Drew Carey grew up in Cleveland and started his career as a stand-up comic in his hometown after a disc jockey friend enlisted him to write some jokes for his radio show. A few years later, after appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, he scripted and starred in his own cable special, Drew Carey: Human Cartoon, for which he won a Cable ACE Award. He was nominated for another Cable ACE Award in 1993 for his performance on Showtime's Tenth Anniversary of the Montreal Comedy Festival. After co-starring on one sitcom and co-writing another, Drew hooked up with writer/producer Bruce Helford and created The Drew Carey Show. In 1996, Drew won a People's Choice Award for "Favorite Male Performer in a New Comedy Series."