“He looked very happy at that award show. And I was happy for him,” McCarthy, who dated Carrey for five years .

NEED TO KNOW

• Jenny McCarthy gave her two cents on the conspiracy theory that her ex was replaced at the César Awards
• “It was definitely Jim Carrey,” she tells PEOPLE, emphasizing how happy her former partner seemed
• McCarthy and Carrey dated for five years before splitting amicably in 2010

Take it from Jenny McCarthy — Jim Carrey has not been replaced!

Speaking with PEOPLE at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 26, the actress gave her two cents on the viral conspiracy theory that Carrey — her ex — had been “replaced,” or that someone had impersonated him at the recent César Awards in February. McCarthy and Carrey famously dated from 2005 to 2010.

McCarthy tells PEOPLE she had no doubt that “it was definitely Jim Carrey” who attended the French awards show last month. But to her, what was more noticeable than Carrey’s appearance was how content he seemed.

“He looked very happy at that award show. And I was happy for him,” she says, adding, “That’s the first thing I noticed. I said, ‘Oh wow, Jim looks really happy.'”

“You know, that’s the part that, sadly, people miss,” adds McCarthy’s husband Donnie Wahlberg, who attended the event alongside her. “We’re so obsessed with how he looks that we didn’t consider how happy he looked.”

The actor’s return to the public eye received considerable online attention since the ceremony, with some speculating that someone had impersonated the actor at the event. Prior to the César Awards, the Truman Show star last appeared in public when he inducted Soundgarden into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2025.

McCarthey and Carrey called it quits in 2010 after five years together, PEOPLE confirmed at the time. The split was amicable, and McCarthy shared a heartfelt message to her ex after the news became public.

“I’m so grateful for the years Jim and I shared together,” McCarthy said in a statement at the time. “I will continue to be in his daughter’s life and will always keep Jim as a leading man in my heart.”

Carrey attended the César Awards — the French equivalent of the Oscars, held in Paris — to accept an honorary award recognizing his contributions to the film and television industry on Feb. 26, his representative confirmed to PEOPLE on March 2. Upon his receipt of the honor, Carrey gave his acceptance speech entirely in French.

Gregory Caulier, the general delegate of France’s César Awards, said in a statement to Variety at the time that Carrey was “extremely touched by the Academy’s invitation.”

“Eight months of ongoing, constructive discussions. He worked on his speech in French for months, asking me about the exact pronunciation of certain words,” Caulier said in the statement.

He added of Carrey’s physical appearance, “For me, it’s a non-issue. Just remember his generosity, his kindness, his benevolence, his elegance.”

As Carrey’s rep told PEOPLE in a statement on March 2, “Jim Carrey attended the César Awards, where he accepted his Honorary César Award.”

The actor most recently appeared on the big screen as the villainous Dr. Robotnik in the three Sonic the Hedgehog movies, released in 2020, 2022 and 2024.