | Host and executive producer of Cash Cab |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Medium | Television, stand-up |
| Genres | Observational comedy, satire |
| Subjects | Everyday life, self-deprecation, marriage, pop culture |
Early life
editBailey was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and raised in Chatham Borough, New Jersey.[3] During his youth Bailey was a member of his local Fish & Game Club, where he was a county champion swimmer and diver.[4] In interviews he has stated that he was often the "comic relief" in his family, especially as a kid, helping ease tension.[5] He graduated in 1988 from Chatham Borough High School.[6]
Bailey attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he majored in "liberal arts" however he left a semester before graduation, to move to Los Angeles in 1993.[7][8]
Career
editStand-up career
editAccording to Bailey, he was telling stories with some comedians after hours at The Comedy Store (where he worked as a bartender and bouncer)[9] when Skip E. Lowe, who was emceeing at the club, found his stories humorous and offered him an opportunity to perform stand-up.[10] Bailey soon returned to the East Coast, where he gained popularity at comedy clubs in New York City. He has since performed at major festivals such as Just For Laughs and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As of 2019, he toured as a headliner.[11]
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Bailey streamed his comedy show Work from Home to YouTube, with his girlfriend as co-host and producer. He filmed the show in his basement.[12]
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In 2006, he starred in his first special on Comedy Central, Comedy Central Presents Ben Bailey.[13] In 2011, he released a two-part special, Road Rage and Accidental Ornithology.[14][15] In 2016, he released Ben Bailey Live & Uncensored and in 2024, he released the Please Tell Me What I Said special on his YouTube channel.[16][17]
Cash Cab and other endeavors
editBailey was the host and producer 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 hosted the show for all of its 14 seasons, including its initial run from 2005 to 2012, as well as its return from 2017 to 2020. He also hosted the short-lived 2007 spin off Cash Cab After Dark.
Bailey also appeared on the new Shovio.com's TalkBackTV. He narrated the Discovery Channel's series Smash Lab.[18][unreliable source?][better source needed][19][unreliable source?][better source needed] From 2011 to 2012, he was the host of Who's Still Standing? on NBC;[20] the show was not renewed for a second season due to high production costs.
He has also appeared in ABC's The Knights of Prosperity, Hope & Faith, NBC's Law and Order SVU, and Fox's Mad TV, and has also appeared in Blue Bloods, 30 Rock, with a recurring role on One Life to Live.[13] In 2019 he made a cameo appearance as himself in the seventh episode of the show Perpetual Grace, LTD where drives the cash cab.[21]
He has appeared on talk shows such as The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Oprah, Rachel Ray, Good Day New York, and numerous morning/radio shows nationwide.[16]
Bailey has had several film appearances, most notably in Bad Parents. He was also set to appear in Spider-Man 2012, but his scene was cut from the final film.[22]
He has done television commercials for Michigan electric/natural gas company DTE Energy and ALDI.[23]
From 2022 to 2023 Bailey hosted Money Grab in the Cab, a show very similar to Cash Cab, in which he drove around giving farmers 10 minutes to answer as many questions as they could in order to earn money for their local FFA chapter.[24][unreliable source?][25]
In 2023 Bailey appeared in The Game Show Show, a documentary about the history of game shows.[citation needed]
In 2025 Bailey partnered with the Kansas City Chiefs to create a video special titled "The Chiefs Cab" which was inspired by Cash Cab. In the special Bailey Drives around members of the Chiefs organization and asks them questions.[26]
Personal life
editBailey lives in Morristown, New Jersey.[27] He met his ex-wife, Laurence, in a pub in Morristown in the 1990s.[28] The couple married in 1997 and divorced in 2012.[28] They have two children.[29]
Bailey is a licensed taxi driver in New York City.[30]
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.[31]
Cash Cab won the Daytime Emmy award for Best Game Show in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and won Most Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show in 2010.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | MadTV | Security guard | |
| 2002 | Late Friday | Guest appearance | |
| 2002 | Platinum Blend | Guest appearance | |
