Jim Carrey reportedly ‘sad’ as rumors persist about his ‘strange’ new look

Jim Carrey long ago signed up to reap wealth and fame by becoming a movie star — a profession that has always put a high premium on how someone looks, whether that means being young and handsome or having distinctive features than can be used to make wild facial expressions in performances like “The Mask,” “The Grinch” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”

But now, the famously eccentric 64-year-old actor is “sad” because fans have been gossiping about whether he sent a body double to accept a lifetime achievement award at the César Awards in Paris, according to the Daily Mail. The rumors erupted and persist because, to fans, Carrey’s face looked “puffy,” “strange” and “unrecognizable” at the awards show — possibly the result of cosmetic surgery gone wrong, the Daily Mail also reported.

“Jim is sad,” an insider told the Daily Mail. Oddly, Carrey isn’t “sad” because people are making fun of his appearance, but because he believes that “people are stupid” to think that he wasn’t at the César Awards in person and that he sent a “clone” in his place.

Carrey, the insider continued, is irked that he’s now the subject of “a conspiracy theory” about having a body double. “He finds it frustrating that people actually believe he isn’t the real Jim Carrey,” the insider said.

Yes, Carrey’s reported reasons for being sad are, like the actor, a bit, well, irregular. He’s not hurt, like most people would be, because people think he looks “deformed,” as the Daily Mail said. Instead, he’s upset that people somehow doubt he’s being authentic about a personal appearance at an awards show.

Of course, Carrey has long been known for courting controversy and making unconventional personal choices, so being the target of a conspiracy theory probably isn’t off brand. According to reports, the one-time comic star, who earned $20 million for his 1996 film, “The Cable Guy,” has become a recluse in recent years. He said in 2022 that he was thinking about retiring from acting — though he also said in 2024 that he signed on to play Dr. Ivo Robotnik in the third “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie because “I need the money.”

Carrey sparked attention for his intense, Method-style preparation to play comedian Andy Kaufman in “Man on the Moon” and incited outrage when he became an anti-vaccine advocate while he was dating TV personality Jenny McCarthy, even penning a 2009 essay for The Huffington Post questioning the merits of vaccination for children. (That article has since been removed “in the interest of public health.”) Carrey later became an outspoken critic of Donald Trump during the president’s first administration and garnered attention for going on social media to share his own political cartoons that offered controversial renderings of Trump and others in his White House.

Carrey’s romantic life also has been tumultuous. He dated singer Linda Ronstadt in his early 20s and has been married and divorced twice, including his nine-month union with his “Dumb and Dumber” co-star Lauren Holly. He also was engaged to Renée Zellweger and dated January Jones before getting involved with McCarthy, with whom he remains on good terms.

After his Irish makeup artist girlfriend Cathriona White died by suicide in 2015, Carrey faced difficult questions about the circumstances surrounding her death. Her family alleged he gave her STDs and introduced her to the prescription drugs she used in her suicide. They filed wrongful-death lawsuits against him, which were later dismissed.

Now, he’s facing new questions about why he didn’t look like himself at the César Awards. For the record, a representative for the ceremony, regarded as the Academy Awards of France, explained how it was none other than Carrey at the event, saying that his visit had been planned since last summer and he carefully prepared his speech in French, People reported. 

As for how Carrey looked at the event, the representative, Gregory Caulier, told Variety: “For me, it’s a non-issue. Just remember his generosity, his kindness, his benevolence, his elegance.”

Carrey also attended the ceremony with his grandson, 12 close friends and family members and his new girlfriend, Min Ah, Caulier said.

Meanwhile, Carrey’s rep told People Monday: “Jim Carrey attended the César Awards, where he accepted his Honorary César Award.”

The conspiracy theorists opined that the eye color of the Carrey at the César Awards appeared to be lighter than the “real” Carrey, the Daily Mail reported. The actor also was using his right hand to sign autographs on the red carpet, despite reports that he is left-handed, the Daily Mail added.

Drag artist Alexis Stone fueled the clone rumors by claiming in a now-viral Instagram post that he impersonated the actor at the César Awards, USA Today reported. Stone’s post included Getty Image photos of Carrey, and an unverified photo of a prosthetic face, fake teeth, wig and makeup on a desk in view of the Eiffel Tower. However, USA Today reported that the prosthetic image posted by Stone was flagged as digitally altered by an AI image detector.

Still, a number of celebrities and others have weighed in on the clone rumors by responding to Stone’s post, according to the Daily Mail. They have continued to do so, even after the reps for the César Awards and for Carrey issued their denials about the actor not really being at the ceremony.

Actor Megan Fox wrote, “I can’t handle any more stress right now I need to know if this is real,” while Lisa Rinna wrote, “You blow me away.” Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski also shared a hand-clap emoji, while Katy Perry posted a bullseye emoji.