1994-1998: Made $60+ million from Ace Ventura, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber.
Behind the scenes: Severe depression, Prozac, therapy.
2000: Turned down $35 million for Ace Ventura 3 because "money means nothing."
2018: Girlfriend's suicide, blamed by family, lawsuit.
2022: Announced retirement, walked away from everything.
The truth: The funniest man in the world was dying inside the whole time.
This is the untold story of Jim Carrey—from van to $180 million—and why he says none of it mattered.
The Poverty Beginning (1962-1979)
Born January 17, 1962
Birthplace: Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Family: Working-class
Father: Percy Carrey (musician, accountant)
Mother: Kathleen (homemaker)
Siblings: 3 older siblings
Early life: Normal, stable
Age 12: The Family Collapse (1974)
Father's job: Lost accounting position
Reason: Company downsizing
Age: Percy was 51
Impact: Couldn't find new work
Family income: Zero
Savings: None
What happened next: Lost everything
Living in a Van
Age 12-14: Jim lived in van with family
Location: Camped on relative's lawn
Bathroom: Relatives' house
Food: Charity, relatives
School: Still attended
His role: Had to work
The Janitor Job (Age 14)
After school: Worked as janitor
Location: Factory where father worked as security
Hours: 3 PM to midnight
Homework: Done at 1 AM
Sleep: 5 hours
Grades: Suffered
Depression: Started here
The Promise (Age 15)
To himself: "I'll be rich and famous"
Motivation: Never be poor again
Method: Comedy
The drive: Survival
The pain: Never talked about
The Comedy Climb (1979-1990)
Age 17: Dropped Out
Decision: Quit school
Reason: Focus on comedy full-time
Father's reaction: Supportive (had failed himself)
Mother's health: Deteriorating (chronic illness)
Pressure: Had to succeed
Toronto Comedy Clubs
Age 17-21: Bombing constantly
Living: Parents' van
Money: Almost none
Routine: Impressions (everyone said "too much")
Success: None
Depression: Worsening
The Check (1985)
Age: 23
Action: Wrote himself a check
Amount: $10 million
For: "Acting services rendered"
Date: Thanksgiving 1995 (10 years future)
Purpose: Visualization
Kept it: In wallet
Believed it: Completely
Move to Los Angeles (1983)
Age: 21
Money: Almost none
Connection: Rodney Dangerfield saw him, encouraged move
LA clubs: Better reception
Impressions: Still not enough
Original characters: Started developing
Poverty: Still extreme
In Living Color (1990-1994)
Show: Sketch comedy on FOX
Characters: Fire Marshal Bill, Vera de Milo, etc.
Salary: $25,000 per episode
Total: ~$1 million over run
Recognition: Finally
Age: 28-32
Status: TV star, not movie star
The Explosion (1994)
Three Movies, One Year
February 4, 1994: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
- Budget: $15 million
- Jim's salary: $350,000
- Box office: $107 million
- Character: Manic, physical comedy
- Reception: Critics hated it, audiences loved it
July 29, 1994: The Mask
- Budget: $23 million
- Jim's salary: $450,000
- Box office: $351 million
- Character: CGI-enhanced zaniness
- Cultural impact: Massive
December 16, 1994: Dumb and Dumber
- Budget: $17 million
- Jim's salary: $7 million (breakthrough pay)
- Box office: $247 million
- Partnership: With Jeff Daniels
- Legacy: Classic comedy
The Result
Three hits: In one year
Total box office: $700 million
His earnings (1994): $8 million
Status: Biggest comedy star in world
Age: 32
The check: Still in wallet
The $20 Million Era (1995-1998)
The Salary Jump
Pre-1994: $25K per episode
Post-Dumb and Dumber: $20 million per film
Deal: Backend profit participation
Total per film: $25-35 million
Status: Highest-paid actor in Hollywood
The Cable Guy (1996)
Salary: $20 million (first actor to hit that number)
Budget: $47 million
Box office: $102 million
Reception: Mixed
The darkness: Started showing
His performance: Creepy, unsettling
Critics: "Is he okay?"
Liar Liar (1997)
Salary: $20 million
Box office: $302 million
Concept: Can't lie for 24 hours
Reception: Huge hit
Total earnings: $35 million
But: Depression worsening
The Truman Show (1998)
Shift: Dramatic role
Salary: $12 million (took cut for drama)
Director: Peter Weir
Character: Man whose life is TV show
Reception: Critical acclaim
Golden Globe: Win
Oscar snub: Infuriated fans
The parallel: His life felt like performance
The Hidden Depression (1994-2004)
The Prozac Years
Started: Mid-1990s
Reason: Severe depression
Dosage: Heavy
Duration: Years
Side effects: Emotional numbness
Effectiveness: Limited
What He's Said About It
Quote (1999): "I can get up on stage and make 2,000 people laugh, but I can't make myself laugh."
