In a world where every tweet, every like, and TikTok video can feel like a drop in the ocean of digital noise, a recent video by TikToker Jay (@official_jaythekid) has managed to make waves, amassing a wildly impressive 8.5 million views. The video features a clip of Jim Carrey on the red carpet, delivering a message that’s both cryptic and thought-provoking. Here Carrey, known for his elastic expressions and comedic genius, takes a turn toward the philosophical, questioning the very essence of existence and celebrity culture.
The clip shows Carrey in a typical red carpet interview during Fashion Week in 2017, but his responses are anything but typical. “I’m doing just fine, uh, I just you know, there’s no meaning to any of this so. I wanted to find the most meaningless thing that I could come to and join and here I am. I mean you gotta admit it’s completely meaningless,” he muses. The interviewer’s attempts to steer the conversation toward more conventional territory are met with Carrey’s increasingly existential commentary, culminating in his assertion that “we’re a field of energy dancing for itself.”
The TikTok community has been quick to react, with comments ranging from funny to deeply philosophical. One user humorously suggested, “him and Kanye in conversation would be worth hearing,” while another likened Carrey’s musings to a first philosophy class revelation, saying, “POV: me after taking first class of philosophy.” Yet, the majority of users found a deeper connection to Carrey’s words. “He is woke and understands what’s going on. Even the interviewer doesn’t get it. Love Jim Carrey,” one user wrote, and another commented, “Jim Carrey doing Zen Meditation. Every word did make sense, but on a deeper level,” and yet another added, “The Truman Show is our real world, He knows.”
Carrey’s message, set against the backdrop of “Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano song” by Skittlegirl, resonates with a growing sentiment on TikTok and beyond: The search for meaning in a world saturated with information and self-obsession. His words echo the principles of Transcendental Meditation, which he was admittedly a huge practitioner of, which encourages a state of relaxed awareness and a step back from the distracting thoughts of daily life.
The Canadian comedy icon has purportedly struggled with depression throughout his entire life, a condition that the Edge Foundation says has been compounded by his ADHD diagnosis. Much of The Mask actor’s behavior, which includes red carpet moments like the one highlighted in Jay’s video, interviews, and other details about his life, have prompted numerous people online to question his sanity. However, for every person who wants to know whether or not the actor is grappling with mental illness and losing, there seems to be an equal number of folks who’ve remarked that Carrey isn’t “crazy” just in the know about the Hollywood machine.
Several commenters who replied to Jay’s video remarked as much, too: “I feel like Jim Carrey knows so much of what goes on in hollywood and wants to tell us but is scared to go missing..They try to make him look and seem,” one person wrote.
Another penned, “He’s saying celebs are just a divergent time killer to distract masses and make them worship people who are no more important than themselves.”
Which was an assessment someone else seemed to have: “He’s telling the world that celebrity worship is meaningless, but can’t keep himself out of the spotlight so he attends the event anyway”
As TikTok continues to evolve as a platform, it’s becoming more than just a space for entertainment. It’s a digital community where people can find others who share their interests, concerns, and, in cases like this, their existential curiosities. In a world increasingly focused on the self, Carrey’s message offers a refreshing perspective: The idea that perhaps we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously and that living in the moment might be the key to finding peace in a chaotic world. Easier said than done, isn’t it?
In the end, Carrey’s red carpet philosophy serves as a reminder that sometimes, the most profound insights come from the most unexpected sources. And in the vast, interconnected “field of energy” that is social media, these insights have the power to transcend the screen and, if put into practice, change our lives in meaningful ways.
The DailyDot has reached out to Jay via email for further comment.