via Getty Images  

The Tragedy of Jim Carrey Just Keeps Getting Sadder and Sadder

Jim Carrey is known as one of Hollywood’s funniest men. But behind the scenes, things haven’t always been so positive for the star.

advertisement

Jim Carrey is one of Hollywood’s best-loved actors.

  via Getty Images  

He first rose to fame in gross-out comedy movies such as Dumb & Dumber and Ace Ventura, where his seemingly elastic face and never-ending supply of energy gained much fan acclaim.

advertisement

Since then, he’s shown a remarkable range.

  via Getty Images  

Carrey has starred in films across a wide range of genres, including a range of excellent romcoms like Bruce Almighty.

advertisement

But Carrey doesn’t shy away from more dramatic roles, either.

  via Getty Images  

He gained a lot of critical praise for his role in dystopian reality television satire, The Truman Show. He also played the romantic straight-man lead in artsy classic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

advertisement

Alongside his acting success, Carrey has had to deal with a certain level of fame.

  via Getty Images  

Particularly in the ’90s, Carrey was one of the most recognizable faces in the celebrity world. His hugely successful film roles led to a legion of loyal fans.

advertisement

At first, Carrey seemed to court the public’s attention.

  via Getty Images  

But in recent years, he’s become a lot more private and less keen on holding his spot in the public eye. In fact, he’s often quite critical of society’s obsession with fame.

advertisement

Carrey has often been keen to troll the paparazzi.

  via : Getty Images  

Here he is in 2008, wearing then-girlfriend Jenny McCarthy’s bathing suit – perhaps as a commentary on how women are treated by the media, or perhaps just to induce a laugh.

advertisement

But there’s no shortage of snaps of Carrey.

  via : Shutterstock  

If you’re as famous as he is – and attend high profile celebrity events with such regularity – it makes sense that you’d be pretty used to getting your picture taken.

advertisement

He’s certainly a recognizable face.

  via : Getty Images  

But behind the scenes, it seems we haven’t really known much about Carrey’s life.

advertisement

Recently, details of several tragic incidents in his past have surfaced.

  via : Getty Images  

It seems behind his smile, there’s a whole world of pain.

advertisement

And as details of his life have surfaced, fans don’t know what to think.

  via : Getty Images  

The elements of his tragic life have many feeling emotional – particularly when the star is so beloved!

advertisement

So let’s start, shall we?

  via : Getty Images  

The tragedies of Carrey’s life started very young – when he was a kid, in fact.

advertisement

When Carrey was a kid, he had a particular fear.

  via : Shutterstock  

He was constantly afraid of his parents dying.

advertisement

“I remember locking myself in the bathroom and crying because I thought they were going to die.”

  via Shutterstock  

“They banged on the door, telling me to come out. I don’t know if I got over that fear at that time; it was just kind of with me,” he explained.

advertisement

Carrey was also a very lonely kid.

  via : Shutterstock  

“I spent most of my time in my room staring at a mirror,” he confessed.

advertisement

“I never knew I was supposed to socialize.”

  via : Shutterstock  

“I went from straight-A student to not wanting to know anybody’s name, and not wanting to make a friend.”

advertisement

Carrey also faced a very real peril in his childhood.

  via : Shutterstock  

A bout of homeless, after his father lost his job.

advertisement

“A lot of people don’t know this but when I was about 14 or 15, my father lost his job and I actually became homeless for quite some time.”

  via : Shutterstock  

“But of course, I grew up in Canada and I thought we’d gone camping,” he’s joked on stage.

advertisement

We’ve long known Carrey as a successful comedian.

  via : Shutterstock  

But his earliest days on the job were anything but easy.

advertisement

In fact, during his first time on stage, things went pretty badly.

  via : Shutterstock  

“I finally got offstage to huge applause just because I mentioned I was going to leave the stage.”

advertisement

“Then I crawled through the audience on my hands and knees, popped up behind the piano and started banging on the keys, singing, ‘I hate you all, you gave me cancer.'”

  via : Shutterstock  

“I got in the car and I cried all the way home,” he said, “Because I don’t want to make people unhappy.”

advertisement

Carrey’s struggles with his mental health have continued for much of his life.

  via : Shutterstock  

He’s actually been quite vocal about his ongoing struggles with depression.

advertisement

“It all comes down to the same thing … You are either in a loving place, or you are in an unloving place.”

  via : Shutterstock  

“If you are with me right now, you cannot be unhappy. It’s not possible, just try.”

advertisement

A public breakup didn’t help his fragile mental state.

  via : Shutterstock  

In 2010, Carrey and Jenny McCarthy split, and he turned to creative pursuits to try to get through the tough times.

advertisement

In fact, Carrey’s relationship past has been plagued with issues.

  via : Shutterstock  

McCarthy has called him “a hard guy to date.”

advertisement

“Jim can run hot and he can run cold.”

  via : Shutterstock  

“He is someone who desperately needs to be with someone, then just as desperately needs to be alone. But at the same time, he can be a very loving, very compassionate guy.”

advertisement

Carrey’s intense personality has also led to professional problems.

  via : Shutterstock  

During the filming of Man on the Moon, he fully immersed himself in the role of Andy Kauffman.

advertisement

His method acting led him to lose himself.

  via : Shutterstock  

He found himself asking questions like, “What do I believe? What are my politics? What do I like and dislike?”

advertisement

After filming was over, Carrey felt he’d lost himself.

  via : Shutterstock  

“If I can put Jim Carrey aside for 4 months, who is Jim Carrey?” he asked. “Who the hell is that?”

advertisement

But there’s one big controversy that has dominated Carrey’s life.

  via : Shutterstock  

Back in 2015, his ex-girlfriend Cathriona White tragically took her own life.

advertisement

But the tragedy didn’t end there.

  via : Shutterstock  

The following year, Carrey was sued by her ex-husband for wrongful death.

advertisement

He claimed Carrey had infected White with STDs.

  via : Shutterstock  

Plus supplied her with the painkillers she used to complete suicide.

advertisement

Carrey fought back.

  via : Shutterstock  

He launched a lawsuit claiming the family was trying to extort him.

advertisement

The case was dismissed on both sides in 2018.

  via : Shutterstock  

But we can’t imagine this was an easy thing for Carrey to go through!

advertisement

But one of the saddest aspects of Carrey’s life?

  via : Shutterstock  

Well, it seems in spite of his myriad of achievements…

advertisement

It seems they have never made him truly happy.

  via : Shutterstock  

He’s made unprecedented amounts of cash in his work.

advertisement

But in spite of his successes, Carrey took a hiatus from the industry.

  via : Shutterstock  

“I just didn’t want to be in the business anymore,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

advertisement

“”I didn’t like what was happening, the corporations taking over and all that.”

  via : Shutterstock  

In fact, it seems he experienced something of an existential crisis.

advertisement

“What are we? Why are we here?”

  via : Shutterstock  

“And the answer to both of those questions is: nothing, no reason, as far as I am concerned.”

advertisement

All the fame and money in the world couldn’t satisfy him.

  via Shutterstock  

“I guess just getting to the place where you have everything everybody has ever desired and realizing you are still unhappy.”

advertisement

It seems it’s not easy being Carrey.

  via : Shutterstock  

He lives life from a melancholic disposition through and through.

advertisement

We hope he’s doing ok!

  via : Shutterstock  

Fancy more behind-the-scenes celebrity tragedies? Scroll on…

advertisement