Interview: "There's a guy inside me who wants to lay in bed and stare at the ceiling."
On success: "I wish everyone could be rich and famous so they'd know it's not the answer."
On money: "I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer."
The Father's Death (1994)
Timing: Right as Jim hit success
Percy Carrey: Died just as Jim made it
The check: Jim placed it in father's pocket at burial
Date on check: 1995
Reality: 1994 death
Never cashed: Buried with father
The pain: Father never saw success
The guilt: Lasted forever
The Mother's Health
Kathleen: Chronic illness
Jim's care: Paid all medical bills
Relationship: Very close
Her death: 1991 (before his success)
The tragedy: Neither parent saw his success
The void: Money couldn't fill it
Relationship Struggles (1987-2018)
The Marriages
Melissa Womer (1987-1995):
- Met at comedy store
- Married March 1987
- Daughter: Jane (1987)
- Divorced: 1995
- Reason: His career, his depression
Lauren Holly (1996-1997):
- Met on Dumb and Dumber
- Married: September 1996
- Divorced: July 1997
- Duration: 10 months
- Reason: Rushed, incompatible
Long-term Relationships
Renée Zellweger (1999-2000):
- Met on Me, Myself & Irene
- Engaged: Never married
- Ended: Amicably
- His fault: Depression, unavailability
Jenny McCarthy (2005-2010):
- Public relationship
- Her son: Autistic (Jim very involved)
- Vaccine controversy: Her advocacy
- Ended: Never married
- Reason: Drifted apart
Cathriona White (2012-2015)
Met: 2012
On-and-off: Volatile
Her struggles: Depression, addiction
September 28, 2015: She died by suicide
Method: Overdose
Note: Mentioned Jim
His state: Devastated
The lawsuit: Her family sued Jim
Allegations:
- Gave her STDs
- Provided drugs
- Contributed to death
His response: Denied everything
Result: Case dismissed, refiled, settled
The trauma: Public, brutal
His depression: Deepened
The Existential Turn (2000-2018)
Turned Down $35 Million
Year: 2000
Offer: Ace Ventura 3
Salary: $35 million
His response: No
Reason: "I don't need the money, and I don't want to do it"
Industry: Shocked
His explanation: "Money means nothing"
The Truman Show Reality
The parallel: Started believing his life was performance
Philosophy: Read Eckhart Tolle
Spirituality: Turned to Eastern philosophy
Painting: Took up art
Isolation: Withdrew from Hollywood
The Documentary: Jim & Andy (2017)
About: Making of Man on the Moon (1999)
Revelation: He stayed in character as Andy Kaufman for months
Why: "Jim Carrey doesn't exist"
Interviews: Disturbing honesty
His quote: "At some point, when you create yourself you have to let go of the person you created."
Translation: Identity crisis
The Interviews (2017-2018)
Fashion Week interview:
- Told reporter nothing matters
- "There is no me"
- "We don't matter"
Viral: Everyone worried
His stance: He meant it
Quote: "I don't believe in icons, I don't believe in personalities. I believe that peace lies beyond personality."
Public: "Is he having a breakdown?"
The Retirement (2022-Present)
April 2022 Announcement
Occasion: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 press
Statement: "I'm retiring"
Reason: "I've done enough"
Qualifier: "Unless there's a script written in gold ink"
His age: 60
Net worth: $180 million
What He's Doing
Painting: Daily
Living: Hawaii, isolated
Social life: Minimal
Acting: Selective (Sonic 3 brought him back)
Philosophy: Still spiritual
State: Seemingly at peace
The Art
Style: Abstract, colorful
Themes: Political, spiritual
Output: Prolific
Sales: Some
Purpose: Expression, not money
What it shows: The inner world
The Numbers
Career earnings: $300+ million
Current net worth: $180 million
Peak salary: $35 million per film
Most successful films:
- The Mask: $351M
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas: $345M
- Liar Liar: $302M
- Bruce Almighty: $484M
Total box office: $6+ billion
What He's Said About It All
On success: "I wish everyone could experience being rich and famous, so they'd see it's not the answer."
On depression: "I don't think people understand the pressure of being a comedy star. You're expected to be on all the time."
On money: "You can't buy happiness, but you can buy jet skis, and have you ever seen anyone sad on a jet ski?"
On fame: "Behind every great fortune there is a crime. Mine was making people laugh while dying inside."
On retirement: "I've had enough. I've done enough."
The Lesson
You can:
- Make $300 million
- Be the funniest person alive
- Have worldwide fame
- Make millions laugh
But if you're depressed:
Money won't fix it.
Fame won't fix it.
Success won't fix it.
Jim Carrey proved:
The man who made the world laugh couldn't make himself happy.
From van to $180 million.
From nobody to biggest comedy star.
From poverty to walking away from $35 million.
Because he learned:
None of it matters if you're dying inside.
That's Jim Carrey.
The funniest man who was never happy.
Until he stopped trying to be.
