History Main / CreatorCareerSelfDeprecation

* ''Film/AllIsTrue'' is a film about Creator/WilliamShakespeare's retirement, directed by and starring [[Creator/KennethBranagh Sir Kenneth Branagh]]. Dropping by to reminisce, Shakespeare's old patron the Earl of Southampton (played by [[Creator/IanMcKellan Sir Ian McKellan]]) complains to Shakespeare that they'll give ''anyone'' a knighthood these days.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', the creator of ''WesternAnimation/TheItchyAndScratchyShow'' is betrayed and turned into a ''bum'', though a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, eventually. The guy who does the ripping off, Roger Myers Jr., although extremely successful, is shown to be amoral, cruel to his employees (insulting them and [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity sacking them on a whim]]) and utterly uninterested in the quality of the series as long as ratings and profits are high. The writers are all from Ivy League universities, which gives them attitudes of superiority but are often idle about their work. Other famous "artists" are near-universally egotists or hacks, such as [[HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight Krusty]].

* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'': "Some of these don't even sound like real jobs! Animator? I think it's a typo!"

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' did this a bit, both belittling Jerry's stand-up act and writing for a sitcom. Another take on "SeinfeldIsUnfunny" here.

** One of the later episodes once again has [[Creator/WeirdAlYankovic Milo]] saying, "Wow... I am not a very good actor."

* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'': "Some of these don't even sound like real jobs! Animator? I think that's a typo!"
** One of the later episodes once again has Milo saying, "Wow... I am not a very good actor."

* Zach Wiener of ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' likes to portray himself as this.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In the "Clay Day" segment of "Little Gift Shop of Horrors", Mabel has a fear of StopMotion movie monsters, and Stan tries to explain to her that they're just the work of an animator, whom he calls an "anti-social shut-in". (Bear in mind that Stan is voiced by the show's creator, an animator himself.) When they do meet the Creator/RayHarryhausen-like animator, they discover that [[spoiler:he used black magic to make his creatures come to life, meaning he eventually gave up on actually animating them, and has become enslaved by his creations.]]

The author wants to portray their character as a loser, but doesn't want to offend people in any particular occupation. So they make the character's occupation their own. This allows for a lot of SelfDeprecation, which is probably the whole point. It also means that the parody will be much better informed than one from someone [[ShallowParody who knows less about the profession]] - being on the inside means they include anecdotes and details that other scientists or teachers or priests or whatever will find greater recognition and (hopefully) humour in.

Compare AcceptableTargets, SelfDeprecation, WriteWhatYouKnow and especially WritersSuck.

* One of the main characters (Harima) of ''Manga/SchoolRumble'' is an amateur manga artist whose work was onced featured in a weekly magazine a la ''Shonen Jump''. His manga is... ''satisfactory'', but people prefer his classmate Karasuma's comic which is also published on said magazine.

** ''Series/CurbYourEnthusiasm'' does the same for Creator/LarryDavid's career, with the added bonus that Larry says that it his character is very similar to his real life, just that he is slightly less awkward in social situations.
*** In overlap, Creator/JasonAlexander said he could not get a good handle on his Seinfeld character, George, until he realized that Creator/LarryDavid had been subconsciously mocking himself.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', the creator of ''WesternAnimation/TheItchyAndScratchyShow'' is betrayed and turned into a ''bum'', though a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, eventually. The guy who does the ripping off, Roger Myers Jr., although extremely successful, is shown to be amoral, cruel to his employees (insulting them and [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity sacking them on a whim]]) and utterly uninterested in the quality of the series as long as ratings and profits are high. The writers are all from Ivy League universities, which gives them attitudes of superiority but are often idle about their work. Other famous "artists" are near universally egotists or hacks, such as [[HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight Krusty]].

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* ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' remarks to Colossus that the gigantic X-Mansion seems really empty... as if the film could only afford two X-men. He also comments that he's confused who's supposed to be playing Professor X, and twice makes jokes about his appearance in ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine''.

