Michael Gregory Rowe (born March 18, 1962)[1]: 6 is an American television host and narrator. He is known for his work on the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs and the series Somebody's Gotta Do It originally developed for CNN. He hosted a series produced for Facebook called Returning the Favor in which he found people doing good deeds and did something for them in return.[2] He also hosts a podcast titled The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe.[3]
Rowe was born and raised in Baltimore County, Maryland, to John and Peggy Rowe, who were both teachers.[4][1]: 6 In commercials for Dirty Jobs he stated that the show is a tribute to his father and grandfather. He became an Eagle Scout in 1979 in Troop 16 in Overlea,[5] and he read to students at the Maryland School for the Blind during his service project for Eagle Scout. He cites this as one of the reasons that he became interested in narrating and writing.[5][6]
Rowe has hosted On-Air TV for American Airlines, No Relation for FX,[10] and New York Expeditions for PBS.
In the early 1990s, Rowe hosted the CD-ROM music trivia game Radio Active (as "Bobby Arpeggio") for defunct Sanctuary Woods. During the same period, he was an on-air host for the home-shopping TV network QVC.[11] Rowe has claimed that QVC fired him three times, rehiring him each time until he finally left of his own accord in 1993. When told in a 2008 episode of Dirty Jobs that the gourds he was working on would be sold via QVC, he said he was familiar with the corporation and proceeded to ad-lib a sales pitch for them.[12]
In the 1990s, Rowe hosted Channel 999 instructional guide for the defunct PrimeStar satellite television service.
From 2001 to 2004, Rowe hosted The Most for The History Channel.[10] From 2001 to 2005, Rowe hosted Evening Magazine on KPIX-TV in San Francisco. During this time, he appeared in a news segment called "Somebody's Gotta Do It", profiling a number of unpleasant professions; the concept later grew into Dirty Jobs. Rowe's first work with the Discovery Channel included a trip to the Valley of the Golden Mummies to host Egypt Week Live!, where he explored ancient tombs live with Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist.
CNN announced on April 10, 2014, that Rowe would host Somebody's Gotta Do It, a new "Original Series" that began in the fall of 2014 lineup. The final season aired on the TBN in 2018. Rowe highlights "unique individuals" in their respective passionate undertakings, whether it be work, hobby, or fanaticism. Somebody's Gotta Do It is produced by Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Studios.[13]
In mid-July 2020, Discovery Channel aired Dirty Jobs: Rowe'd Trip, a four-episode miniseries, billed as "part reunion, part road-trip, part look-back-special".[14]
Rowe was originally tapped to be the on-screen host of the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, a show about crab fishing in the Bering Sea, and shot footage aboard several crab boats in addition to narrating the series. When Dirty Jobs was picked up by Discovery, he was told to choose which show he wanted to appear in on-screen.[15] Rowe chose to host Dirty Jobs and narrate Deadliest Catch; the footage of him on the boats was not used in the series, although he did appear in a season finale of Deadliest Catch, interviewing the boat captains. Rowe hosted a related show about life on the Bering Sea, a 2007 miniseries, After the Catch, a show which has continued after each season of Deadliest Catch.
Other narration work by Rowe includes Mystery Diagnosis, Drydock: A Cruise Ship Reborn, Southern Steel, Powertool Drag Racing, Scavengers Rock (Animal Planet), Airplane Repo and the opening of Ghost Hunters, a Syfy series from the producers of American Chopper. Additionally, Rowe has done voiceover work for the reality television show The Ultimate Fighter and the NASCAR pre-race show for the 2009 Chase on ESPN.[16]
Rowe appeared on an episode of Sesame Street (Season 39) in a segment called "Dirtiest Jobs With Mike Rowe", which aired on October 13, 2008. Rowe visits Sesame Street to find the dirtiest job, which happens to belong to Oscar. Rowe must do all the things Oscar does. His tasks include finding and counting stinky cheese, sorting trash, and giving his pet pig, Spot, a mud bath. To Oscar's chagrin, Rowe does not want to stop, as he is having too much fun.
In 2012, Rowe appeared in the 'Baxter & Sons' episode of the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing playing the role of Jim Baxter, the brother of Tim Allen's character.
