Jim Carrey's Heart Grew Three Sizes for a Grinch Sequel

After years of saying no, Jim Carrey is heading back to Whoville. The actor who brought the green grump to life in 2000 is confirmed to reprise his role in a sequel to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, reuniting with director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer at Universal.

What makes this comeback surprising isn’t just that Carrey is returning—it’s that he actually agreed to it. For two decades, the actor famously resisted sequel offers, largely because of the grueling makeup process that came with transforming into the Grinch. That green prosthetic suit was notoriously brutal, and Carrey made it clear he wasn’t interested in revisiting that experience. But times have changed. Modern CGI technology has advanced light-years since the early 2000s, which likely made the return more palatable. Then there’s the small matter of what the article delicately refers to as a dump truck of money.

The original film was a massive cultural phenomenon. Released 26 years ago, it raked in serious box office dollars and became a permanent fixture in holiday movie rotations—the kind of film families actually watch every December without complaint. That kind of staying power doesn’t come around often, and Universal knows it. A sequel taps into genuine nostalgia while banking on the fact that a whole new generation of kids has discovered the film on streaming.

As for the rest of the cast, that’s where things get intriguing. Taylor Momsen, who played Cindy Lou Who, has traded acting for a successful music career and isn’t confirmed to return. But here’s the kicker: when she and Carrey reunited at the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony last year, fans completely lost their minds. The chemistry was still there. Whether Momsen will come back remains unclear, but the appetite is definitely there.

It’s genuinely wild that we’re getting a Grinch sequel with the original star. Hollywood loves recycling IP, sure, but getting Carrey to commit after his years-long resistance says something about how much the landscape—and the paychecks—have shifted. Advanced CGI means less suffering. A proven franchise means less risk. And sometimes, that’s all it takes to change a heart that was firmly set against a project. His heart grew a few sizes, as it were.