* Stephen Pastis, the cartoonist responsible for ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'', frequently [[AuthorAvatar inserts himself into the strip]] as a 40-year old smoking loser cartoonist who [[{{ButtMonkey}} often gets abused by the other characters]], especially Rat. See [[http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2010/11/21 this strip]] for an example.

** He also does some Creator ''Former'' Career Self-Deprecation, as he started the cartoon after he quit his job as a lawyer. Yes, there are [[EvilLawyerJoke evil lawyer jokes]].

* Creator/AlanMoore's run on ''ComicBook/{{Supreme}}'' includes the character of Billy Friday, not just a comic book writer but specifically an egotistical English writer of American superhero comics with a penchant for DarkerAndEdgier revamps of old characters. Although for some Billy Friday is more of a parody of Creator/GrantMorrison than a self-parody.

* ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' remarks to Colossus that the gigantic X-Mansion seems really empty... as if the film could only afford two X-men. He also comments that he's confused who's supposed to be playing Professor X, and twice makes jokes about his appearence ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine''.

* [[Creator/KurtVonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr.]] repeatedly uses the character Kilgore Trout, a failed sci-fi writer, in his novels as an AuthorAvatar of the self deprecating variety, though Vonnegut has admitted that Trout is also influenced by Creator/TheodoreSturgeon.

* In ''Webcomic/TheWhiteboard'' when [[AuthorAvatar Doc]] opens a time portal back to the time of the first strip he shouts at his past self "webcomics are not a viable career choice!"

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': In "A Glitch is a Glitch" (done entirely in 3D CGI by guest animator David O'Reilly), Finn gets tired of trying to do animation on a computer, and complains "I don't have the patience for this animation junk. Whoever does this must have no life whatsoever." Then he [[AuthorPowers inexplicably punches himself in the face]]. This joke became even more HilariousInHindsight when O'Reilly quit the animation industry out of his own frustrations with the profession.

** One of the later episodes once again has Milo saying "Wow...I am not a very good actor."

* ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' remarks to Colossus that the gigantic X-Mansion seems really empty... as if the film could only afford two X-men. He also comments that he's confused who's supposed to be playing Professor X, and twice makes jokes about his appearence XMenOriginsWolverine.

* In ''LiveActionTV/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' Jean-Luc Picard (that is, Patrick Stewart) has commented a few times that he isn't much of an actor.

The author wants to portray their character as a loser, but doesn't want to offend people in any particular occupation. So they make the character's occupation their own. This allows for a lot of SelfDeprecatingHumor, which is probably the whole point. It also means that the parody will be much better informed than one from someone [[ShallowParody who knows less about the profession]] - being on the inside means they include anecdotes and details that other scientists or teachers or priests or whatever will find greater recognition and (hopefully) humour in.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'': In "Worked Day", Milo is trying to decide what kind of job he wants to do on Career Day, and he complains "Some of these don't even sound like they're real jobs. 'Animator'? I think that's a typo."

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', "[[Recap/GravityFallsS2E6LittleGiftShopOfHorrors Little Gift Shop of Horrors]]"

->'''Stan:''' You see, Mabel, those monsters are just tiny clay figures moved around one frame at a time by an anti-social shut in.\\

'''Soos:''' Those people are called animators.

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', "Recap/GravityFallsS2E6LittleGiftShopOfHorrors" ("Clay Day")

* An extreme example on ''Series/ThirtyRock''::Jack directly parodies Alec Baldwin's career. An approximate quotation:

-->--''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', "Recap/GravityFallsS2E6LittleGiftShopOfHorrors" ("Clay Day")

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* RepairmanJack: The character P. Frank Winslow, who is an AuthorAvatar to the author, named F. Paul Wilson. He, as well as authors in general, is described as "needy". His whole character is basically here for this purpose.