In June 2013, Mike Rowe spoke to the delegates at the 49th Annual National Leadership and Skills Conference for SkillsUSA in Kansas City, Missouri. He addressed the crowd of 15,000+ at Kemper Arena about the importance to "Work Smart and Hard".[21]
In 2017, Rowe was a guest on the premiere episode of Season 39 for This Old House. This first project of the season spotlights "Generation Next", an organization that is training young people to learn the building trades. Rowe, through his "mikeroweWORKS" foundation and the "This Old House" people are supporting this initiative.[22][23]
As pitchman
Beginning in March 2007, he was featured in several Ford Motor CompanyF-Series truck commercials, presented in a style similar to Dirty Jobs, including one for Ford Sync.[24] In the summer of 2009, he appeared in advertisements for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles that used the tagline, "Why Ford. Why Now."[25]
On July 26, 2010, Rowe became the spokesperson for Caterpillar, "spending time with Caterpillar customers and dealers to get a real world perspective on their jobs and how the two partner to be successful."[26]
In 2011, Rowe appeared with his parents in television spots for Viva paper towels.[27]
Trade activism
On Labor Day 2008, Rowe launched the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which is focused on the decline in the blue collartrades and the crumbling state of infrastructure.[28] A trade resource center has been launched and provides information, resources, and forums for people interested in learning about, or pursuing a career in, the trades,[5] as well as a new blog aggregator for the trades and construction industry, called the "Trades Hub", which launched in April 2011.
On September 29, 2010, Mike Rowe and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers started a campaign called "I Make America", aimed to create jobs in the manufacturing sector by encouraging infrastructure investment and export agreements. The group stated that the campaign would improve the economy and global competitiveness of the United States.[29]
Rowe has contributed video content to The Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute's trade-worker recruiting campaign GoBuildAlabama.com, culminating in an Iron Bowl-themed commercial broadcast on local CBS affiliates during Thanksgiving weekend 2010.[33]
Rowe sent a letter to President Obama at the start of his first term offering to help promote the three million "shovel ready" jobs promised during the campaign, suspecting it might be a tough sell, "given the country's then-current relationship with the shovel." He did not receive a reply. During the 2012 presidential election, Rowe contacted GOP candidate Mitt Romney and appeared with him on September 26, 2012, at a campaign event in Ohio. "He's non partisan, he's not here to endorse me, he's not here to add support to one campaign or another," Romney said of his guest. "He's here to talk about his ideas about how to help America create more jobs."[34]
In spring 2013, mikeroweWORKS launched its newest initiative, Profoundly Disconnected. Rowe states, "many of the best opportunities that exist today require a skill, not a diploma. The purpose of this site is to promote that simple truth." While in high school in 1979, Rowe saw a poster in his guidance counselor's office that read "Work Smart, Not Hard". He hated it so much, he changed it to "Work Smart AND Hard"; he now prints such posters and wants them hanging all over the country to get people to change the way hard work is perceived.[35]
Rowe describes himself as a cheerleader for both blue-collar workers and white-collar workers, hoping to promote individual initiative and positive thinking throughout the U.S. economy. He has stated that he feels alienated from the current U.S. political system given that both business owners and regular workers receive, in his opinion, unfair criticism, with issues such as geographical mismatching and a lack of job training causing unemployment. Rowe has stated that he is a gun owner and a supporter of the U.S. 2nd Amendment, but not a member of the National Rifle Association because he is "not much of a joiner".[36]
His mikeroweWORKS Foundation has received financial support from Charles Koch.[37][38]
In April 2021, when asked about the debate about raising the minimum wage, Rowe said, "I worry that the path to a skilled trade can be compromised when you offer an artificially high wage for, I hate the expression, but an unskilled job."[39]
Personal life
Rowe sang professionally with the Baltimore Opera.[9][40][41] A former resident of San Francisco, California,[41][36] Rowe now resides in nearby Belvedere, California.[42] A voice-over for a Walmart ad in 2014 sparked death threats from fans.[41] In 2016, he was subject to rumors describing his death, leading him to quote the famous line attributed to Mark Twain: "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."[36][41] He is in a long-term relationship, but not married.[43]
^ abc"It's A Dirty Job And He Gets to Do It!". Eagletter. 35 (2). Irving, Texas: National Eagle Scout Association, Boy Scouts of America: 3–5. Fall 2009.
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