The SNL Audition That Nearly Ruined Jim Carrey’s Career – What Went Wrong?

Today, Jim Carrey is a household name — a comedy legend whose elastic face and manic energy made him a box office juggernaut in the 1990s. But long before Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber catapulted him to superstardom, Carrey faced a rejection so devastating that it could have ended his career before it ever truly began: his failed attempts to join Saturday Night Live (SNL).

Throughout the early and mid-1980s, Carrey auditioned multiple times for the coveted late-night sketch show, which had already launched careers for the likes of Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, and Gilda Radner. For a young comedian hungry for a break, SNL was the gold standard. Yet despite his undeniable talent, Carrey was repeatedly turned away. His audition tape — which included wild impersonations like a “post-nuclear Elvis” and Henry Fonda from On Golden Pond — never even reached show creator Lorne Michaels. A staffer reportedly dismissed it, believing Michaels wouldn’t like it, a move Michaels later confirmed in Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by saying, “He never auditioned for me personally.”

One particularly haunting memory from these auditions stuck with Carrey. Before one attempt at NBC’s Burbank studios, he witnessed a man on a ledge, apparently contemplating suicide. Carrey interpreted it as an ominous sign — a chilling metaphor for the emotional toll rejection could take.

Missing out on SNL was no small setback. For comedians in the ’80s, the show was a kingmaker. Without it, Carrey risked obscurity, trapped in a cycle of small TV roles and bit parts like those he landed in The Duck Factory (1984) and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). Another missed opportunity — the lead in 1984’s Bachelor Party, which went to Tom Hanks — added to the frustration, though it was the SNL snub that cut deepest.

Yet Carrey’s resilience proved greater than any rejection. He found a home — and his breakout — on In Living Color (1990–1994), where his outrageous characters like Fire Marshal Bill finally showcased his talents to a national audience. From there, his meteoric rise was unstoppable.

In a poetic twist, Carrey would later host SNL multiple times and even portray Joe Biden in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election. The very institution that once closed its doors to him eventually welcomed him back — but only after he had built his empire elsewhere.

Jim Carrey’s failed SNL auditions stand as a critical fork in the road: a reminder that even a career-threatening “no” can be the beginning of something much bigger. For Carrey, it wasn’t the end — it was just the setup for a spectacular punchline.