The wildest rumour Jim Carrey ever heard about himself: “That was pretty interesting”
When you decide to become an actor, you also sign up to become a celebrity. For many, this is a dream –having screaming fans and adoring critics showering you in praise. Yet, the downsides of fame are experienced by most celebrities, even the most unproblematic ones.
You can’t escape media scrutiny if your career forces you under the spotlight, nor can you avoid bizarre rumours about your background, your relationships, your interests, or even your children. From conspiracy theories regarding the real mother or father of someone’s child to publicity stunt marriages, you have to have a thick skin not to let these kinds of crazy stories affect you.
Jim Carrey has enjoyed a very successful career as a comedian and actor since the 1980s, but he has still experienced his fair share of strange Hollywood rumours. He made his film debut in the 1980s with The Sex and Violence Family Hour, but it was 1994 that proved to be his golden year. Not only was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective released, which he co-wrote, but Dumb and Dumber and The Mask also debuted, catapulting the actor to instant acclaim.
Known for his expressive face and over-the-top approach to comedy, Carrey cut his teeth in the sketch show In Living Color between 1990 and 1994, honing his signature style through a variety of characters. Throughout the 2000s, he appeared in various critically acclaimed or popular movies, like How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Bruce Almighty, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, although the actor hasn’t appeared in any other films besides the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise since 2016.
Carrey’s career might not be as successful now as it was in the 1990s or the early 2000s, but he still remains a well-known Hollywood figure. Naturally, then, he has heard a lot of strange rumours about himself, but the one that takes the cake for him revolves around a pet he once had.
The actor has owned several rather unconventional pets over the course of his career, which is hardly surprising considering the actor’s penchant for anything a little strange and out of the ordinary. He has been the proud owner of a pair of parakeets called Sunrise and Squeek, a Great Dane called George, and an iguana called Houston.
It was this reptile that was the centre of a strange rumour about the actor, who told Front Row Features, “The craziest thing I’ve heard about myself is that I have an iguana, and in my [contract], they have to hire a chef for my iguana. That was pretty interesting. I did have an iguana at one point but I didn’t specifically have a chef for him.”
Celebrities often have some rather unique demands when they’re in their trailer or waiting backstage, such as unusually large amounts of a favourite food or drink, but rarely do you hear about demands for an iguana chef. That’s probably because even someone as out-there as Carrey wouldn’t go as far as asking for a chef to be hired specifically for his pet.