| 2003 | Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn | Guest appearance | |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Transit Sergeant Ambrose | |
| 2004 | Hope and Faith | Eddie Vanderbeek | |
| 2004 | Last Call with Carson Daly | Guest appearance | |
| 2005-2020 | Cash Cab | Host and executive producer | (458 episodes) |
| 2005 | One Life to Live | Haskell | (4 episodes) |
| 2006 | Comedy Central Presents | Himself | TV special |
| 2007 | Cash Cab After Dark | Host | (13 episodes) |
| 2007 | The Knights of Prosperity | Ralph Carnucci | |
| 2007 | The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch | Guest appearance | |
| 2008 | Smash Lab | Narrator | |
| 2009 | After the Catch | Host | (5 episodes) |
| 2010 | The Oprah Winfrey Show | Guest appearance | |
| 2010 | 30 Rock | Himself | |
| 2011 | Ben Bailey Road Rage | Himself | TV special |
| 2011 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Guest appearance | (2 episodes) |
| 2011 | Best in the Business | Host | TV miniseries |
| 2011-2012 | Who's Still Standing | Host | (6 episodes) |
| 2012 | Big Morning Buzz Live | Guest panelist | |
| 2014-2015 | Brain Games | Self | (2 episodes) |
| 2016 | Deadliest Catch The Bait | Self | |
| 2016 | Unforgettable | Lorenzo Abrelli | |
| 2016 | The Other F Word | Brian | |
| 2012-2017 | Racheal Ray | Guest appearance | (2 episodes) |
| 2018 | Caroline & Friends | Guest appearance | |
| 2018 | Kill Tony | Guest host | |
| 2019 | Perpetual Grace, LTD | Himself | |
| 2021 | Blue Bloods | Emmet Fells | |
| 2022-2023 | Money Grab in a Cab | Host | (15 episodes) |
| 2023 | The Game Show Show | Self | (2 episodes) |
| 2024 | Sherri | Guest appearance |
| Year | Title | Role | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Bad Meat | Agent 1 | |
| 2007 | Don't Shoot The Pharmacist | Zach Wright | |
| 2012 | Bad Parents | Graham | |
| 2013 | Delivery Man | Himself | Uncredited |
References
edit- ^ 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 Kid Cashes In". citylifestyle.com. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ Madalyn Mirallegro-News (March 10, 2023). "Journeyman comedian Ben Bailey reflects on career before Peoria show". The Bradley Scout. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "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.... 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. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017.
- ^ Fowler, Linda (December 9, 2017). "From the archives: Ben Bailey in his Cash Cab, circa 2009". nj. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ Rob Duguay (June 1, 2023). "Ben Bailey wants to take audiences for a spin at the United Theatre". The Independent. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ 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". Bravo. September 19, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ "The Way We Get By: Cash Cab's Ben Bailey is Hoping We Can All Slow Down". Talkhouse. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ a b "Ben Bailey | Stand-Up Comedy Database | Dead-Frog". Dead-Frog - A Comedy Blog. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ Ben Bailey Comedy (January 3, 2023). Ben Bailey: Road Rage and Accidental Ornithology | Full Special. Retrieved September 1, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ Rodriguez, Manny (May 21, 2011), Ben Bailey: Road Rage (Documentary, Comedy), Ben Bailey, Levity Productions, Triple B Productions, retrieved September 1, 2025
- ^ a b "Ben Bailey". Ben Bailey. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ Ben Bailey Comedy (November 5, 2024). Ben Bailey: Please Tell Me What I Said (Full Comedy Special). Retrieved September 1, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Ben Bailey". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Smash Lab". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ Ben Bailey biodata, Nbc.com; accessed November 11, 2015.
- ^ TheOncomingStorm (March 14, 2021). Perpetual Grace LTD - Cash cab. Retrieved September 1, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Cash Cab's Ben Bailey Visits The Don Geronimo Show - CBS Sacramento". www.cbsnews.com. May 31, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ Ben Bailey crashes ALDI and gets shoppers to say what they love about it, Adweek.com; accessed April 5, 2016.
- ^ "Money Grab in the Cab". IMDb. October 24, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ "Money Grab in the Cab - RFD-TV Now". www.watchrfdtv.com. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ "EMMY-WINNING CASH CAB HOST BEN BAILEY TAKES FANS FOR A RIDE IN "CHIEFS CAB" 2025 SCHEDULE RELEASE VIDEO". PR Newswire.com. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ 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.