Behind The Weeknd's Unexpected Friendship With Jim Carrey

The best thing about friendships is that they don’t take a lot of figuring out — all you require is a connection and perhaps a few shared interests, and you and your new friend are off to the races. That’s why some of life’s most delightful friendships emerge from strange and unexpected situations. 

The Weeknd and Jim Carrey are two such people who had seemingly nothing in common and were not part of the same social circles. Yet, somehow, by some miracle, they ended up in each others’ paths and struck up a lovely friendship for the ages. But if one looks into their bond closely, they’ll realize that they have more similarities than initially believed. 

One is a young R&B superstar who’s used to selling out arenas and serenading millions of people with his sexy, soothing voice. The other is a middle-aged comedian whose exaggerated facial expressions and farcical humor have made him one of the most beloved actors of all time. 

So how did this duo bond and get to know each other? What is their friendship all about? And what are the mysterious similarities that may have endeared them to one another?

The Weeknd and Jim Carrey met each other as neighbors “waving to each other”

Though The Weeknd had been a lifelong fan of the comedian, he didn’t meet Jim Carrey until his late twenties. They had been introduced via a mutual contact but were only acquainted with each other via text. So The Weeknd texted Jim the address to his Los Angeles condo and asked him whether he would like to come and listen to some of his new music. 

Jim replied, saying that he could actually see The Weeknd’s condo from his own balcony. Both the men were so excited that they pulled out their telescopes and started waving to each other like little children. 

I texted him the address of my condo in L.A., and he said, ‘I can literally see your place from my balcony,’ and we got out telescopes and were waving to each other. 

The Weeknd on Variety

Thus commenced an odd but beautiful friendship between two entertainers from different worlds. The Weeknd told Variety that he had seen Jim Carrey’s leading turn in The Mask when he was just four, and “it blew [him] away.” It’s what sparked a love of acting and performing for the young Abel Tesfaye. For him to not only meet Jim but become his dear friend was a dream come true. 

According to the Canadian singer, when The Weeknd brought up his love for The Mask to Jim Carrey and shared his life-changing theatre-going experience, Jim responded enthusiastically. In fact, he even knew about the theatre in question. That’s where the stars’ Canadian backgrounds come into play. 

Jim Carrey even surprised The Weeknd on his 30th birthday last year. He called him up and told him to look outside his window. Jim had red balloons adorned on his balcony in celebration of The Weeknd’s birthday. Afterward, Jim picked up the singer and took him out for breakfast. 

It was surreal. Jim Carrey was my first inspiration to be any kind of performer, and I went to breakfast with him on my first day of being 30. 

The Weeknd to Variety

Both had been homeless and carried movie stardom aspirations 

Besides the Canadian connection, Jim Carrey and The Weeknd have had a number of similar experiences growing up. For starters, both had been homeless at different points in life and under different backgrounds. But they both understand the feeling of helplessness, desolation, and pain. 

The Weeknd shared in the Variety interview that his homelessness was primarily connected to his substance abuse. He had tried everything from ketamine and cocaine to ecstasy and cough syrup. At some point, he believed he wouldn’t make it past sixteen. He had been in and out of different schools his entire adolescence, so music became the only stable element in his life. 

Meanwhile, Jim Carrey experienced homelessness at the age of 12 after his father lost his job as an accountant. The family lost their source of stable income and were forced to live out of a van for a long time. Jim had to drop out of high school at 15 and work as a janitor in a nearby factory. It wasn’t until his twenties that he could get back on his feet and pursue comedy seriously. 

My father lost his job when he was 51, and that was the real "wow,” the kick in the guts.

Jim Carrey on Inside The Actors’ Studio via DailyMail

But Jim beat the odds, focused intently on his career, and seized every opportunity he was given. Comedy and film were always on his schedule, and his big break arrived in the form of his 1994 hit film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. His valuable experience within the film industry undoubtedly helped forge a friendship with The Weeknd, who had been something of a film aficionado himself. 

In his late teens and early twenties, when The Weeknd was struggling with addiction and homeless, he had been an aspiring filmmaker and actor. But he realized that making movies didn’t provide an immediate sense of relief or hope like playing music; therefore, he turned his attention to his singing and producing talents. 

The Weeknd has made numerous missteps in his early twenties, mistakes that he won’t be able to take back or rectify. But he does hold the hope of growing, learning, and becoming the person he’d always wanted to be. 

Sometimes you try to run away from who you are, and you always get back to that place [...] I’m growing and wiser, and I’m gonna have children someday, and I’m going to tell them they don’t have to be that person.

The Weeknd on Variety

The oddest circumstances build the most genuine friendships 

Despite being two very different performers from two very different generations, Jim Carrey and The Weeknd managed to surprise everyone with their striking, supportive, and lovely friendship. It’s anyone’s guess as to what brought them closer, but we’re willing to bet that their similar experiences at the lowest points in their respective lives did give them something to bond over. 

We might not be able to befriend everyone we meet, but we have to keep in mind that sometimes the oddest, most unlikely experiences can forget the healthiest, most fulfilling friendships. We can’t expect to befriend everyone we meet everywhere, but we should keep in mind to hold back the judgment and understand them in the context of their history, their struggles, and their journey through life. And before we know it, we’ll see that we relate to them much more acutely than we previously thought. 

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