Hollywood romances are famous for burning hot and fast, usually leaving behind nothing but tabloid drama and messy breakups. But sometimes, there comes a bond so real that it outlasts the relationship itself. The maestro of comedy, Jim Carrey, is a walking reminder in Hollywood that true feelings don’t just disappear with time.
Reflecting on his past, he once candidly revealed that his former co-star Renée Zellweger was actually “the great love” of his life. He casually admitted the depth of his bond with Zellweger, while clarifying that he isn’t desperately pining for his exes.
Jim Carrey On His “Special” Relationship With Renée Zellweger
During the late nineties, Hollywood stars Carrey and Zellweger crossed paths while filming ‘Me, Myself & Irene.’ The two had become an item and got engaged in 1999, a year before the movie’s release. Sadly, 2000 also marked the year of their official break-up.
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While it was a brief relationship, the impact it left on Carrey was profound. Exactly two decades after their painful split, the ‘Dumb and Dumber’ actor couldn’t help but look fondly on the memories. On July 7, 2020, Carrey published a semi-autobiographical novel, ‘Memoirs and Misinformation.’
It was a fictional tale about Hollywood narrated from the point of view of the fictional namesake version of Carrey. In the book, he reflects on the short-lived relationship with Zellweger, calling the actress “the great love of my life.”
A week after publishing the novel, Carrey appeared on The Howard Stern Show in a virtual interview to promote the literary work. When Howard Stern asked Carrey about the sweet mention of Zellweger, the actor laid himself bare.
Carrey weighed in on his relationship with Zellweger, saying, “It was special to me, very special. I think she’s lovely.” But when the host teased Carrey that his remarks suggested her to be “the one that got away,” he didn’t sound regretful.
“I don’t regret. I don’t have those things, but I do appreciate the people that have come through my life for the good that they gave me,” he said. Meanwhile, Zellweger briefly dated musician Jack White in 2003 before tying the knot with singer Kenny Chesney two years after.
The marriage fell apart just four months later, with the actress obtaining an annulment. As for Carrey, he got into another high-profile relationship with Jenny McCarthy in 2005 and remained partners till 2010. There was one more woman in Jim’s life that he openly spoke about in the same interview.
Carrey Remains Appreciative Of The Past
Carrey opened up about his past relationship with singer Linda Ronstadt, whom he dated during the early eighties when he was in his early twenties, whereas she was in her late thirties.
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“It may have seemed like some boytoy kind of situation to some people looking at it from the outside but she treated me with incredible respect and she loved my talent and respected my talent,” he remembered.
“We used to hang out together, and she’d say, ‘You’re going to be where I am. You’re going to deal with all the stuff I’ve dealt with,’” he added. In the meantime, ‘Memoirs and Misinformation’ is a surreal, semi-autobiographical novel written jointly by Carrey and novelist Dana Vachon.
As a boundary-breaking deconstruction of Hollywood, it merges genuine intimacy with apocalyptic sci-fi and meta-fiction to explore the topics of celebrity, existential dread, and quest for human connection. The book starts with Carrey stuck in the middle of an existential crisis.
Faced with personal erasure and the apocalyptic end of the world, he ultimately joins an adventure with A-list celebrities, including real-life friend Nicolas Cage, as they deal with aliens, volcanoes, and the apocalypse.
His raw confession is just part of the chaotic celebrity culture. While many may take it as yearning, Carrey’s word hint at real emotional maturity that involves cherishing the beautiful episodes of the past without wanting to change anything about it.
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