It is a story that has been told several times in Hollywood. A personality is at the top of his craft, with national and international fame, then something happens and they fade away. It’s a sad phenomenon that fans wish never to see come out in their favor, but life doesn’t always give us a choice, and Dane Cook fans have had to deal with this unwanted reality.
Dane Cook, an actor, and comedian is best known for his work as the latter and has accomplished accomplishments such as being the second comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden. From these heights, he has become a marginal figure in American comedy, and in this article, we discuss what happened to the actor/comedian. Take a look at this.
What Happened to Dane Cook?
In order to fully understand why the downfall of Dane Cook is news, a reminder of how great he was as a comedian is necessary. He had started his career in the early 1990s when he was performing in comedy clubs, and in 1998 he had his big breakthrough when he appeared on the Comedy Central Show Premium Blend. From Premium Blend he got a half-hour special on Comedy Central Presents and performed in sold-out shows at American colleges.
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By the turn of the millennium, Dane Cook had become one of the most popular comedians in America, as reflected in the release of his first comedy album “Harmful If Swallowed”, which sold more than 1.2 million copies. Later albums such as “Retaliation” and “Vicious Circle” were equally successful, and just when he was at the height of his career, selling out shows in mega locations such as Madison Square Garden, his fall began.
So what happened to Dane Cook? The comedian’s downfall was a combination of some of the things we’ll talk about below.
His Films Flopped
For comedians, expanding their careers by gaining new fans is a way of consolidating their place in the industry, and Dane Cook’s attempt to achieve this through film has not been successful.
He’s appeared in films like Good Luck Chuck, Waiting… and Dan in Real Life, but although they didn’t necessarily fail at the box office, they weren’t popular enough to make him a movie star. Despite attempts to change the genre to more dramatic roles, Dane Cook never managed to get his career as a movie star off the ground.
His Parents Died
Another thing that happened to Dane Cook and caused his decline from the top of the game was the death of his parents. His mother died in 2006 and his father died shortly after, in 2007.
His Business Manager Embezzled his Money
Shortly after the death of his parents, Dane Cook discovered that his business manager, who is also his half-brother, together with his wife, had embezzled an estimated $18 million. They were subsequently convicted and sentenced to prison.
A combination of his parent’s death and the embezzlement case forced him to take some time off work, which led to the fourth thing that happened to Dane Cook.
His Audience Outgrew his Jokes
The Dane Cook stormed to national fame within a short time because he turned to the public with his comedy style which was aimed at a younger audience. Unfortunately, by the time he returned, his fan base had outgrown his comedy and he was struggling to regain the traction that led to his fame.
Combined with accusations of plagiarism and shocking performances that led to controversy, Dane Cook found it difficult to return to his peak as a comedian.
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Why Dane Cook Needs a Comeback?
Although Dane Cook never really left – he continued to appear in movies and TV shows and played in small comedy clubs, the actor/comedian is planning a mega comeback with his Tell It Like It Is tour.
After everything that happened to him, he needs the comeback to really establish himself as a real comedian and to live the dream he had as a child who once saw an episode of The Tonight Show and told his mother that he would become a stand-up comedian.
According to the comedian himself, he will make a comeback because he’s willing to drop the cardboard cutout (a reference to an episode of The Tonight Show he watched where George Carlin took a cutout of a character he was known for, explained that he wasn’t, and made him stand out).
We hope that the comedian has a successful comeback.
