The Last Leg: Jimmy Carr is compared to Vladimir Putin
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Jimmy Carr, 49, is now one of the most recognisable faces in comedy after his career began in 1997. However, the Channel 4 star’s work was not always rewarded financially as he admitted he made “ literally nothing” from his shows.
Speaking to Steven Bartlett on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, Jimmy looked back on his first ever paid gig.
The 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown star said his first paid gig came after he got made redundant at his full-time job.
Reflecting upon his finances back in the day, Jimmy said: “When I first started doing comedy I made literally no money – I mean literally nothing.
“The first money I got was £80 in cash, driving five hours to Plymouth and back.
“But I had a little bit saved. I had five grand from Shell and I was living at my mum’s initially.”
Jimmy had previously spoken out on the early days of his now-prolific career and how he used to have the “easiest job in the world”.
The TV star graduated from Cambridge in 1994 with a first class degree in social and political science.
After university, Jimmy chose to work as a marketing executive for oil giant Shell.
However, the comic admitted he was “miserable” and bored, and so when he was offered voluntary redundancy he took the offer.
He had recently taken a course in neurolinguistic programming through the job and he claimed it helped him realise how his mind was working to stop him.
“The big transition I made was to work out what I really wanted: to live to work,” he wrote in his book, Before & Laughter.
“I wanted to do something that would be a part of my life, not just something I had to do in order to do the things I really wanted to do.”
Jimmy received a redundancy payment of £5,000 from the company.
Once he realised he wanted to pursue a career in comedy, Jimmy started securing gigs.
Later that month, Jimmy was paid for the first time for performing a stand up gig.
Prior to that, Jimmy had done his first unpaid pub performance the previous month.
“£80 for 20 minutes in Plymouth,” he told the Independent.
“The petrol was £60 and I only had 15 minutes of jokes.”
But Jimmy concluded: “But I was just as happy as I could be.”
As well as having an outstanding career in broadcasting, Jimmy has also published the memoir Before & Laughter and the book The Naked Jape: Uncovering the Hidden World of Jokes, which he co-authored with Lucy Greeves.
Source: Read Full Article
