Actor Cheyenne Jackson, 44, has revealed he’s had five hair transplants in the space of 14 years. In an emotional Instagram posting, he said he was revealing the information as he had been “dreading” people find out and no longer wanted to hide the fact.
The posting included a photo of the back of his head, revealing a large area of scarring where cosmetic surgeons had removed hair follicles to implant on the top of his scalp.
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“I’ve been DREADING this day for 17 years. The day when my horrible secret would be revealed,” he said.
“No, this gnarly scar across my head isn’t from life-saving brain surgery, nor did I narrowly survive a shark attack.
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“It’s worse. (At least in Hollywood…) I had hair transplant surgery. 5 of them, to be exact over 14 years.
“My inner monologue is ‘Really Cheyenne? With everything that’s going on in the world, you’re CONFESSING that you had hair surgery? Get over yourself.’ I get it, but I’m admitting this really, to RELEASE how much shame & anxiety I’ve had about people finding out for years.
Related: Is Cheyenne Jackson’s “Edge of Glory” cover better than the original?
“I started losing my hair around 22. My older brother was balding too, but was way braver & cooler & just shaved his off. It was really emotional for me to watch it fall out & I felt less attractive & truly less like myself as the days went on, so I saved up and got my first surgery at 28.
“I hid it from everyone. It was painful & expensive but I started to feel better about myself.
Over the years as my hair kept thinning, I kept secretly getting more procedures & would just pray that no one would find out.
“Why? Why did I care so much? What does that say about me?
“Being a vain actor in an industry that rewards beauty, I vowed to keep this my secret forever. I feel SO stupid saying that but it’s my truth. As if someone finding out would somehow negate my talent, or make me less viable or valuable in the world.
“At the beginning of every job, I’d secretly gather the hair & makeup people, dramatically close the door of the trailer, & make a big deal about REVEALING my devastating truth. Every. Single. Time. they basically said “ummm…yeah…so?” NO ONE CARED BUT ME!
“I’m sharing because maybe this will inspire someone out there to share a secret they’ve been hiding, or show a scar that they’ve been afraid of anyone seeing. Let it go. What I’ve learned during this pandemic is that shit like this just doesn’t matter.
“I’m trying to teach my kids to accept themselves & to be proud of who they are, & to put value on things that are IMPORTANT & REAL so as their father, the example should start with me. This is that. I’ll go first. #ShowYourScars”
Jackson is best known for his recurring roles in American Horror Story on FX but has a string of Broadway, TV and movie credits to his name. He has also released three albums of music.
He is married to fellow actor, Jason Landau. They married in 2014 and became fathers to twins, a boy and a girl named Ethan and Willow, in 2016.
Related: Cheyenne Jackson officially graduates to daddy status
The gay actor has spoken before about succumbing to the pressure to maintain his appearance. In 2016, he told Out magazine: “’I find that especially with gay guys, there’s such a pressure in our community to look young, to stay looking young. I will admit I kind of succumbed to that a few years back.
“I got into doing Botox and putting stuff in my face. And I started to not look like myself anymore. It kind of just made me sad. I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ I couldn’t wrinkle my forehead anymore. It changed the shape of my eyes. So three years ago, I was like, ‘F*** it. I’m just gonna let my face do what it’s gonna do’.”
Cam
Hollywood demands unnaturally long youth. How many movies has 40 year old actors playing people who act like they are 21 and just meeting their first boyfriend/girlfriend. The frozen botox look shows us that casting agents care more about no wrinkles then they do about the ability for an actor to express emotion.
Nice Jackson feels comfortable in his own skin to expose something he was embarrassed about.
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
Not to go too far off topic but I stopped watching Young Sheldon because it was clear the “kids” in too many scenes on that show were grown adults who looked just like what they are. If you remember Sheldons brothers’ girlfriend it seemed criminal they tried to pass her off as a teenager. She looked more like a teacher with no less than fifteen years experience.
Matthewnow
Good for you. Can I borrow some hair?
Chrisk
“’I find that especially with gay guys, there’s such a pressure in our community to look young, to stay looking young.”.. you listening Queerty?
I don’t blame him though. Especially in the industry he’s in. I’ve thought of it myself as I’m losing hair around the crown of my head and sure don’t want a friar tuck look.
ShiningSex
well if he’s willing to put up with the sh*t “expected” then don’t cry about it.
many people don’t and are still successful in Hollywood. Bald men are sexy.
Those that cover it up like Jeremy Piven, John Travolta, Jason Alexander look so stupid. As if we didn’t know they were balding. Duh! They were balding in the 90s and we saw it ALL.
Troysky
“well if he’s willing to put up with the sh*t “expected” then don’t cry about it.”
He wasn’t….so your comment doesn’t make any sense.
…seems like you wanna get it on with Piven. I’d join.
Miles
We live in a time where cosmetic work is pretty standard. If you can afford it and it makes you feel good then I think one should do it if it does not jeopardize ones health. I guess if the actor felt like he was living with a big secret then he was right to disclose the information but to me there are bigger secrets to live with.
Neoprene
Yawn.
Black Pegasus
That was incredibly brave of him and I applaud his honesty. Can’t say I blame him for wanting to look younger in a world that rewards beauty both socially and financially.
Bromancer7
Oh sweetie, we all knew. It wasn’t a secret.
Troysky
Not a fan of Jackson (he’s alright), but i had no idea …. recently saw Chuck Norris in a press interview….holy cow his toupee was greasy and obvious. High definition can do that. Not a fan, but just happened to catch it. Had no idea.
Donston
There are definitely many a-holes who judge purely off of looks and someone’s ability to maintain those looks. But sometimes I do wonder if there really is an especially high “gay community” pressure to stay youthful or if that’s more of a subset, internal and personal ego thing. We are realizing more than ever that handsome, muscular, “masculine” dudes in their mid twenties is not really every faag’s preference. While if you are someone who once benefitted from the privilege of being conventionally good-looking and you used sex appeal to get where you are, there will definitely be pressure to keep it up if you want to maintain that privilege and attention. I do think it’s good that more guys are talking about this kind of stuff.
ShiningSex
Hahahahahahaha!!! queen let it go!!!
bald men are sexy.
trsxyz
To quote Bette Davis, “Getting old is not for sissies.”
carlton
I am at a loss to understand why anyone should care. With all the genuine causes for concern in this world, his hair or lack there of is not one of them- not even close. This is cultural vapidity at its finest.
Max
superficial aside, he’s just sharing something that is relatable to a lot of people.
Hdtex
LITERALLY
NO
BODY
CARES
Charlie in Charge
Good for him, and smart of him to start at age 28 when he was able to catch it in time.
People are saying “bald men are sexy” and like – absolutely but if you check out the full list of People Magazine’s Sexiest Man alive you will find that the only men on it with noticeable hair loss are Sean Connery in 1989 (the top of his head is cropped out on the cover) and Dwayne Johnson in 2016. I would think Jason Statham absolutely deserves to be on that list.
ScottOnEarth
He dreaded the day that he would spontaneously and needlessly reveal that he has had several hair transplants? Makes no sense but I’m sorry he had to go through so much pain and expense because of the industry he works in. In spite of all the PC empowerment initiatives and hype, show business is all about looks and image. There are exceptions but the norm is definitely about youth and perfection.
IAmUp4It
He is blessed with those eyes and chiseled features it doesn’t matter what is happening on top of his head! About gay superficiality, a few months ago a twink was giving me attitude about a guy my age being in the club. I told him that I was a twink 35 years ago and never disrespected anyone! I told him he will age like me and be angry when a little bitch is rude!