Fans were left doing a serious double take when Jim Carrey hit the red carpet at the 51st César Awards – and not everyone was talking about the honor he received.
The Hollywood funnyman, 64, cut a sleek figure in a sharp all-black suit at Thursday night’s glitzy ceremony in Paris, held at the legendary L’Olympia.
Carrey was presented with an Honorary César celebrating his decades-long career, a milestone moment he dedicated to his late father in an emotional speech that quickly made the rounds online.
‘I wanted to recognize my dad. I mean, my dad was the type of person that if you met him for five minutes, you felt like you knew him for 50 years,’ he said in a viral clip captured after the event.
But while the tribute tugged at heartstrings, viewers seemed more fixated on something else entirely.
Within minutes, social media lit up with speculation about his noticeably different appearance, with some fans bluntly suggesting he’d gone under the knife.
‘Must have had a lot of work done to his face. Looks very different,’ one wrote.
Another fan chimed in: ‘Man, he looks different! Hasn’t been in the public eye for a while.’
Some weren’t shy with comparisons, with one asking, ‘Is he turning into Bill Maher? He looks… different.’
A few went for the jugular, referencing Kris Jenner’s recent facelift at 70: ‘Ooh, fire that plastic surgeon and call Kris Jenner’s,’ one wrote.
‘I’m no conspiracy theorist, but that’s not Jim Carrey,’ commented another.
Yet another weighed in: ‘Surgery effects are starting to show.’
One even questioned, ‘Is he wearing a mask? Look at his neck’
However, most fans were quick to applaud the tribute, celebrating the fact that Carrey was being recognized for his incredible body of work and beloved films, including The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Liar Liar, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Daily Mail has not received a response to its request for comment from Carrey’s representatives.
Carrey didn’t just turn heads for his appearance at the César Awards – he also showered praise on the special people in his life.
The Hollywood star was joined on the red carpet by his daughter Jane, 38, her teenage son Jackson, and his partner Min Ah, who Carrey referred to in a heartfelt speech delivered entirely in French.
‘Thank you to my wonderful family, my daughter Jane, and my grandson Jackson. I love you now and forever. Thank you to my sublime companion, Min Ah,’ he said. ‘I love you, Min Ah.’
Exactly when Carrey and Min Ah got together remains a mystery.
During the ceremony, director Michel Gondry reflected on their work together on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in an emotional speech.
When Carrey finally stepped up to speak, the The Mask star said, ‘About three hundred years ago, my great-great-great-great-grandfather, Marc François Carrey, left Saint-Malo in France for Canada.
‘Tonight, with this magnificent honour, this “square” has come full circle. Perhaps this is what my family was looking for.’
Carrey’s presence on the 51st César Awards red carpet itself was already notable – after a four?year hiatus from major film roles, he resurfaced in 2020 as the mischief?making Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog.
But even then, whispers of retirement followed him.
In April 2022, while promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Carrey shocked reporters by admitting he was ‘probably’ stepping away from acting.
‘Well, I’m retiring. Yeah, probably. I’m being fairly serious,’ he said at the time, adding that unless ‘the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink,’ he was ready to embrace a quieter life.
‘I really like my quiet life and I really love putting paint on canvas and I really love my spiritual life,’ he continued.
‘I feel like – and I feel like this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists – I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough.’
Despite that frank talk of hanging up his acting hat, Carrey couldn’t stay away from the role that has become a late?career trademark.
He returned as Dr. Robotnik for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 last year, candidly admitting that part of his reason for coming back was practical.
‘I needed the money,’ he joked in an interview.
Carrey is set to reprise his role as Dr. Robotnik in Sonic 4, scheduled for release in 2027