As conspiracy theories and impersonation claims swirled online following Jim Carrey’s appearance at the 51st César Film Awards last week, the two parties best positioned to know the truth spoke clearly Monday: the French film academy that hosted the event, and the actor’s own publicist.
Both said the same thing. Mr. Carrey was there. He accepted the award himself.
In an exclusive statement to Variety, Gregory Caulier, the general delegate of the César Awards, addressed the speculation head-on. “Jim Carrey’s visit has been planned since this summer,” Mr. Caulier said. “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.”
Mr. Caulier added that Mr. Carrey traveled to Paris with his partner, his daughter, his grandson and 12 close friends and family members. He was also accompanied by his longtime publicist and director Michel Gondry, a close collaborator since the movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” The general delegate was equally direct about the online noise surrounding the visit. “For me, it’s a non-issue,” he told Variety. “I just remember his generosity, his kindness, his benevolence, his elegance.”
Mr. Carrey’s publicist, Marleah Leslie, independently confirmed his attendance. In a statement to TMZ, Ms. Leslie said: “Jim Carrey attended the César Awards, where he accepted his Honorary César Award.” A representative for the actor also confirmed his attendance separately to HELLO! magazine.
The official denials came in the wake of a viral Instagram post by British makeup artist and drag performer Alexis Stone, born Elliot Joseph Rentz, who captioned photographs of Mr. Carrey at the ceremony with the words “Alexis Stone as Jim Carrey in Paris,” alongside images of a hyper-realistic prosthetic face mask, a dark wig and false teeth resembling the actor’s appearance that evening. Mr. Stone has not clarified publicly whether the post was a genuine claim or a piece of performance art, and has not provided the behind-the-scenes transformation video his past celebrity impersonation reveals typically include.
Beyond the official statements, the physical evidence from the ceremony itself weighs heavily against the impersonation claim. Throughout his acceptance speech, Mr. Carrey performed his trademark exaggerated facial expressions — the rubbery contortions that have defined his screen persona for three decades. Prosthetics expert David Malinowski, speaking to LADbible, was unequivocal: “He is absolutely not wearing a mask. In my expert, professional opinion that’s 100 percent Jim Carrey at the event and Jim Carrey is not wearing any prosthetics either.”
Mr. Carrey, 64, is not active on social media and has not personally addressed the episode. The official record, however, is now settled on two fronts. The institution that bestowed France’s highest national film honor and the man’s own representatives agree: Jim Carrey was in Paris on Feb. 26, he prepared his French-language speech for months, and he accepted the César d’honneur himself.
This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
