Jim Carrey has been banned from Russia
Comedian Jim Carrey has found himself banned from entering Russia.
The 60-year-old is joined on the blacklist by 99 others as the country retaliates to sanctions put in place by Canada.
If, like me, you were unaware until this moment that Jim Carrey is Canadian-American, that was probably the most confusing sentence you've ever read.
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To be fair, it's still a bit baffling even with the knowledge that Carrey is part Canadian - the comedian typically isn't the first person who springs to mind when thinking of political conflict in Russia.
Still, Carrey became a target of Russia's retaliation after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the country would be providing $500 million in additional military assistance for Ukraine, as well as introducing additional sanctions against 23 members of the Russian justice and security sectors.
Following Trudeau's announcement on Monday (14 November), Russia's Foreign Ministry released a statement declaring that 100 Canadians would be banned from entering the country.
Carrey is among those on the list, which also includes officials, business leaders and people involved with 'media and financial structures that are directly involved in the formation of an aggressive anti-Russian course'.
Author Margaret Atwood, historian Amy Knight, journalist David Akin and former federal Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay have all been named on the list, as have Caroline Xavier, the head of Canada's Communications Security Authority, and Vikings actor Katheryn Winnick.
The foreign ministry said those listed had been 'entered into the Russian 'stop list' on an ongoing basis'.
Carrey responded to news of the ban after being tagged on Twitter by fellow 'stop list' member Margaret Attwood, who wrote: "Dang! @JimCarrey and I had planned a little naughty weekend getaway in Moscow. Guess it will have to be Kyiv instead."
In response, Carrey joked: "Yes @MargaretAtwood, I’m afraid the worst has happened. We’re banned from Russia…but the problems of 100 Canadians don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world! We’ll always have Paris. Here’s looking at you kid."
As he announced his sanctions, Justin Trudeau said the country would use 'every tool' available as Russia continues its war against Ukraine.
“Canada continues to support Ukraine as it defends its territory, sovereignty, and independence from Russia," he said.
"This additional military assistance will support Ukrainians as they bravely continue to fight against Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion, while these new sanctions will put added pressure on those who support these acts of war.
"We, along with other members of the international community, will continue to use every tool at our disposal to hold Russia accountable for its brutal actions against Ukraine.”
Topics: Russia, Canada, Jim Carrey, Celebrity, Politics
Emily Brown