Jim Carrey’s a funny guy, but there’s certain details about his life that are no laughing
matter. A much younger girlfriend’s death, anti-vax conspiracy theories,
and inappropriate behavior — this is the shady side of Jim Carrey.
Ever since the rollout of the MMR vaccine toward the end of the '90s, millions of
lives have been saved every year. However, much like the more recent COVID-19 vaccines, the MMR
shot has been met with cynicism — including views that border on conspiracy thinking.
In 2009, Jim Carrey wrote a blog for HuffPost entitled "The Judgment on Vaccines Is
In???" — but the outlet has since removed the article "in the interest of public health."
As noted by Salon at the time, Carrey asserted that vaccines were responsible
for children developing autism and claimed that they contained things like antifreeze or ether,
allegations that are entirely false. Carrey's ex, Jenny McCarthy,
is a vocal critic of what she terms “unsafe vaccines,” blaming them for her son's autism.
"Without a doubt in my mind I believe vaccines, vaccinations, triggered Evan's autism."
Accordingly, she and Carrey teamed up to spread their vaccination skepticism,
heading a "Green Vaccine" rally in 2008. The goal of the rally was to cure autism,
which autism acceptance advocates say is an inherently harmful and ableist view.
Years later, Carrey remained unrelenting in his vaccine stance. In a series of tweets in 2015,
he likened life-saving shots to poison, and claimed that California was under fascist rule
due to vaccine mandates. Carrey's spreading of misinformation was condemned and debunked
by leading scientists. Writing for WebMD, Dr. Steven Parker countered Carrey's assertions:
"UNICEF estimates that more than one third of the 10,000,000 children who
die world-wide every year would live if they were properly vaccinated."
As a Hollywood veteran with over three decades in the business,
one would think that Jim Carrey knew how to conduct himself in interviews. However,
even the most seasoned vets slip up every now and then. Look no further than Carrey's cringeworthy
interview with reporter Charlotte Long. In a 2020 sit-down for Heat, Long asked Carrey
if he had anything left on his bucket list after a glittering career. Carrey replied,
"Just you — that's it."
Thereafter, the actor told the reporter to "just own it" before she swiftly changed the subject.
Accordingly, Carrey was slammed for what many deemed a creepy and
inappropriate remark. One Twitter user wrote:
"Look up 'sleazeball' in the dictionary and there's a photo of @JimCarrey."
Another tweeter revealed that they had lost all respect for the actor following the interview.
However, a rep for Carrey told HuffPost that the comment was in reference to the interview itself,
as opposed to Long. However, this claim seemed to be contradicted by
the reporter's apparent embarrassment after Carrey made the bold declaration.
This wouldn't be the first time the actor displayed seemingly inappropriate behavior
toward a female interviewer. At New York Fashion Week in 2017,
Carrey repeatedly circled round an E! reporter, moving close toward her,
before lamenting the meaninglessness of the event, which he bizarrely branded
"the lowest aiming possibility." Jim Carrey is renowned for being unusually
open about his love life. Previous noteworthy partners include Oscar winner Renée Zellweger,
whom he once declared the greatest love of his life. In 2012 Carrey began dating Irish national
Cathriona White. In contrast to his previous high-profile relationships, White was a
relatively unknown makeup artist. And with an age gap of 23 years, they made an unlikely pair.
The relationship ended in tragedy when White died by suicide in 2015;
she was just 30. Following White's death, a number of unsavory accusations came to light. As reported
by The Guardian, White's ex-husband, Mark Burton, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Carrey,
alleging that he provided White with the drugs that would ultimately end her life.
Burton also claimed that Carrey was manipulative and "controlling" over his
ex amid allegations that the actor installed round-the-clock surveillance in White's home.
A second wrongful death suit was then filed by White's mom, Brigid Sweetman.
Sweetman accused Carrey of subjecting her daughter to mental abuse and giving her STDs.
The lawsuits were eventually dismissed, with Carrey claiming in a countersuit
that Burton and Sweetman merely sought to extort money from him.
In recent years, there's been a re-evaluation of popular movies and TV shows of the not too
distant past. For instance, Friends, although extremely popular, has been critiqued for its
white-centric and unrealistic depiction of life in multicultural New York. Another
hallmark of '90s pop culture is Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which also failed to age gracefully.
The 1994 comedy contains scenes that are now perceived as deeply transphobic. Namely,
Carrey's titular protagonist strips a transwoman, played by Sean Young, and exposes her genitalia,
as onlookers are repulsed. The New York Times argued that the movie helped to make transphobia
mainstream via "nose-holding disgust." When discussing the problematic aspects of the film,
Carrey made matters worse by defending the notorious scene.
During an appearance at the Television Critics Association in 2019, Carrey said,
"That was an honest completely homophobic reaction from that character. It was basically making fun
of homophobia. It's ridiculous. I've got a plunger on my face because I kissed a dude."
Subsequently, Twitter users lamented Carrey's refusal to condemn the film. Instead of denouncing
the transphobic scene, Carrey claimed that the plotline was so absurd that it had to be making
fun of homophobia, an argument which itself implied the character was a man, not a woman.
When golf champ Tiger Woods was embroiled in a notorious cheating scandal, his antics
received widespread condemnation and ridicule. However, Jim Carrey had an entirely different
take on the matter. The actor headed onto Twitter to offer his two cents, defending
Woods and arguing that the golfer owed "nothing [to] anyone but himself." In another tweet,
he seemingly blamed Woods' wife at the time, Elin Nordegren, for the affairs, writing,
"No wife is blind enough to miss that much infidelity. Elin had [to
be] a willing participant on the ride [for] whatever reason. kids/lifestyle."
