Jim Carrey Depressed For Years Following Saturday Night Live Rejection

A Saturday Night Live rejection left Jim Carrey depressed for years, according to an interview with former co-star Cheri Oteri. Oteri had met the actor while appearing on SNL, and he hosted an episode of the show in 1996. The actress claims that she and Carrey had a discussion about the topic, during which he let his true feelings be known.

The actress, perhaps first known for her appearance in a Spartan cheerleaders sketch with Will Ferrell, would later go on to star in the Carrey-led Liar, Liar. Speaking in an interview, Oteri says that Carrey opened up to her during a dinner following his hosting of the long-running show.

She claims that Saturday Night Live and his related depression was the “biggest dragon” the actor “ever had to slay.” Fans of the actor may be surprised to hear that, as he had a string of hits in the years between the SNL rejection and eventually appearing on the show.

Saturday Night Live Rejection Leaves Jim Carrey Depressed

Speaking on Jess Rothschild’s podcast Hot Takes and Deep Dives, Cheri Oteri claims that she and Carrey had a deep conversation over dinner following his appearance on SNL. During the talk, the two spoke about the actor’s Saturday Night Live rejection.

At the start, the conversation focused on how Carrey appreciated Oteri on the show. As she says:

“When he first arrived, he said, ‘I’d like to do the cheerleaders.’ My daughter is completely enamored with the subject. “I’m obsessed, and so it was really important.”

The actress goes on to note that the rejection left Jim Carrey depressed for several years afterward. She details the conversation that took place, saying:

“And he told me, ‘Cheri, I аuditioned for Sаturdаy Night Live, аnd when I didn’t get it, I went into а deep depression.’ “It wаs so deep, it felt like it lаsted а couple of yeаrs. And I’m like, ‘Reаlly?’ And he’s like, ‘You don’t reаlize this is the biggest drаgon I’ve ever hаd to slаy.’ And I could tell it meаnt а lot to him.”

It seems as though being able to appear on SNL, even as a guest host, had a positive impact on Carrey. As Cheri Oteri elaborates of his feelings toward the show:

“As а result, we wrote the sketch with extreme cаution. In the five yeаrs I wаs there, he ended up putting on the best show I’d ever seen аnyone put on.”

The Actor and Comedian Finds Continued Success

Image via Warner Bros.

Fans of the actor could be surprised to know that the Saturday Night Live rejection left Jim Carrey depressed for years. He had a string of successful hits throughout the 1990s and 2000s. A generation of fans grew up on his work during this time, creating fond memories.

The likes of The Mask and Dumb and Dumber are examples of this. His career continues to thrive in the current day; he recently starred in an adaption of the Sonic games into a movie franchise, starring as Dr. Robotnik. He also plans on starring in another Sonic movie.

What do you think of Carrey’s SNL rejection? Should he have appeared on the show more frequently? Would his career have been much different should he have become a regular? Let us know your thoughts below!

Featured image via New Line Cinema

A passionate gamer and dedicated writer, Luke Luby has been covering video games and pop culture for multiple years.