36 Times Celebrities Opened Up About Plastic Surgery On The Record
Pretty much everybody has an opinion on plastic surgery. Whatever your feelings are on the topic, there's no denying that getting work done has become more and more prominent over the years.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons most recently released research data for 2020, which showed that 13.5 million cosmetic procedures were performed on Americans in 2020, almost 2.3 million of which were surgical. In addition, a total of $16.7 billion was spent on cosmetic procedures in the US during this year alone.
Here's what celebrities have said about their experiences with, or opinions on, having work done.
1.Iggy Azalea opened up about getting breast implants and a nose job.
2.Cardi B feels better about her body since getting work done.
Cardi B opened up to Mariah Carey for Interview Magazine in February 2021 about how she developed insecurities about her lean body type during her upbringing in New York.
"In the Bronx, it’s about being thick and having an ass, so young boys would be like, 'Look at your flat ass. You ain’t got no titties.' And it would make me feel so ugly and undeveloped," Cardi said.
Once she had enough money saved from working as a stripper, Cardi had work done on her body and says she's felt more self-assured since.
"I feel so vindicated. Even when I was 18 and became a dancer, I had enough money to afford to buy boobs, so every insecurity that I felt about my breasts was gone," she said. "When I was 20, I went to the urban strip club, and in the urban strip clubs, you had to have a big butt. So I felt insecure about that. It took me back to high school. So I got my ass done. And then I felt super confident."
3.Diane Keaton hasn't had work done, but isn't opposed to it.
"I haven't, but that doesn't mean I won't [get work done]," Keaton said in a 2014 interview with Allure. "Though at this point, it's a little hard to imagine. My mother never did anything to her face. And then, too, I look at my contemporaries. I see the very good work. I see the very bad work. I just don't know if I want to mess with that. ... The point is, no matter what you do, you're going to get older, and you won't be here forever. So how do you grapple with it? How do you feel good about yourself?"
4.Tyra Banks revealed she had her nose done as a young model.
5.Halle Berry has felt the pressure to get plastic surgery.
"It is pressure. When you see everybody around you doing it, you have those moments when you think, 'To stay alive in this business, do I need to do the same thing?'" Berry said to Yahoo! Beauty in 2015 about plastic surgery in Hollywood. "I won’t lie and tell you that those things don’t cross my mind, because somebody is always suggesting it to me. ... It’s almost like crack that people are trying to push on you. ... I just want to always look like myself, even if that’s an older version of myself. I think when you do too much of that cosmetic stuff, you become somebody else in a way."
6.Dolly Parton has been open about her plastic surgery.
7.Priyanka Chopra refused a nose job early in her career, and later had to have nasal surgery to remove a polyp, which left her with a collapsed bridge.
Prior to becoming a working actor, Chopra was once criticized for her looks by a director who met with her after she won the Miss World pageant title in 2000. "Before I became an actress, I met a producer/director about, you know, the possibility of acting," Chopra said on an episode of The View. "He said everything was wrong about me. He said my nose was not proportionate, he said the shape of my body wasn't proportionate."
Chopra didn't listen to his advice and believes that the expectation for actors to look perfect is too prevalent in the industry. "There's just a false sort of perception of what women should look like and what our bodies should look like, and especially when we're in the business," Chopra added.
In her recent memoir, Unfinished, Chopra said she had to undergo surgery on her nasal cavity to remove a polyp in the early 2000s, which resulted in her nasal bridge collapsing, People reported. She has since been through numerous corrective surgeries to fix this damage and wrote in the memoir, "This is my face. This is my body. I might be flawed, but I am me."
8.Khloé Kardashian said she has had at least one surgical procedure done to her face.
9.Kylie Jenner attributes her changing looks to fillers, not surgery.
"People think I went fully under the knife and completely reconstructed my face, which is completely false," Jenner said to Paper Magazine in 2019. "I'm terrified! I would never. They don't understand what good hair and makeup and, like, fillers can really do."
10.Salma Hayek put breast implant rumors to rest.
In a 2021 Red Table Talk interview, Hayek explained that her breasts have grown naturally over time due to hormonal changes, not implants. She also stated that she deals with back pain as a result of her increasing chest size.
"The boobs grow a lot [during menopause]. For some women they get smaller, but there are some women that, when you gain weight, your boobs grow," Hayek said. "I know the women that, when you have children and you breastfeed, your breasts grow, and they don't go back down. ... I just happen to be one of those women that it happened in every single step: when I gain weight, when I got pregnant, and when I'm in menopause. A lot of people say that I had breast augmentation. I don't blame them. My boobs were smaller, and so was the rest of my body. But they just have kept growing."
11.Katy Perry revealed that she's had non-invasive work done.
"I haven't had any [plastic surgery]," