Michael Gregory Rowe (born March 18, 1962)
is an American television host and narrator. He is known for his work on the
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience.
It init ...
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. He also hosts a
podcast
A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
titled ''The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe''.
Rowe has narrated programs on the
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience.
It init ...
,
The Science Channel, and
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Enter ...
such as ''
Deadliest Catch'', ''
How the Universe Works'', and ''
Shark Week''. He has also appeared in commercials for firms such as the
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
.
Early life
Rowe was born and raised in
Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Baltimore County partly surrounds but does not include the independent cit ...
, to John and Peggy Rowe, who were both teachers.
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 suburban
Overlea 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.
Rowe attended Kenwood Presbyterian Church in
Nottingham, Maryland, which his parents still regularly attend. He graduated from
Overlea High School in 1980,
where he excelled in theater and singing.
He then studied at
Essex Community College.
In 1985, he graduated from
Towson University with a degree in
communication studies
Communication studies (or communication science) is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in differ ...
.
Television career
As host
Rowe has hosted ''On-Air TV'' for
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...
, ''No Relation'' for
FX,
and ''New York Expeditions'' for
PBS.
In the early 1990s, Rowe hosted the
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...
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
QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network and a flagship shopping channel specializing in televised Shopping channel, home shopping, owned by QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group). Founded in 19 ...
. 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.
In the 1990s, Rowe hosted ''Channel 999'' instructional guide for the defunct
PrimeStar satellite television service.
In 2002, Rowe hosted ''
Worst Case Scenarios'' for
TBS.
From 2001 to 2004, Rowe hosted ''
The Most'' for
The History Channel.
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
Zahi Abass Hawass (; born May 28, 1947) is an Egyptians, Egyptian archaeology, archaeologist, Egyptology, Egyptologist, and former Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt), Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, a position he held twice. He has ...
, an Egyptian
archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
.
In September 2012, Rowe hosted a three-part series ''
How Booze Built America'' on the
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience.
It init ...
.
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.
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".
As narrator
In addition to hosting programs, Rowe has an extensive background as a narrator. His work with Discovery Channel includes narrating ''
American Chopper'', ''
American Hot Rod'', ''
Deadliest Catch'', ''
Wild Pacific
''South Pacific'' (''Wild Pacific'' in the US) is a British nature documentary series from the BBC Natural History Unit, which began airing on BBC Two on 10 May 2009. The six-part series surveys the natural history of the islands of the South ...
'', ''
Silver Rush'', ''
Ghost Lab'', ''
How the Universe Works'', and
Syfy's ''
Ghost Hunters''. Rowe hosted the Discovery Channel's annual ''
Shark Week'' in 2006 and 2008, and has hosted the special ''
You Spoof Discovery'', an amateur parody video special which poked fun at some of the popular series on the Discovery Channel's lineup.

Rowe was originally tapped to be the on-screen host of the
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience.
It init ...
's ''Deadliest Catch'', a show about crab fishing in the
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...
, 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.
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
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
pre-race show for the
2009 Chase on
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
.
From December 21, 2009, to June 2012, Rowe was the announcer on ''
ABC World News with Diane Sawyer''.
He hosts a podcast called ''The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe'', in partnership with Red Seat Ventures.
Additional appearances
On October 7, 2007, Rowe appeared on
Fox's ''
American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
'' as the voice of a
meter maid.
Rowe appeared on an episode of ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
'' (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.
Mike Rowe spoke to more than 70,000 scouts, leaders, and visitors at the
2010 National Scout Jamboree in
Fort A.P. Hill,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, and a second time at the
2013 National Scout Jamboree in
Bechtel Summit. Rowe, an Eagle Scout, spoke to the crowd about the importance of being physically and mentally clean, but emphasized the need for all scouts to get dirty.
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
Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Gl ...
's character.
In June 2013, Mike Rowe spoke to the delegates at the 49th Annual National Leadership and Skills Conference for
SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 395,000 high school, college and middle school students and professional members enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service oc ...
in Kansas City, Missouri. He addressed the crowd of 15,000+ at Kemper Arena about the importance to "Work Smart ''and'' Hard".
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.
As pitchman
Beginning in March 2007, he was featured in several
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
F-Series truck commercials, presented in a style similar to ''Dirty Jobs'', including one for
Ford Sync
Ford Sync (stylized Ford SYNC) is a factory-installed, integrated in-car communications and entertainment system, in-vehicle communications and entertainment system that allows users to make hands-free telephone calls, control music and perform ...
. In the summer of 2009, he appeared in advertisements for Ford and
Lincoln-Mercury vehicles that used the tagline, "Why Ford. Why Now."
On July 26, 2010, Rowe became the spokesperson for
Caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
, "spending time with Caterpillar customers and dealers to get a real world perspective on their jobs and how the two partner to be successful."
In 2011, Rowe appeared with his parents in television spots for Viva paper towels.
Trade activism
On Labor Day 2008, Rowe launched the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which is focused on the decline in the
blue collar trades and the crumbling state of infrastructure. 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,
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.
In May 2011, Rowe testified on the issue of trade activism before the
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
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.
Rowe sent a letter to President Obama at the start of his first term offering to help promote the three million "
shovel ready
In politics, a shovel ready construction project (usually larger-scale infrastructure) is where planning and engineering is advanced enough that—with sufficient funding—construction can begin within a very short time. The term was popularized ...
" 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
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
and appeared with him on September 26, 2012, at a campaign event in
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
. "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."
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.
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
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...
. 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
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
because he is "not much of a joiner".
His mikeroweWORKS Foundation has received financial support from
Charles Koch.
In April 2021, when asked about the debate about raising the
minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
, 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."
Personal life
Rowe sang professionally with the
Baltimore Opera.
A former resident of San Francisco, California,
Rowe now resides in nearby
Belvedere, California. A voice-over for a
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
ad in 2014 sparked death threats from fans.
In 2016, he was subject to rumors describing his death, leading him to quote the famous line attributed to
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
: "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."
He is in a long-term relationship, but not married.
Accolades
Rowe was the first winner of the
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Reality Show Host in 2011. In June 2012, Rowe was awarded the
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is awarded to an Eagle Scout who has achieved extraordinary national-level recognition, fame, or eminence within their profession ...
by the
Boy Scouts of America
Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
.
In 2017, Rowe was made an Honorary Lifetime Member of the
Barbershop Harmony Society.
Rowe received the Outstanding Host for a Daytime Program award for ''Returning the Favor'' at the 2020 Daytime Emmy awards.
Filmography
Television
Bibliography
*
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Mike
1962 births
American male voice actors
Community College of Baltimore County alumni
Discovery Channel people
Ford Motor Company
Living people
Male actors from Baltimore
Male actors from San Francisco
QVC people
Television personalities from San Francisco
Towson University alumni