Drag artist says they’re the real reason behind Jim Carrey’s ‘unrecognizable’ look and the internet is losing it

From the Grinch to Scrooge, Jim Carrey is well-accustomed to sporting unrecognizable looks when portraying on-screen personas, but his recent public appearance has got social media engrossed in conversation about his image.

The Yes Man star’s headline-making look at last week’s César Film Awards in Paris has given way to a flurry of online discussion, with a well-known drag performer claiming they were behind one of the major reference points of the flagship French cinema event.

The 64-year-old actor attended the glamorous ceremony on Thursday, February 26, alongside his daughter Jane, grandson Jackson, and partner Mina. During the evening, he received an honorary César in recognition of his distinguished career in the film industry.

The reason behind Carrey's unrecognizable look

Yet, away from the award and acceptance speech themselves, delivering the latter entirely in French with an unmistakable American accent, it was his striking appearance that became the main focus of attention.

Having not featured on the red carpet since November last year, Carrey’s noticeably longer hair sparked questions regarding the legitimacy of his identity, with one fan asking, "Is that actually him?", while another replied, "I don’t know what it is, but he looks different."

His luscious locks and radiant veneer grabbed the attention of renowned drag performer and prosthetics expert Alexis Stone, who later said they were responsible for Carrey’s much-lauded new look.

For those who are unfamiliar with the work of Stone, they are a UK-based make-up artist renowned for transforming into some of the world’s most famous figures using clay, paint, and detailed prosthetics. With around 1.4 million Instagram followers, they frequently make headlines for celebrity recreations that are almost impossible to tell apart from the real thing.

Public responds to drag performer claims

Recently, Stone appeared at a Balenciaga show in Paris bearing an uncanny resemblance to Jack Nicholson. Then, on Sunday (March 1), they posted a series of images from this year’s César Film Awards, showing Carrey at the event, followed by what looked like an AI-generated image of a full head mask, complete with cut-outs for the eyes, nose and mouth, plus a set of fake teeth.

They captioned the post: “Alexis Stone as Jim Carrey in Paris.”

While many long-time followers understood the tongue-in-cheek nature of the post, others seemed to miss the joke entirely.

"I can’t handle any more stress right now i need to know if this is real," a fan exclaimed.

Another quipped: "I need video evidence immediately."

"I’m so f*cking confused with the internet right now," another commented.

Featured Image: Credit: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Getty