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In recent days, one of the most classic conspiracy theories involving celebrities has involved actor Jim Carrey, after a strange speech at the César Awards ceremony last Thursday. Despite its absurdity, it escalated to the point that César CEO Gregory Caulier had to intervene to assure everyone that Carrey had not been replaced by a body double.
The César Awards are the most important awards in French cinema, and Carrey was at the ceremony in Paris to receive an honorary lifetime achievement award. In a speech lasting several minutes in French—a language he is learning—he paid tribute to many of the country’s great filmmakers and actors, and recounted the story of one of his ancestors who was born in Saint-Malo some 300 years ago and later emigrated to Canada, where Carrey was born.
Carrey is 64 years old and is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and beloved actors, thanks in part to his famous facial expressions seen in films such as Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Liar Liar. But in recent years, he has acted little and been seen even less in public. The fact that his physical appearance was a little different from how we remember him, especially his face, led to the development of the replacement theory, supported by many social media accounts, including an interview he gave several years ago on David Letterman’s famous talk show and a post that went viral on Instagram.
Seeing photos and videos of Carrey at the event, many social media users claimed that it couldn’t be him. Some believed he had undergone cosmetic surgery or altered his appearance for a role. But amid these speculations, there was widespread speculation that the person accepting the award was an impersonator or even a lookalike. Over time, similar conspiracy theories have surrounded famous entertainers and singers, such as Paul McCartney and Avril Lavigne, and in this case too, archive material has been used as alleged evidence. The first was a comment by Jim Carrey himself, who in the early 2000s told Late Night with David Letterman that he had used a lookalike several times to mislead the paparazzi.
The other is a post from Sunday in which British drag artist Alexis Stone shared two photos of Carrey at the Paris event along with a third showing a wig, fake teeth, and a latex mask that suggests she used to impersonate him. Stone, whose real name is Elliot Joseph Rentz, is known for often attending fashion events dressed as Madonna, Lana Del Rey, or Donatella Versace, and for collaborations with brands such as Balenciaga and Hugo Boss. According to USA Today, however, the photo showing the alleged disguises, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, was most likely created with artificial intelligence.
On Monday, Caulier said there was no conspiracy. In a statement, he explained that Jim Carrey’s presence at the event had been planned since last summer, that the actor had been working on his speech in French for months and had even asked him for help on how to pronounce certain words correctly. Caulier added that Carrey had traveled to Paris with his girlfriend, daughter, nephew, and 12 other friends and relatives, and that he had also met Michel Gondry, the French director with whom he had worked on the cult film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Marleah Leslie, Carrey’s agent, also confirmed that it was indeed him at the ceremony. It is unclear why he would have sent someone else to collect such an important award on his behalf.
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