"Maybe there is no actual place called hell. Maybe hell is just having to listen to our grandparents breathe through their noses when they're eating sandwiches"
About this Quote
The intent is classic Carrey: punch a hole in solemnity with a bodily gag, then smuggle in a sharper truth. The subtext is about guilt and containment. We’re socialized to perform reverence for grandparents, yet the reality of aging is messy, loud, and slightly disgusting in ways culture prefers to edit out. The punchline is the taboo confession: love doesn’t cancel annoyance; it intensifies it because you can’t escape without feeling like a monster.
Context matters, too. Carrey’s comedy persona emerged in an era that prized elastic, physical humor but also leaned into the creeping suspicion that everyday life is the real absurdity. The line is a pressure release valve for a generation raised on sanitized family images, suddenly facing the unglamorous acoustics of mortality. It’s funny because it’s mean. It lands because it’s familiar.
Quote Details
| Topic | Grandparents |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Carrey, Jim. (2026, January 18). Maybe there is no actual place called hell. Maybe hell is just having to listen to our grandparents breathe through their noses when they're eating sandwiches. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/maybe-there-is-no-actual-place-called-hell-maybe-7768/
Chicago Style
Carrey, Jim. "Maybe there is no actual place called hell. Maybe hell is just having to listen to our grandparents breathe through their noses when they're eating sandwiches." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/maybe-there-is-no-actual-place-called-hell-maybe-7768/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Maybe there is no actual place called hell. Maybe hell is just having to listen to our grandparents breathe through their noses when they're eating sandwiches." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/maybe-there-is-no-actual-place-called-hell-maybe-7768/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.












