﻿Jim Carrey has had his fair share of high-profile romances — but his longest relationship to date
was with his first wife, Melissa Carrey - formerly known as Melissa Womer. They were
married before Jim's rise to fame, but it seems his popularity took its toll on their marriage.
Since then, Jim's had two failed marriages and an engagement that was broken off with Renée
Zellewager - who years later the actor called the love of his life. As it turns out, Jim hasn't
shied away from blaming himself for it all. Melissa Carrey Womer first met Jim Carrey in
the 1980s, when they were both struggling to put food on the table — literally. At the time,
Melissa was working two jobs while Jim was making $25 a night making stand-up. They met
at The Comedy Store, the very same club that later propelled Jim into stardom.
Melissa was a cocktail waitress at the club; on a night of one of Jim's performances,
she noticed his weird and wacky comedy routine. She was smitten by his bizarre charm and sense
of humor and was immediately hooked. The couple dated for about two years,
and at the beginning of 1987, Melissa found out she was pregnant. The couple were overjoyed and
decided to make their love official by getting married in March of that year.
Melissa described their sunset ceremony as "An absolutely perfect day," adding that she
and Jim couldn't stop the tears of joy from welling in their eyes the entire time. Just
a few months later, the newlyweds welcomed a daughter into their life, Jane Erin Carrey.
Sadly, as Jim's career took off in Hollywood, he struggled to balance his work life and home life.
He was one of the highest-paid actors of his time, a comedic legend in the making,
and unfortunately, all the pressure that came along with his fame took a toll on his marriage.
For their 6th wedding anniversary, Jim rented the ballroom of the Peninsula Hotel. He hired
a band and had just one table put in it for the couple to dine in privacy. He serenaded her,
then flew to Florida the next day to begin shooting for Ace Ventura. However, Melissa
claimed that he never came home after that. The couple separated that same year. What
followed was a very public, messy divorce that was finalized 2 years later, in 1995,
after eight years of marriage. Since then, Melissa has stayed far away from the spotlight.
Jim Carrey did not pretend to be a saint regarding his separation from Melissa. When asked about his
divorce, he was quick to claim fault. "Look, I'm a hard guy to live with. I'm like a caged animal.
I'm up all night walking around the living room. It's hard for me to come down from what I do."
Friends and family seem to agree with Jim's self-assessment — a source close to the funnyman
told People that Jim can be "a hard guy to date" and that he "desperately needs to be with someone,
then just as desperately needs to be alone." It didn't take long for Jim to move on after his
split from Melissa though. In fact, before their divorce was finalized, he had already started
dating his Dumb and Dumber costar, Lauren Holly. For a while, people were under the
assumption that Jim had cheated on his wife with Lauren, but the actress made things very clear in
an interview about her relationship with Jim. "They keep calling me a homewrecker. I feel for
Melissa, but they were completely apart when Jim and I met."
After the filming for Dumb and Dumber wrapped, Carrey and Holly continued to see each other. But
this time, Jim felt a little more cautious about the future of their relationship.
On the other hand, while they were together, they seemed to be happy! When the couple won
Best Kiss at the MTV Movie Awards, he called Holly the sweetest girl in town
and swore that he'd slay a dragon for her. In 1996, Jim arrived on the set of Holly's film
"A Smile Like Yours," got down on one knee, and proposed to her with a great big "sparkly ring."
Over the next few months, the couple enjoyed their newlywed bliss. Naturally,
with Jim's fame, he and his new wife were constantly bombarded by the paparazzi.
Unfortunately, after just 9 months of marriage, Holly filed for divorce with
the usual "irreconcilable differences." There was no hint as to what could have led to the couple's
split. Perhaps Jim had moved on too fast from his first marriage and hadn't given himself enough
time to heal after his divorce from Melissa. It's also possible that Carrey's fame and busy
work schedule took their toll on his marriage to Holly, just like it had in his first marriage.
A few years later, Carrey met Renée Zellweger on the set of Me, Myself, and Irene in 1999. They
immediately clicked, and Jim fell hard and fast for the actress. However, Renée didn't return his
feelings at first. It wasn't until they had finished filming the movie that the actress
realized that she had feelings for her co-star. Renée admitted that their relationship was
something unexpected and wonderful. She confessed, "It was just a really natural
thing to want to be around each other. And we didn't see each other for a few months after we
finished the picture — or really speak even — and I just noticed his absence significantly.
It just felt like 'Wow, I really miss him.'" Over the next few years, they appeared on red
carpets together, arm in arm, and it was clear that Jim was totally taken by Renée's beauty,
charm, and personality. Things seemed to be going so well for the couple that they even got engaged.
For a while, everyone thought that Jim had finally met his match. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be,
and by the end of 2000, the couple had called it quits, leaving Jim heartbroken once again.
The most surprising thing of all? Carrey gave his fans an insight into his romance
with Renee in his book titled "Memoirs and Misinformation." He confessed that
Renée was the "great love of my life." "She was special to me, very special. I
think she's lovely. I don't pine for anybody; it's not that kind of situation. It's just my
way of saying there was a very important thing there, you know, and to recognize that."
Since then, the actor has opened up further on his thoughts on love and relationships
and admitted that he doesn't believe in "fairytale love." He also claimed that
he didn't want to get married again. "I don't believe in this fairy tale
of staying together forever. Ten years with somebody is enough. In ten years,
you can give a lot of love." Jim went on to have a five-year
relationship with Jenny McCarthy. While they were together, the actor joked that he and
Jenny "are never getting married, but we're never getting divorced, which is fantastic."
The couple later split in 2010, and Jim shared in a tweet, "I'm grateful for the many blessings
we've shared, and I wish her the very best!" Carrey's next serious relationship, and probably
his most publicized one, ended in tragedy and scandal when his girlfriend Cathriona White
took her own life in 2015. White's estranged husband and mother sued Carrey for wrongful
death, and the case was later dismissed. As far as we can tell, it seems Carrey has been
living a single life after he called it quits with his most recent girlfriend, Kidding costar Ginger
Gonzaga, in 2019 after just a year of dating. The actor also recently announced his retirement from
the movie-making business, that is, unless he finds a script that inspires him to act again.
For now, he feels like he has enough, and he's done enough, and he's content with the way that
his life is. He paints to keep himself busy, and he finds solace in his time alone, away from the
spotlight. Perhaps he enjoys his time alone, or maybe his history of heartbreak has made him
realize that it's not about finding happiness with someone else but finding happiness within himself.