The César Awards have debunked viral conspiracy theories that Jim Carrey sent an impersonator to pick up his honorary lifetime achievement award last week.
At the February 26 ceremony in Paris honoring the best French films of 2025, the comedy legend, 64, received the prestigious Honorary César Award, traditionally presented to international actors in recognition of their contributions to the film industry.
To the astonishment of many viewers, Carrey delivered his entire speech in French, sparking a wave of online rumors that he was being impersonated.
The theories gained momentum after popular drag queen Alexis Stone posted a carousel of photos of Carrey at the awards on Instagram, plus a prosthetic face mask and wig bearing a striking resemblance to the Truman Show star’s look that night. “Alexis Stone as Jim Carrey in Paris,” the caption read.
Gregory Caulier, the general delegate of the César Awards, has now spoken out, rejecting far-fetched speculations and insisting the actor’s rare public appearance was genuine and “a historic moment.”
“Jim Carrey’s visit has been planned since this summer. From the outset, he was extremely touched by the Academy’s invitation. Eight months of ongoing, constructive discussions. He worked on his speech in French for months, asking me about the exact pronunciation of certain words,” Caulier said in a statement to Variety.
“He came with his partner, his daughter, his grandson and 12 close friends and family members. His longtime publicist accompanied him. His old friend Michel Gondry, who has made a film and two series with him, was there, and they were delighted to see each other again.”
Addressing the rumors, Caulier added: “For me, it’s a non-issue. I just remember his generosity, his kindness, his benevolence, his elegance.”
Despite delivering his speech entirely in French, Carrey maintained his signature humor. In French, he asked the crowd, “So how was my French?” prompting uproarious applause. He then joked, “Almost mediocre, huh?” Before continuing, “No, forgive me. I wasn’t speaking proper French, but I’ll take it. My tongue is tired.”
“I love you all from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” he concluded.
Carrey, best known for a variety of comedic roles in movies, including The Mask (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Liar Liar (1997) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), has long been at the center of impersonation theories. In 2017, he gave a red carpet interview at New York Fashion Week, where he made a series of bizarre, existential comments that led fans to believe he had been replaced by a less enthusiastic and energetic clone of himself. “There is no me,” he told E! Insider at the time. “There’s just things happening and there are clusters of tetrahedrons moving around together.”
Then, in a 2022 interview with Deadline, Carrey made the surprise announcement that he was “probably” retiring. “I really like my quiet life and I really like putting paint on canvas and I really love my spiritual life and I feel like — and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists — I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough,” he said.
However, in 2024, he returned to acting to reprise his role as mad scientist Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Asked what made him come out of retirement for the sequel, he candidly told The Associated Press: “I came back to this universe because I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch. And you know, I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly.”
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