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13 Unusual Pre-Fame Careers Of Famous Comedians

By:: JhallComics

February 13, 2022

13 Unusual Pre-Fame Careers Of Famous Comedians

Welcome to ComedyNerd, Cracked's deep-dive series on funny business. (Also, you can stay up to date with the ComedyNerd newsletter -- sign up here.)

For most people, the morgue is the last stop on this crazy taxi ride we call life. For Whoopi Goldberg, that was just the beginning (of her career - she's still alive).

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM KEN JEONG NOW: Stand up comedian and actor known for parts in 'The Hangover' and 'Community.' THEN: Actual doctor, specializing in internal medicine. Comedy was something Jeong did at night, to let off steam. — Source: Business Insider

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM BOB NEWHART NOW: Не found early success with the release of comedy albums in the 1960s, then hosted 'The Bob Newhart Show' and started to appear in television and film. THEN: Accountant for the United States Gypsum Corporation. Не wasn't cut out for accountant work, and his motto became that's close enough. — Source: Hollywood Reporter

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM GREG DAVIES NOW: Stand up comedian and host of 'Taskmaster.' THEN: High School drama teacher for 13 years. Не quickly learned to not try and be friends with his students, and says he had to become stricter despite wanting to make people laugh. — Source: Business Live

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM SAM KINISON NOW: Dead for 30 years, but before that he was a stand up comedian most known for his explosive delivery. THEN: Pentecostal Preacher. Taking after his father, Kinison attended Pinecrest Bible Training Center and preached from age 17 to 24, utilizing a similar bombastic style in his sermons as he would later use in comedy. — Source: Rolling Stone

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM JIM CARREY NOW: Actor and painter, made a name for himself as a stand up and sketch comedian before dominating comedy films in the '90s and 2000s. THEN: A janitor in a factory in Ontario, Canada. At 15 years old, Carrey had to drop out of school and work to support his family. — Source: Hello Magazine

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM ZACH GALIFIANAKIS NOW: Actor and host of interview web-series, 'Between Two Ferns.' THEN: Strip club busboy. Cleaning up unnamed messes left behind by male patrons has left a sour taste in Zach's mouth with nudie bars. — Source: New York Post

7

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM WHOOPI GOLDBERG NOW: Eyebrowless host of 'The View,' after coming up in film and television, one of 11 people to earn an EGOT. THEN: Corpse beautician in a funeral home. Doing hair and makeup on the dead wasn't so far out of Whoopi's comfort zone, she did attend beauty school after all. — Source: Huffington Post

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM PHIL HARTMAN NOW: Taken from us 24 years ago, after making us laugh on SNL, 'News Radio,' 'Jingle All The Way,' and tons of voice over work. THEN: Album cover designer. Hartman didn't start his television career until later in life, well after he earned a graphic art degree at Cal State Northridge in 1974. — Source: Fast Company

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM RICKY GERVAIS NOW: Cringy Atheist, stand up comedian and subversive award show host. THEN: Frontman of British Top 80 charting group, Seona Dancing. The glam-pop band broke up in '84, but not before a brief flare of success in the Philippines. — Source: Huffington Post

4

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM DREW CAREY NOW: 'The Price is Right' and 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' host, formerly the star of 'The Drew Carey Show' and a stand up comedian. THEN: Marine. It may be hard to imagine the bespeckled, zaftig game show host as a square cut member of the US Marine Corps, but that's where he received his trademark glasses and flat-top haircut. — Source: Military.com

3

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM TIM ALLEN DINFORD NOW: King of family-friendly Christmas movies and '90s era sitcoms. THEN: Drug trafficker in Kalamazoo, MI. Не spent two years in prison after being caught in a sting operation with a pound of cocaine. After his release, he took to the stand-up stage. — Source: Hollywood Reporter

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM JOHNNY CARSON NOW: 17 years gone from the mortal realm, host to 'The Tonight Show' from 1962 to 1992. THEN: Magician, stage name The Great Carsoni. Не didn't wear his Carnac The Magnificent get up when he dazzled audiences as a young magician, but it's clear how much Carson was born for the stage. — Source: North Platte Telegraph

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COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM WANDA SYKES NOW: Stand up comedian and actress known for 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and voice work in the 'Ice Age' movies. THEN: Contracting specialist for the National Security Agency. She bought everything from radar and surveillance equipment, to furniture, and even had a secret clearance level. — Source: The Late Show

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