Jim Carrey explains why he's done painting Trump-skewering political art

You won't be seeing any more political-themed paintings from actor-turned-artist Jim Carrey.

At a recent press day for his new film Sonic the Hedgehog, the popular comedy star told Yahoo he's done skewering the likes of President Donald Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and other figures associated with the current administration in unflattering caricatures he'd often post to his Twitter account.

"To me, that was like a time, and it's been a time, where I just wanted to be the lighthouse that was saying, 'Hey, stay off the rocks, you're headed for the rocks,'" said Carrey, an Ontario, Canada native who gained dual citizenship in 2004 (watch above).

"We're still headed for the rocks, but I've decided, 'You understand my message, I don't need to be steeped in it anymore.' I think after a while … you get stuck in that kind of stuff." (While Carrey routinely posted the caricatures through 2019, his last Trump-related art came on 22 December.)

The Ace Ventura and Bruce Almighty funnyman said the message of his art was to encourage Americans to "exercise your vote" and "be a citizen." And though the paintings, which have been harshly criticised by conservatives, are clearly lampooning the Trump administration, Carrey insists that he doesn't hold contempt for his subjects.

"What I want to tell people is, 'It's never been a matter of hating anyone.' I can sit down with anybody in this country and break bread. I love people. To me, I think we got tricked by politicians and by weird corporate concerns to believe that disagreement is hatred. And I will never go for that."

So what will Carrey turn his brush toward in lieu of politicians?

"Kind of obsessed with mangos right now," he admitted to us, and which his Twitter handle confirms (though Carrey did take a break from fruit recently to memorialise late basketball great Kobe Bryant) .

"Because they're like the fruit of the gods, and they represent abundance and sweetness and the gifts of the universe. So that's where I'm at."

Sonic the Hedgehog opens 14 February. Watch a trailer below.