We are in awards season and also controversy. On February 26, the 51st edition of the Caesar Awards at the L’Olympia theater in Paris and Jim Carrey He was one of the great honorees of the night. The protagonist of The Mask He received recognition for his contribution to the film and television industry and gave an emotional speech that went around the world. The presence of the Canadian-American performer not only marked his return to an international gala, but also He generated widespread debate on social networks due to his current appearance: there are those who say that it was not him who was in France that night but an impersonator. Given the rumors and crossed versions, the award delegate and the actor’s representative broke the silence.
Jim Carrey became the new actor to receive the honorary César, an award that in the last edition was in the hands of the famous Julia Roberts. In addition to the award that the interpreter of The Truman Show took home, several French stars paid tribute to him, starting with presenter Benjamin Lavernhe, who offered a musical show parodying The Mask dressed in the character’s iconic yellow suit.
After his public reappearance, several users questioned his appearance and described him as “unrecognizable.” They even made comparison images to show the main differences in their appearance. Everything exploded into the air when Drag artist Alexis Stone posted on Instagram suggesting he had imitated Carrey at the Paris event. The comedian shared images of the prosthetics and wig he would have worn to go on stage that night, posing as the actor.
Despite Carrey attended the ceremony accompanied by his daughter Jane, his teenage grandson Jackson and his partner Min Ah and made everyone tear up with a profound speech, speculations were launched and rumors took center stage. Rumors that were immediately denied by the general delegate of the awards, Gregory Caulier. After defining Carrey’s appearance as “a historic moment,” the executive described the versions of fraud as “a minor problem.”
In fact, he recounted the great preparation that was required for the tribute, as well as the star’s dedication to learning his entire speech in French. “Jim Carrey’s visit has been planned since last summer [en referencia al verano boreal]. From the beginning, he was deeply moved by the Academy’s invitation.”Caulier clarified in dialogue with Variety.
“It was months of continuous, constructive conversations. He worked on his French speech for months, asking me about the exact pronunciation of certain words. He came with his partner, his daughter, his grandson, and twelve close friends and family. He was accompanied by his longtime publicist. His old friend Michel Gondrywho has made a film and two series with him, was there, and they were delighted to see each other again,” remarked the organizer, dismissing rumors that an imitator had taken his place. “I only remember his generosity, his kindness, his benevolence, his elegance,” he added.
Carrey’s efforts to deliver his emotional speech in French deeply moved the French cinema elite. In it, he spoke of his French roots, revealing that about 300 years ago his great-great-grandfather, Marc-François Carré, was born in France, in Saint-Malo, before emigrating to Canada. He also paid tribute to his father, Percy Joseph Carrey, whom he called “the funniest man I have ever met,” who taught him the value of love, generosity and laughter. There was no shortage of his emotional words for his luxury companions: “Thanks to my wonderful family, my daughter Jane and my grandson Jackson. I love you now and forever. Thanks to my sublime partner, Min Ah. I love you!”, he expressed with whom he appeared for the first time in the red carpet Parisian. At the end of his speech, the honoree asked the audience how his French sounded. “Almost mediocre, right? Forgive me, I didn’t speak French, but I’m just learning it. My tongue is tired,” he joked before saying goodbye.
Although Carrey has not spoken about it so far, his representative has: “Jim Carrey attended the César Awards, where he accepted his Honorary César Award”he said in a brief statement to People. The artist was announced as the winner of this year’s Honorary César Award in October 2025. The French Academy praised the actor for his “exceptional versatility” in his film and television roles in a press release at the time.
Carrey, 64, announced his professional retirement in 2022 but since 2018 he has stayed away from cinema, arguing that he wanted to get away from corporate pressures and that he considered this cycle in his career complete. Since then, he maintained a low profile and oriented his life towards personal and spiritual interests, with the exception of his participation in the saga Sonicin which he plays Dr. Ivo Robotnik.
