For nearly 30 years, Jim Carrey has been one of the biggest names in comedy. He’s starred in multiple hilarious roles over the years, from Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber to Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events to The Grinch.
And though Carrey hasn’t appeared in as many movies lately as he was once known for, he has cemented his place as a legendary funny man. So fans were surprised to learn that his early career wasn’t quite as successful.
Jim Carrey got his start in comedy early, due to a difficult childhood plagued by financial struggles. Even after he got his foot in the door and his career started to pick up some momentum, he faced more setbacks with crowds violently attacking him at his own shows.
Keep reading to find out what Carrey did to instigate the fans and how he defended himself.
Jim Carrey’s Early Career
Before he was one of the most famous comedians on the planet, Jim Carrey was a struggling artist. Born in Ontario, Canada, a young Carrey first started performing for his family to make them laugh.
His father encouraged him to try and make a career out of it and helped him write his first routine, which he performed in Toronto at the age of 15.
Mental Floss reports that by the age of 21, Carrey had made it onto The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson and was able to break into the New York comedy scene.
Why Crowds Weren’t Impressed With Jim Carrey
Something that fans might not know about Jim Carrey is that, before he made it big, he was making a living doing stand-up shows. He was particularly skilled at doing impressions of other celebrities, such as Clint Eastwood.
Crowds used to love his impressions, even if Carrey himself didn’t enjoy doing them.
In a 2004 interview with 60 Minutes, Carrey revealed that he decided to put a stop to the impressions part of his show.
"I can get [imitations of] 2000 people down and I will still be saying to the world that those people are more interesting than me,” the Ace Ventura actor said. “And that’s just not true, you know.”
But once he stopped doing the impressions that crowds had come to expect, they turned on him.
How Did The Crowds React To Jim Carrey?
Crowds were visibly disappointed when they didn’t get the impressions that they had turned up for.
Instead, Carrey would try experimental comedy, including hiding inside a piano during another comedian’s time on stage. There were times when crowds were so disappointed that they even turned violent.
“Some nights it was a melee, literally, where I’d be standing trying to defend myself for what I was doing,” Carrey told 60 Minutes. “People would be screaming at me to do my old act, and getting actually violent and angry at me."
The actor added that it could be so bad at times that he would have to defend himself with a broken beer bottle.
Jim Carrey’s First Comedic Routine Was A Disaster
While Jim Carrey has seen a lot of success in his career, he’s also had his share of setbacks. That first comic gig he did in Toronto when he was 15 ended up being a disaster. According to Fail Fection, Carrey was booed off the stage at Yuk Yuk’s club.
Halfway through his act that night, a Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack started playing, reciting the words “Crucify him.” The ordeal was so disheartening to Carrey that he temporarily gave up on his dreams and stopped doing comedy.
But it didn't stop him for long. Ultimately, the comedian continued to chase his goals.
How He Supported Himself After Failing At Comedy (At First)
Although Jim Carrey was still a teenager when he gave up on his dreams of being a comedian, his family was struggling financially. So in 1978, he quit school and took a job as a janitor to support his family.
But it wasn’t long before he recovered from the trauma of his first gig and set his sights on a career in show business again.
Jim Carrey’s Breakthrough To Film
When Carrey turned 19, he moved to the United States to pursue his dreams. After landing a few acting roles in small-scale film and TV projects, Carrey was offered a regular role on the sketch comedy show In Living Color.
After the show ended in 1994, Carrey won his first breakthrough role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which transformed him into a global sensation. Several other major hits followed, including Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, and Liar Liar.
By the time the year 2000 came around, Carrey was so successful that he was able to secure a $20 million paycheck for his work on How The Grinch Stole Christmas.