When actor Jim Carrey appeared in Paris on Feb. 26 to accept an honorary César Award, the ceremony was meant to celebrate his decades-long career.
Instead, online sleuths fixated on his appearance, with some insisting he looked "off" and spinning theories that he had been cloned or replaced by an impersonator.
The speculation escalated after celebrity transformation artist Alexis Stone jokingly claimed he was the one onstage. Within days, awards officials and Carrey's team stepped in to shut down the rumors and confirm the obvious: it was really him.
Why Jim Carrey's César Awards appearance fueled impersonation rumors
Carrey attended the 2026 César Film Awards on Feb 26, where he received an honorary César. The ceremony celebrated his career, and the beloved actor even gave a speech in French.
Instead of focusing on Carrey's dedication and honorary award, however, it was his face that most people couldn't look away from.
@realmelanieking, a conspiracy account with over 40,000 followers, shared side-by-side videos of the actor two years apart, with a noticeable fullness visible in the actor's midface and cheek area from his recent Paris appearance.
Not long after the rumors of cloning or an impersonator taking Carrey's place for the ceremony, makeup artist Alexis Stone posted on Instagram, pouring gasoline on the discourse. Stone captioned the post, "Alexis Stone as Jim Carrey in Paris."
He shared images of a full-coverage skin mask, wig, and fake teeth. Because Stone is known for hyper-realistic celebrity transformations, it was easy for people to become confused.
On X, @CualquieraMujer wrote (translated from Spanish), "MYSTERY SOLVED: The Jim Carrey we saw a few days ago wasn't Jim Carrey, let me explain: It's about an artist/makeup artist named Alexis Stone. A guy who attends fashion events disguised in a realistic way as some character or real artist. His talent really surprises you."
However, others pushed back quickly. @AbolishEquality argued, "alexis is capitalizing on the recent fuss with a fake image. compare the mask quality to his other posts."
Some users mocked the entire premise. @schmitteposter joked, "imagine getting plastic surgery then going out in public for the first time in your new face and the entire internet spawns a conspiracy theory that you've been replaced with a clone 😂 that's a tough launch on the new look."
Carrey's team shuts down conspiracies, confirms the truth
While the internet spiraled into a myriad of theories, officials behind the ceremony were unimpressed.
Gregory Caulier, the general delegate of the César Awards, dismissed the claims entirely. In a statement sent to Variety, he called the rumors a "non-issue."
Caulier explained that Carrey’s appearance at the awards ceremony had been planned for months.
"Jim Carrey’s visit has been planned since this summer," he said. "Eight months of ongoing, constructive discussions. He worked on his speech in French for months, asking me about the exact pronunciation of certain words."
Additionally, Carrey's representative confirmed that he attended the awards show himself, in a statement to People on March 2.
Because of the added context, the impersonation idea fell apart quickly. Yet some users stayed disappointed that the focus shifted at all.
@Dublicus wrote, "It’s a shame people are just skipping over his dedication to that award and are fixated on conspiracy theories."
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