Every comedian had to start somewhere.
Comedy is a weird job, and those born for it aren't really suited for the daily office grind. As a result, a lot of comedians have had some pretty strange jobs before they hit it big. Tiffany Haddish was a hype woman for Bar mitzvahs, Ellen DeGeneres shucked oysters on a ship, and Whoopi Goldberg put makeup on corpses at a morgue.
However strange, these odd jobs definitely led to some solid material for the stage.
1
Lucille Ball – Factory worker in a candy plant
This job later inspired some classic bits on “I Love Lucy”.
2
Richard Pryor – Shoe-shiner and truck driver
Pryor held these jobs after leaving the brothel he grew up in in Peoria, Illinois.
3
Jim Carrey – Janitor at a tire factory
He claims to have carried a bat around during this time because he was so angry about being poor.
4
Tiffany Haddish – Bar mitzvah “energy producer”
Somewhere someone got Tiffany Haddish to do their Bar mitzvah for way cheaper than she would now.
5
Chris Rock – Red Lobster dishwasher
The Red Lobster on Queens Boulevard that he worked at while pursuing stand up is still there.
6
Jerry Seinfeld – Telemarketer
He held this job very briefly before his first appearance on “Carson” in 1980 skyrocketed him to fame.
7
Ellen DeGeneres – Oyster shucker
There’s an obvious joke here that we’re not going to do.
8
Louis C.K. – Auto mechanic’s assistant
Louis C.K. has made a ton of references to his love of motorcycles and cars in his TV show.
9
Joan Rivers – Fashion consultant at Bond Clothing Stores
During this job, she was still going by her original name, “Molinsky”, until an agent advised her to change it.
10
Steve Harvey – Carpet cleaner
Harvey cleaned carpets and boxed during his early comedy career .
11
Whoopi Goldberg – Morgue beautician
She also worked as a bank teller and brick layer.
12
David Letterman – Local TV weatherman
Letterman eventually pitched a morning comedy show that predated his late night hit.
13
Rodney Dangerfield – Aluminum siding salesman
While working this job, he would also sell jokes to comedians who eventually encouraged him to try his hand in stand up.
14
Kevin Hart – Shoe salesman
Kevin Hart credits his salesman charisma as helping his comedy career.
15
Bill Hader – Movie theatre usher
He apparently spoiled the ending of “Titanic” to a bunch of women who were making noise, and was then fired.
