Jim Carrey has prompted scores of social media users to don their tinfoil hats after debuting what many believe is an unrecognisable look at a recent red carpet appearance.
Carrey, who has largely stepped away from public life in recent years, made a rare appearance late last week at the 51st Cesar Awards in Paris, where he was awarded the ceremony’s lifetime achievement Cesar d’honneur.
While on the red carpet, Carrey answered media questions politely and straightforwardly, but it was his noticeably different appearance in some fans’ minds that caused a stir online.
In red carpet clips that have gone gangbusters on TikTok, Carrey is seen in a black tux with shoulder-length hair and bright blue eyes. In other words, enough distinguishing new features to convince fans that something was afoot.
“That is not Jim Carrey,” one fan wrote, while others insisted that “Jim Carrey is gone” and that the clips are “not how he looks, talks or moves”.
On the more rational end of the reactions, some suggested Carrey’s years away from the spotlight meant we’d forgotten what he looked like, or claimed that he’d simply undergone some form of plastic surgery.
“Must have had a lot of work done to his face,” one TikToker wrote. “Looks very different.” There is no evidence Carrey has undergone any procedure, and the absence of an explanation as to his supposedly new look spawned more conspiratorial-minded reactions.
“Wow he’s cloned,” one fan theorised, with another suggesting it was an “impersonator” or “body double” who appeared on the red carpet in Carrey’s place. “I’m not into conspiracy theories but this is unsettling,” a third user wrote, while another simply declared “Idk who that guy in the video is”.
“They got him,” another commenter wrote, rather ominously. Who “they” is remains to be seen, but some corners of the internet attributed it to everything from the elusive Hollywood elite, to the Illuminati, to the celebrity cloning conspiracy that has dogged the likes of Eminem and Avril Lavigne in recent years.
Add in the fact that Carrey said he was “wearing a funny face” in the red carpet clip and his reputation for “exposing” Hollywood in various interviews, and you’ve got a powder keg rife with conspiratorial subterfuge. It’s like catnip for ConspiracyTok.
Much of the reaction boils down to Carrey’s eye colour — with many users confused by his outing because he’s “always had brown eyes” — but the conspiracy was loud enough to reach the desk of popular drag queen and makeup artist Alexis Stone.
After scores of users suggested Stone — who is known for impersonating figures like Miranda Priestly via prosthetics — was cosplaying as Carrey on the red carpet, to the point where Stone went right ahead and took credit for the actor’s new look on social media this morning.
“Alexis Stone as Jim Carrey in Paris,” the drag queen wrote alongside an image of a Carrey-looking face mask, teeth, and shoulder-length wig.
Fans quickly pointed out that Stone’s image looked suspiciously AI-generated (with Stone ‘liking’ comments that said as much), adding yet more intrigue to a story already riddled with ambiguity and confusion.
While it might be fun to briefly entertain such theories, the much more simple answer is that Carrey simply looks different after years away from public life, and that his resurfacing wound up within the darker corners algorithm.
Or perhaps we should listen to the wise words of one commenter who suggested we all go out and touch grass. “People need to get a grip. This is Jim Carrey just being normal and not trying to crack jokes. He’s being polite,” they wrote.
I’d say this all makes due for a Truman Show rewatch, but I fear my mind can only bend so far before it snaps. It’s Monday and it’s too early for that rabbit hole.
Lead images: TikTok and FX
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