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.
Bailey 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]
According 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]
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
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 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 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
Bailey 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
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.[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.
↑ 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 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..."
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