Jim Carrey Returns for Cesar Award in Paris

made a rare return to the spotlight following a string of scandals as he was honoured at the 51st Cesar Film Awards on Wednesday.

Unsavory allegations surrounding the tragic suicide of his on-and-off girlfriend and his multiple eyebrow-raising actions and comments ultimately cast a dark shadow over the actor's once booming career. 

Despite his break, Jim, 64, returned to his role as Dr Robotnik for Sonic The Hedgehog 3 last year, admitting at the time he came back to the film series as he 'needed the money.'

And during the glitzy ceremony at L'Olympia in Paris, Jim was given an Honorary Cesar Award for his work.

The French Academy described the king of slapstick comedies as 'one of the most original voices in modern cinema', gushing: 'His work, on and off screen, reminds audiences that cinema can do more than entertain…

'His journey embodies an unrelenting boldness, constantly pushing the boundaries of performance and art.'

Jim began to face a slew of controversies throughout the 2010s, which eventually caused him to largely retreat from the spotlight.

He faced severe backlash online over some of his actions and comments - most notable was his controversial stance on vaccines.

Back in 2015, he went on a fierce tirade against immunisations online.

He said he believed that the chemicals in the shots were causing a host of problems in children, and pointed to the growing number of autism cases in the country.

But his views were widely slammed due to the lack of medical proof.

In 2022, he came under fire again after he condemned Will Smith over his infamous Oscars slap.

Will stormed on stage and hit host Chris Rock in the face after he made a joke about the actor's then-wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

'I was sickened by the standing ovation,' Jim said of the moment afterwards on Gayle King. 'I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse.

'You do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words.'

Throughout the 2010s, Jim still acted - his credits during those year include Mr. Popper's Penguins, Kick-A** 2, the sequel to Dumb and Dumber, entitled Dumb and Dumber To, Dark Crimes, and the Sonic the Hedgehog films - but his career significantly slowed down.

He tried to pursue other endeavors - he released a children's book, called How Roland Rolls, he dabbled in producing, and wrote a memoir, entitled Memoirs and Misinformation - but it seemed like he couldn't shake his growing list of scandals.

Then, in April 2022, Jim revealed that he was thinking of quitting acting for good, while promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

He told reporters that he was 'probably' retiring after the film, stating, 'Well, I'm retiring. Yeah, probably. I'm being fairly serious.

'It depends, if the angels bring some sort of script that's written in gold ink that says to me that it's gonna be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road, but I'm taking a break.

'I really like my quiet life and I really love putting paint on canvas and I really love my spiritual life.

'I feel like - and I feel like this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists - I have enough. I've done enough. I am enough.'

In 2012, Jim also started dating a makeup artist named Cathriona White, but she passed away from a prescription drug overdose in 2015.

Her death was ruled as a suicide, but her estranged husband Mark Burton later sued the actor, claiming he'd caused her mental distress that contributed to her suicide.

Mark also alleged that Jim 'improperly obtained prescriptions for Ambien and the powerful opioid oxycodone under the alias Arthur King,' and gave them to Cathriona, according to the The Oxford Eagle.

'What a terrible shame,' Jim responded in a statement afterwards. 'It would be easy for me to get in a back room with this man's lawyer and make this go away, but there are some moments in life when you have to stand up and defend your honor against the evil in this world.

'I will not tolerate this heartless attempt to exploit me or the woman I loved. I really hope that some day soon people will stop trying to profit from this and let her rest in peace.'

Cathriona's mother also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jim, but both cases were ultimately dismissed in January 2018.

He has also been open about how during the height of his fame, he quietly battled depression.

Back in 2017, he told i-Magazine, 'At this point, I don't have depression... [but] I had that for years.

'Now, when the rain comes, it rains, but it doesn't stay. It doesn't stay long enough to immerse me and drown me anymore.'

He added, 'I'm perfectly fine with everything that has happened, even the horrible sh*t you know, in life and in art. There is a lot of satisfaction about looking back at those things.'

Following his return to the Sonic film series last year, Jim is set to appear in a fourth instalment, which will be released in 2027.