A leading US plastic surgeon has suggested Jim Carrey may have undergone a ‘considerable amount’ of cosmetic surgery to achieve his striking new look.
The Mask star, 64, sparked intense online debate when he appeared at the César Awards in Paris last Thursday looking noticeably different.
There is no evidence that Carrey has had surgery, and he has not commented publicly on the speculation.
However, several aesthetic doctors have offered their professional opinions online, suggesting he may have opted for procedures designed to counteract natural skin laxity and age-related volume loss.
The actor – famed for his elastic facial expressions and comic contortions – appeared to have a fuller, tighter complexion than in previous appearances.
Some viewers even questioned whether his eye colour looked different under the lights.
Dr Anthony Youn, a US-based plastic surgeon who posts to Instagram as @tonyyounmd, said he believes Carrey may have had a ‘considerable amount’ of work.
In a video viewed tens of thousands of times, Dr Youn, who has more than five million YouTube subscribers, said: ‘He appears to have had an endoscopic brow lift, as evidenced by his brows being higher than before and his hairline being back a little bit.
Jim Carrey looked visibly different last week (left) when compared with December 2024
‘I also think he may have had some Botox injected into his forehead and an upper blepharoplasty. You can see how his eyelids are significantly more open than they used to be.’
Dr Youn said the actor’s tighter, rounder appearance could be the result of multiple lifting procedures combined with added volume.
‘He also may have had a mid-face and a lower face lift, lifting both his cheeks and the lower face and jowl region,’ he added.
He further suggested fat grafting – a procedure in which fat is harvested from one part of the body and transferred to another – could explain the plumper cheeks.
Advocates say it can produce softer, more natural-looking results.
However, transferred fat behaves like fat in its original location – meaning even modest weight gain can cause it to expand, sometimes altering results over time.
Dr Youn also pointed to what he described as a notable change to Carrey’s nose, which appears more defined and bulbous at the tip in recent footage.
‘His nose also looks quite a bit longer and refined,’ he said. ‘This could be a sign of a rhinoplasty.’
One plastic surgeon suggested he underwent a face lift and fat-grafting procedure
The Detroit-based surgeon also refused to rule out the more outlandish online claims that the man seen at the awards was not Carrey at all.
Over the weekend, social media filled with conspiracy theories suggesting the actor had sent a lookalike in his place – or that the appearance was an elaborate stunt by drag performer Alexis Stone, who is known for transforming into famous figures using hyper-realistic latex masks.
There is no evidence to support those claims, and Carrey’s representatives were reported to confirmed he attended the ceremony in person.
Dr Youn said: ‘Either Jim Carrey has had a considerable amount of facial plastic surgery, or this isn’t Jim Carrey and it is a doppelganger, or maybe he’s playing some type of trick on us.’
Dr Jonny Betteridge, a London-based aesthetics doctor, posted a video to his 400,000 Instagram followers sharing his reasons for believing that Carrey has had a facelift rather than been cloned.
‘Those that think this is not Jim Carrey, I would disagree, because the evidence does point towards facial plastic surgery,’ he said.
Looking at an image of him from 2024, Dr Betteridge notes ‘obvious and expected age related changes’ including ‘loose skin around the eyes, volume changes to the mid and lower face, and facial laxity around the neck and jawline’.
Then comparing it to an image taken last week, he said: ‘Now at 64 we can see a change in his facial architecture with facial repositioning. And to achieve this change, I think he would have had an upper and lower blepharoplasty, fat grafting to the mid face and a face and neck lift.’
Fuelling the clone/lookalike theory is Jim Carrey’s eyes appearing to be lighter than usual
This photo, taken in 2019, clearly shows the actor has hazel eyes rather than solid dark brown
He added: ‘We can see a reduction in the upper and lower eyelid skin, increased volume to the mid face, and a smoother contour along the jawline that’s represented here, where we’ve gone from a soft lack slower face to a tighter contour and a reduction in that neck laxity.
‘Looking at the ear anatomy, we can see a change in the tragus and ear lobe, which is indicative of face lift procedures.’
Many fans have also pointed out that Carrey’s eyes appear to be a different colour, which has fuelled the notion that he sent a lookalike or someone wearing a lifelike mask to the event.
But upon closer inspection, Carrey’s eyes have always been brown edging on hazel, meaning the stark blue colour they appeared in some social media videos is likely due to the flashes of the paparazzi bulbs reflecting from blood vessels inside the eye.
Without confirmation from Carrey or his representatives, any suggestion of surgical intervention remains speculative.
Carrey’s representative emphatically told the Daily Mail that the actor did attend the show in person, and similarly told PEOPLE magazine: ‘Jim Carrey attended the César Awards, where he accepted his Honorary César Award.’
More details have since emerged about his involvement with the Césars – dubbed the French Oscars. Gregory Caulier, the general delegate of the awards, stated that Jim’s appearance was authentic and ‘a historic moment’.
Branding the controversy a ‘non-issue’, Gregory said: ‘Jim Carrey’s visit has been planned since this summer. From the outset, he was extremely touched by the Academy’s invitation.’
The Hollywood star was joined on the red carpet by his daughter Jane, 38, her teenage son Jackson, and his partner Min Ah, who Jim 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.’
During the ceremony, director Michel Gondry reflected on their work together on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in an emotional speech.
When Jim 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.’
A representative for Jim Carrey has been approached for comment.
