Net Worth: $180 Million
Jim Carrey’s net worth of $180 million is impressive and becoming the first actor in Hollywood history to earn $20 million for a single movie (Cable Guy) is equally as impressive.
In Living Color Pay
Jim Carrey became a breakout star on television when he co-starred in the hit comedy sketch show In Living Color. For his part on the show, Carrey earned $25,000 per episode. According to IMDB, Carrey took part in 124 episodes from 1990 through 1994, earning him an estimated total of $3.1 million.
Carrey was a central figure on the show and a large part of its success, it was through his comedic chop on In Living Color that he would jump into the role of a lifetime, Ace Venture: Pet Detective. Although that movie was a huge success, it would take several more films for Jim Carrey to start making superstar-type movie money.
Jim Carrey’s Movie Pay Milestones (The $20 Million Man)
everett225 / Depositphotos.comWhile Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask were big hits, it would take Jim Carrey a few movies to start earning multi-million dollar paychecks. Then something that sent Hollywood reeling happened, Jim Carrey’s agents negotiated a $20 million upfront paycheck for the actor to star in the dark comedy movie The Cable Guy. According to Business Insider that paycheck, when adjusted for inflation, would be worth $35 million today.
Carrey also received 15% of the film back-end for his role in the movie.
It was the first time in history that any actor was paid $20 million upfront for their work on a film.
Amazingly, 12 years later, still flying high on his household name, Carrey would work out an even more lucrative deal for the movie Yes, Man.
Here are a bunch of Jim Carrey’s net worth driving movie milestones.
| Movie | Flat Pay | Back-End Pay |
|---|---|---|
| In Living Color | $25 Thousand/episode | |
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | $350 Thousand | |
| The Mask | $540 Thousand | |
| Dumb & Dumber | $7 Million | |
| Batman Forever | $5 Million | |
| Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | $15 Million | |
| The Cable Guy | $20 Million | +15% of the back-end |
| Liar Liar | $20 Million | |
| The Truman Show | $12 Million | |
| Man on the Moon | $12 Million | |
| Me, Myself & Irene | $20 Million | |
| How the Grinch Stole Christmas | $20 Million | + An unknown back-end deal |
| Bruce Almighty | $25 Million | |
| Yes Man | $0 Upfront | 36.2% of profit ($35 to $50 Million) |
Yes, Man And The $35+ Million Deal
Jim Carrey earned $0 up-front for the movie Yes, Man. Instead, Carrey was given $36.2% of the film’s profit.
Here’s how much the movie earned from box office and DVD sales.
| Theatrical Performance | Box Office + DVD Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic Box Office | $97,690,976 | |||
| International Box Office | $128,300,000 | |||
| Worldwide Box Office | $225,990,976 | |||
| Est. Domestic DVD Sales | $27,782,917 | |||
| Total | $225,773,893 |
Yes, Man had a budget of $70 million and brought in $225,773,893 in worldwide gross sales. Based on those numbers the film had $155,773,893 in profit before advertising. If we assume the studio spent close to the film’s budget on global advertising that would still leave $85 million in gross profit.
Those numbers explain industry estimates that Jim Carrey likely earned between $35 million and $50 million from the movie.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas Pay
s_bukley / Depositphotos.comUnlike Yes, Man, Jim Carrey did earn a big payday for How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Carrey took home a guaranteed $20 million paycheck.
Carrey also reportedly was given part of the film’s back-end for his work. Carrey had admitted to nearly quitting the film after the first day because it required him to sit in a make-up chair for 8-hours per day.
The movie made $346 million worldwide with a budget of $123 million. Based on those numbers plus the cost of advertising the film, we doubt Carrey added the type of money Yes, Man earned him on the back end, but he likely still earned millions on top of his $20 million payday.
Jim Carrey’s Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Pay
Jim Carrey earned $4 million in 2020 for his role as Dr. Robotnik in the first Sonic The Hedgehog movie. It was a very nice payday for a smaller role, and he followed that payday up with $8 million when Sonic the Hedgehog 2 debuted in 2022.
Jim Carrey said he was eyeing retirement after the second Sonic movie, although there is still hope Jim Carrey will return for Sonic The Hedgehog 3, which is in active development.
Jim Carrey’s Super Bowl Commercial Pay
Jim Carrey actually earned even more money from his character in The Cable Guy when he reprised his role for a Verizon Fios Super Bowl commercial.
In what was Jim Carrey’s first-ever commercial, the company likely paid Carrey at least $500,000 to $2 million, according to pay estimates from the NYPost.
The commercial aired in February 2022, almost a full 26 years since The Cable Guy premiered in theaters.
Jim Carrey’s net worth is impressive, considering that much of his pay came from very different types of movies. From The Truman Show and Batman Forever to Man on the Moon and Dumb & Dumber, Jim Carrey has proven repeatedly that fans love him whether he’s performing in superhero flicks, comedies, biopics, and pretty much everything in between.
