I am incredibly grateful that we have Jim Carrey, especially after the passing of Robin Williams. In my opinion, Jim is one of the greatest comedians of all time – his ability to make us laugh out loud without ever resorting to swearing or profanity is truly remarkable.
Jim Carrey is one of those rare celebrities who is hard not to love. He remains my favourite comedian and comedic actor of all time, and his recent retirement from public life has understandably caused concern among those close to him.
At 62, Jim Carrey is to comedy what Eminem is to hip-hop, Mike Tyson is to boxing, Michael Jordan is to basketball and Arnold Schwarzenegger is to bodybuilding. Carrey, who became a household name in the 1990s, has always wowed audiences with his physical comicism, rubbery facial expressions and larger-than-life performances. He has iconic films to his credit and has also won two Golden Globe Awards, but above all he is known as a devoted family man.
A rough start
Jim Carrey was born in 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, and grew up in a financially struggling family. He grew up in a Roman Catholic household with three older siblings, and the family moved frequently from one Toronto suburb to another. As a child, Jim was an introvert and ‘never knew he had to socialise’.
At the age of eight, Jim began experimenting with facial expressions in front of a mirror, discovering an ability to make an impression that later defined his comedic style.
The family’s financial situation worsened when Jim’s father, who was a musician, lost his job at the age of 51. ‘It broke his heart,’ Jim recalled in a 1995 interview with The Edmonton Journal. When things took a turn for the worse, Jim dropped out of high school to help support his parents, and the family took low-paying jobs as a caretaker and security guard at a local factory.
Unfortunately, the factory had a toxic work environment and the family eventually quit. With no home to return to, Jim’s parents moved into their Volkswagen van, and he and his brother lived in a tent for several months.
‘For a while we pitched a tent on my sister’s lawn in the country,’ Jim recalls. ‘We went to campgrounds all over Ontario, used the facilities there and had a lot of fun. We actually had more fun there than we did at our hated jobs.’
Resentment and reconciliation
At 17, Jim began performing stand-up comedy in Toronto clubs to help support his family. Despite financial difficulties, he continued to do comedy and at 19 moved to Los Angeles where his career took off.
Jim’s breakthrough came as a regular on the famous Comedy Store, and in the mid-80s he persuaded his parents to move in with him in Los Angeles. He took it upon himself to support them, confident that his career would soon make him a major star. But when his career stalled and he struggled to find work, his frustration grew, leading to bitterness toward his parents.
‘I resented them because there was always so much pressure on me to be a star, to save their lives, to buy them a big house with pillars – like Elvis,’ Jim admits. ‘And it got to the extreme.’
He sent his parents back to Toronto, a decision he says was one of the hardest of his life. ‘I never had nightmares again, never experienced fear,’ Jim says.
Love and family life
In the late ‘80s, Jim met love with former actress and Comedy Store waitress Melissa Womer. They married in 1987, and just six months later they had a daughter, Jane Erin Carrey. Melissa continued to work during her pregnancy, and Jim was only making $150 a week doing stand-up comedy.
However, in the early 90s, when Jim’s career took a sharp turn for the worse, their marriage began to crumble. According to Melissa, the man she married was very different from the superstar that Jim had become. ‘Marriage requires empathy, commitment and sacrifice. The dude changed,’ she said in a 1995 interview.
Despite the separation, Jim remained faithful to his daughter. He made sure that Jane had every opportunity to realise her dreams and passed on to her valuable lessons from her own father. ‘I often said that I wished people could realise all their dreams, gain wealth and fame, so that they could see that that’s not where they would find their completion,’ he shared.
Jane Carrey’s journey
Now 35 years old, Jane Carrey sings in The Jane Carrey Band and even auditioned for American Idol at the age of 24, but was eliminated early. Jim, however, was incredibly proud of her performance. ‘She’s so wonderful and amazing to me. I can’t wait for the world to realise what she has inside her,’ he said.
Jane also studied acting, starred in Catfish: The TV Show and wrote the soundtracks for the film Dumb and Dumber. Together with her father, she participated in fundraising to fight autism.
In her personal life, Jane married musician Alex Santana in 2009, but the couple divorced a year later. They share a son, Jackson Riley Santana, born in February 2010. Jim, who is now a proud grandfather, often shares his excitement about his grandson, joking that Jackson humiliates him when he plays video games.
Regretting the role
Despite his extensive list of iconic roles, Jim Carrey has expressed regret over one film: Kick-Ass 2. After the tragedy of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, he withdrew his support for the film due to excessive violence. ‘I can’t support that level of violence,’ he wrote on Twitter in 2013.
What’s next for Jim Carrey?
Jim Carrey has kept a low profile in recent years, focusing on painting and creating. In 2022, he announced his decision to retire from his acting career, stating, ‘I’ve had enough. I’ve done enough. I’ve had enough.’
Since then, he has pretty much stopped being in the spotlight, with some fans and friends expressing concern about his well-being. The last time he appeared in public was in January 2024 on his 62nd birthday, and he looked a little different then, causing concern among those who cared for him.
But in August 2024, a promising development has emerged: Jim Carrey will return to the big screen in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, reprising his role as the iconic Dr Robotnik.
Jim, who made a huge impact on the world of comedy, is now enjoying life as a proud grandfather and continues to inspire us all. We wish him all the best in this new chapter of his life!
