Jim Carrey received an Honorary César Award at France’s national film prize ceremony in Paris last week, delivering an acceptance speech entirely in French, a moment that quickly became the subject of widespread online speculation. Rumors circulated alleging that the actor appearing at the event was not Carrey himself, but rather an impersonator, a clone, or even a highly skilled drag performer.
The theories gained traction on social media, prompting responses from both Carrey’s publicist and representatives from the César Awards. Marleah Leslie, Carrey’s publicist, stated plainly to Rolling Stone, “Jim Carrey attended the Cesar Awards, where he accepted his Honorary Cesar Award.”
Gregory Caulier, general delegate of the César Awards, dismissed the claims as a “non-issue” in a statement to Variety, characterizing Carrey’s speech as “a historic moment.” Caulier detailed the extent of Carrey’s preparation and commitment to the event, stating that the actor had been planning his attendance since the summer. “He worked on his speech in French for months, asking me about the exact pronunciation of certain words,” Caulier said. He further noted that Carrey was accompanied by his partner, daughter, grandson, twelve close friends and family members, his longtime publicist, and filmmaker Michel Gondry, with whom he has collaborated on multiple projects.
The initial wave of speculation stemmed from social media posts commenting on Carrey’s appearance at the awards show. An classic clip of Carrey discussing the constructed nature of celebrity and public persona, in which he says, “I don’t exist,” was widely circulated and misinterpreted as evidence supporting the conspiracy theories.
Drag performer and makeup artist Alexis Stone further fueled the rumors with an Instagram post featuring photos of Carrey at the Césars, captioned “Alexis Stone as Jim Carrey in Paris.” Stone, known for transformative celebrity impersonations, included a final image in the post depicting a mask, dentures, wig, and makeup tray, seemingly as a playful indication that the post was a joke. Despite this, the post garnered attention from celebrities like Katy Perry and Megan Fox, with Fox expressing a desire to know if the rumors were true.
According to reports, Carrey had been deeply moved by the invitation from the Academy and dedicated significant effort to preparing his speech in French.