On a game show that famously has made few changes over the course of its long run, The Price Is Right made a sizable one on April 18, 2011, bringing in television personality George Gray as its newest announcer. Gray is only the fourth announcer in the show’s history, taking over from Rich Fields, who was let go the previous summer, and the second-longest-serving behind the legendary Rod Roddy. He brought a new vitality to the role, adding his own flair alongside the traditional “Come on down!” calls. One of the more unique things that Gray started doing in 2014 is giving a shout-out to someone named “Mama Mai” at the top of every episode. Who’s Mama Mai? That would be “Mama” Mai Gray, Gray’s 89-year-old mother, and he just revealed something surprising about the fan-favorite matron.

Mama Mai Is a Big Fan of ‘The Price Is Right’

Image via CBSImage via CBSImage via Instagram @georgegrayImage via CBSImage via CBS 

Gray started saying “hi” to his mama in 2014, but he didn’t disclose their relationship until 2016, revealing the truth to a fan on X:

“I have been wanting too [sic] ask you @TheGeorgeGray Who is Mama May? #comeondown.”

“@TrulyJulieRokks Mama Mai is my dear sweet mom, who watches the show every day! :)”

Since then, Mama Mai has become a celebrity in her own right, with fans always eager to hear updates on how Gray’s mother is doing. Recently, some fans who attended some tapings of The Price Is Right were privy to some new insight from the man himself, courtesy of a Reddit thread a fan created to discuss Mama Mai and share updates. One user mentioned that they were wearing a shirt that said, “Hi Mama Mai” to a taping, and Gray approached them after noticing the shirt, saying of the encounter, “He mentioned that [Mama Mai] watches every day and, if I recall correctly, he said she sends him a pic from his intro with an emoji.” So not only does Mama Mai watch every day, which we already knew, but she also religiously takes a picture of his intro and sends it to him, a fact backed by another user who added, “His mom takes a picture of every episode and sends it to him.”

Of course, Mama Mai isn’t the first mother of a television host to gain fame through her interactions on their show. Dorothy Mengering became an unlikely celebrity thanks to her recurring appearances on her son David Letterman‘s talk show, serving as the perfect comic foil and giving a layer of endearment to the oft-biting celebrity. Both are naturally engaging, just by being themselves. Mama Mai, however, has only appeared on The Price Is Right a handful of times, typically on special Mother’s Day editions, so her claim to fame is largely based on that sweet shoutout her son gives her every episode. But also fans have even been known to give her a shoutout themselves during gameplay, calling her name when they spin the Big Wheel.

Knowing that his mother has endeared herself to the fans, Gray updates fans about Mama Mai whenever he can. He kicked off 2025 with a selfie taken with Mama Mai in front of a display of giant Christmas ornaments. In 2022, he expressed his amazement at how much his tiny mother could pack away at breakfast, while in 2020 Mama Mai posed for an outside photo, her garden behind her. It’s rare to see such a lovely mother-son connection played out over social media, and rarer still that it is expressed almost daily on a game show, of all places. It’s a daily little piece of sunshine that reminds viewers that there’s still room for something as pure and innocent as mutual admiration between mother and son, in a world that doesn’t share nearly enough positivity. On that note, we’ll end on how we should have started, by saying, “Hi, Mama Mai!”