Pauly Shore had a good ride in the '90s, starring in several movies and even briefly having his own TV series. But then, audiences quickly got tired of his silly shtick and moved on.
Few people have seen a fall from fame as swiftly as Pauly, and he admits that he took it hard.
"I was sad because at the end of the day, for ten years of my career I was doing movies and MTV and albums and then when my thing wasn't as popular," he told Page Six in a new interview. "So it was hard but fortunately for me. I'm very resilient. I got it from my mom and dad. So when one door shuts, the other door opens."
Pauly often played an over-the-top, aloof character in a slate of comedic films, including "Encino Man," "Son in Law" and "Bio-Dome." Around the turn of the century, most of his movie and TV offers dried up.
Now though, as he's been largely away from the spotlight for the better part of two decades, Pauly thinks there may be a few fans ready to welcome him and his antics back.
"I moved to Las Vegas about four months ago and I'm just trying to go back to the original feeling of me being fun and silly and maybe I'll attract someone who supports what I'm doing," he said.
Most recently, Pauly can be seen in "The Comedy Store," a five-part documentary on Showtime that chronicles the evolution of the comedy club of the same name. His mother, Mitzi, gained ownership of the club in a divorce settlement from Pauly's father, Sammy.
"The Comedy Store" is legendary, as it helped a gaggle of brand-name comedians launch their careers, including Richard Pryor, David Letterman, Jim Carrey and Robin Williams.
"My mom's life began at 40 when she got the club," Pauly said of Mitzi, who passed away in 2018. "It was her calling to help nurture and develop comedians."
He added, "My wife was my mom. I really took care of her all the way to the end. My heart and my soul are with my mom, and now that she's passed it's kind of a new chapter."