Benjamin Ray Bailey (born October 30, 1970) is an American comedian best known as the host of the game show Cash Cab. He also does stand-up comedy, and as an actor has appeared in some films and television shows. He has received multiple Daytime Emmy nominations including three wins for Outstanding Game Show Host, as the host of Cash Cab.
Early life Bailey was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and raised in Chatham Borough, New Jersey.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." During his youth Bailey was a member of his local Fish & Game Club, where he was a county champion swimmer and diver. In interviews he has stated that he was often the "comic relief" in his family, especially as a kid, helping ease tension. He graduated in 1988 from Chatham Borough High School."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..."
Bailey attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he majored in liberal arts; he left a semester before graduation to move to Los Angeles in 1993.
Career
Stand-up career According to Bailey, he was telling stories with some comedians after hours at The Comedy Store (where he worked as a bartender and bouncer) when Skip E. Lowe, who was emceeing at the club, found his stories humorous and offered him an opportunity to perform stand-up. 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.
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.
In 2006, he starred in his first special on Comedy Central, Comedy Central Presents Ben Bailey. In 2011, he released a two-part special, Road Rage and Accidental Ornithology. 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.
Cash Cab and other endeavors Bailey 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. From 2011 to 2012, he was the host of Who's Still Standing? on NBC;Ben Bailey biodata, Nbc.com; accessed November 11, 2015. 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. In 2019 he made a cameo appearance as himself in the seventh episode of the show Perpetual Grace, LTD where drives the cash cab.
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.
Bailey has had several film appearances, most notably in Bad Parents. He was also set to appear in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), but his scene was cut from the final film.
He has done television commercials for ALDI and Michigan electric/natural gas company DTE Energy .Ben Bailey crashes ALDI and gets shoppers to say what they love about it, Adweek.com; accessed April 5, 2016.
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.
In 2023 Bailey appeared in The Game Show Show, a documentary about the history of game shows.
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.
Personal life Bailey lives in Morristown, New Jersey. He met his ex-wife, Laurence, in a pub in Morristown in the 1990s. The couple married in 1997 and divorced in 2012. They have two children.
Bailey is a licensed taxi driver in New York City.
Awards and nominations +YearAwardCategoryWorkResult2007Daytime EmmyOutstanding Game Show HostCash Cab2008Outstanding Game Show (shared)2009Outstanding Game Show HostOutstanding Game Show (shared)2010Outstanding Game Show HostOutstanding Game Show (shared)2011Outstanding Game Show Host2012Outstanding Game Show (shared)2013Outstanding Game Show HostOutstanding Game Show (shared)
Filmography +Television Year Title Role Info2002MadTVSecurity guard2002Late Friday Guest appearance 2002Platinum BlendGuest appearance 2003Tough Crowd with Colin QuinnGuest appearance 2003Law & Order: Special Victims UnitTransit Sergeant Ambrose2004Hope and FaithEddie Vanderbeek2004Last Call with Carson DalyGuest appearance 2005-2020Cash CabHost and executive producer (458 episodes)2005One Life to LiveHaskell(4 episodes)2006Comedy Central Presents Himself TV special 2007Cash Cab After DarkHost(13 episodes)2007The Knights of Prosperity Ralph Carnucci2007The Big Idea with Donny DeutschGuest appearance 2008Smash LabNarrator 2009After the CatchHost (5 episodes)2010The Oprah Winfrey ShowGuest appearance 201030 RockHimself2011Ben Bailey Road RageHimself TV special 2011The Tonight Show with Jay LenoGuest appearance (2 episodes)2011Best in the Business HostTV miniseries 2011-2012Who's Still Standing Host (6 episodes)2012Big Morning Buzz LiveGuest panelist 2014-2015Brain GamesSelf(2 episodes)2016Deadliest Catch The BaitSelf2016Unforgettable Lorenzo Abrelli2016The Other F WordBrian2012-2017Racheal RayGuest appearance (2 episodes)2018Caroline & Friends Guest appearance 2018 Kill TonyGuest host2019Perpetual Grace, LTDHimself2021Blue BloodsEmmet Fells2022-2023Money Grab in a CabHost(15 episodes)2023The Game Show ShowSelf(2 episodes)2024SherriGuest appearance +FilmYearTitleRoleInfo2004Bad MeatAgent 12005They're Made Out of MeatDexterShort2007Don't Shoot The Pharmacist Zach Wright2012Bad Parents Graham2013Delivery ManHimself Uncredited
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