A backlash ensued, with The Daily Beast suggesting that the bizarre tweets were
indicative of Carrey's downfall, which coincided with his split from Jenny McCarthy.
Carrey went on to sort of apologize for blaming Nordegren, though he only ended up digging himself
deeper. The actor said that while he doesn't condone cheating, he felt that both Woods
and Nordegren shared responsibility for the golf pro's affairs. When these comments caused further
outrage, Carrey doubled down and reveled in his newfound troll status, saying in a statement,
"To anyone whose grievances have chosen me as their cause ... you'd see that your
resentment has been misplaced. [...] Now, I'm going to re-enter the Twitter stream
and see if there is anyone left to offend!" When Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars,
just about everyone had an opinion on the matter. Jim Carrey was no exception. Speaking with Gayle
King on CBS Mornings, he made no secret of the fact that he was staunchly on Team Rock, saying,
"I was sickened… I was sickened by the standing ovation.
I felt like Hollywood is just spineless — en masse."
When King brought up the fact that Rock had no intention of filing charges against Smith,
Carrey unleashed an odd rant in which he claimed that the comedian should sue the "King Richard"
Oscar-winner for hundreds of millions of dollars. He added that no one has the right to walk
on stage and put their hands on another human being. Well, Carrey would soon eat his words,
learning the hard way that those in glass houses probably shouldn't throw shade.
After Carrey's tirade against Smith, details of his own problematic past resurfaced.
Making the rounds on Twitter was a video of Carrey, then 35, kissing Alicia Silverstone
without her consent at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards, leading to accusations of sexual assault.
Silverstone, who was just 20 at the time, was visibly upset after the ordeal.
"Ugh, as if."
The actress deemed the kiss humiliating, and Carrey later apologized to her backstage.
Of all the late-night shows, Jimmy Kimmel Live! has found a niche for stunts involving the general
public. Walking by Hollywood Boulevard, titular host Jimmy Kimmel often accosts members of the
public into impromptu stunts, including pranking people into believing that beloved celebs have
done unspeakable things. Joining in on the show's escapades, perennial prankster Jim Carrey was a
guest on a 2014 episode in which members of the public were given Dumb and Dumber-esque haircuts.
After giving a man an admittedly terrible, albeit fixable, bowl cut, it was time for Carrey
to work his, ahem, magic on a woman named Deanna. Things got off to a somewhat inappropriate start,
with Carrey reassuring the nervous-looking guest in reference to his character,
"It's completely sexless, the Lloyd thing."
After Deanna reminded Carrey to use a bowl on her head,
as he did with the previous participant, the comic decided to eschew the apparatus and
improvise. He began brazenly chopping off Deanna's long locks, and the surprised guest
insisted that she'd "feel more comfortable with a bowl." Alas, her request went unheeded:
Carrey completely shaved her head, which was not part of the initial plan, as she had only
come to the studio to get an autograph. Carrey declared while revealing the newly bald Deanna,
"It symbolizes the control I have over the mind of my fans."
Several YouTube commenters felt Carrey took things too far and that Deanna appeared upset,
with HuffPost noting that even Kimmel, who is accustomed to grand stunts,
seemed genuinely shocked by the incident.
Hollywood is renowned for being a hotbed of various affairs and scandals. But not
everyone falls into that salacious trap. There are many long-lasting celeb couples,
such as Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson, or Jeff and Susan Bridges,
who have spent most of their lives together. However, in Jim Carrey's case,
he unfortunately seems to follow the stereotypical shenanigans that
are associated with A-list Hollywood bigshots. Well, at least that's what his ex-wife asserts.
Carrey and his first wife, waitress Melissa Womer, tied the knot in 1987.
Amid the couple's divorce proceedings in 1995, Womer alleged that her estranged husband had an
extramarital affair with actor Lauren Holly, whom he had begun dating shortly after their
separation. She also accused the star of neglecting the couple's daughter, Jane,
then aged 7, and denying her the appropriate amount of alimony. Speaking with Rolling Stone,
Womer lamented that once Carrey experienced the highs of fame and fortune, he allegedly wanted
nothing to do with his wife and child. Womer told the magazine:
"He decided he wanted to enjoy success from the perspective of a single man."
"So you're telling me there's a chance?” As a funnyman, Jim Carrey is known for
delving into uncomfortable comedic forays. But sometimes, his candor is seen as crossing the
line into the creepy. When it comes to young actors, for example, Carrey has a history
of making inappropriate comments. During a 2020 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Carrey made
some admittedly ungentlemanly observations about fellow guest Margot Robbie. Carrey said to Robbie:
"It's incredible that you’ve gotten as far as you have with your obvious physical disadvantages."
Carrey then went on to add:
"That's just pure talent there."
Critics argued that Carrey was deriding the Aussie actor by reducing her to a sexualized object,
thereby dismissing her many achievements as merely being the result of her good looks.
Around this time, footage of Carrey seemingly acting like the creepy uncle toward Emma Stone
resurfaced. In a 2011 clip posted on his website, Carrey declared to the redheaded actor, who is
26 years his junior, that if they were closer in age, he'd wanted to marry and have "chubby little
freckle-faced kids" with her, before musing about their potential sex life. According to HuffPost,
Carrey later confirmed that it was a comedic bit, but that he meant every word.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact
RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).