Photo: Vulture and Courtesy of the Studios
Jim Carrey: Two-time golden globe award winner, multi-millionaire, The Truman Show… These are some of the thoughts that typically come to mind when picturing this famous actor and comedian. However, his life wasn’t always rainbows and sunshine. Many people would be surprised to learn that Jim Carrey experienced homelessness throughout his teen years. He has been very open about his childhood trauma and how it shaped him to be the person he is today.
In an interview with James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio, Carrey discusses how, when he was only 12 years old, his family went from “lower-middle class, to complete poverty” after his father lost his job as an accountant. Jim recalls how his family became homeless and was forced to live out of a van, and in a tent, for the majority of his teen years. After his father lost his job, Carrey began working full time as a janitor to help support the family. “I was going to school, and after school I was doing an 8 hour shift in the factory,” he told Lipton. Teenage Carrey, once an outgoing, straight-A student, grew angry at the world. His grades suffered and so did his mental health.
The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind actor discussed his experience being homeless with Howard Stern during a 2003 interview. Carrey experienced immense pressure to help provide for his family. During the interview, he recounts how he felt the need to “be the adult and take care of everything” when his family became homeless. According to a 2018 article from The Hollywood Reporter, Jim Carrey often felt abandoned by his mother, who struggled with an addiction to pain pills. Due to the adversity he and his family faced, Carrey dropped out of school on his 16th birthday to work full time in order to provide for his family and pursue a career in comedy. When asked about how he developed his incredible talent for physical comedy, Jim Carrey told 60 Minutes: “Desperation. I had a sick mom, man. I wanted to make her feel better. Basically, I think she laid in bed and took a lot of pain pills. And I wanted to make her feel better. And I used to go in there and do impressions of praying mantises, and weird things, and whatever. I’d bounce off the walls and throw myself down the stairs to make her feel better.”
Jim Carrey has been upfront about the struggles that he faced during, and as a result of, his time being homeless. Carrey reportedly struggled with depression for years and took antidepressants to try and improve his mental health. Carrey admits to using comedy as a tool to help him cope with his trauma, anxiety, and depression. Now, Jim Carrey says that he turns to spirituality to deal with his difficult days and finds peace through creating art and spending time in nature.
Although his experience might seem like a rarity, youth homelessness is, in fact, an epidemic in the United States. According to the National Conference of State Legislature website, it is estimated that each year in the United States 4.2 million youths and young adults experience homelessness; 700,000 of which are unaccompanied minors. New data collected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development shows that for a single night in 2023, there was 15% increase in the amount of unaccompanied youth in homeless shelters compared to the previous year. HUD also reported that in the same night, there was a 16% increase in the number of families with children staying in homeless shelters. Due to various factors such as differing definitions of homelessness and the fact that many homeless youth are not staying in shelters, these statistics are likely an underrepresentation of the true number of homeless youth in America.
Many factors contribute to youth homelessness and research has found that the majority of homeless youth are not homeless by choice. Youth who have been through foster care or the justice system are more likely to become homeless. According to nn4youth.org, approximately 12%-36% of youth that age out of the foster care system will go on to experience homelessness. In addition to that, roughly 4,500-6,500 youth run away from their foster placement each year due experiencing conflict and/or rejection. A study from The Voices of Youth Count, published on ncsl.org, reports that homeless youth that have been through the foster care system were more likely to also be involved in the justice system. While only 15% of the general population has been through the justice system, this study found that at least 46% of youth that experienced homelessness had been in a juvenile detention center, jail, or prison. Certain demographics are also more susceptible to youth homelessness. There are disproportionately higher rates of homelessness for youth of color, youth who identify as LGBTQ+, and young parents. Youth that dropped out of school are 3.5 times more likely to become homeless than their peers that earned their high school diploma.
Research shows that homeless youth are at a significantly higher risk than their housed peers for:
- Human trafficking
- Acute diseases
- Sexual assault
- Physical assault/Unwanted pregnancies
- Drugs and alcohol misuse
- Untreated mental illness
- Suicide
Since 1990, StandUp For Kids has been working to end the cycle of youth homelessness in the United States by providing mentorship, resources, education, and support to youth experiencing homelessness. Made up of 98% volunteers, StandUp For Kids strives to empower youth to reach their full potential and gain the skills they need to get- and remain, off the streets.
This year, StandUp For Kids Oceanside aims to launch the Road Map to Success program, targeting homeless youth in the school system. The RMTS program provides virtual and in-person wrap-around case management, mentoring, tutors, necessities, connectivity, and guidance for a successful high school graduation and beyond.
StandUp For Kids is always in search of volunteers!! If you are a compassionate individual looking to make the difference in the lives of homeless youth in Oceanside, please consider donating to the chapter or checking out one of our volunteer opportunities! YOU have the power to save a life!!
To learn more about making a donation and how the money is used to help homeless youth, go to:
To learn more about our volunteer opportunities, send an email to: [email protected]
Author: Paulina Rosequist
StandUp for Kids Oceanside: Social Media Manager (Volunteer)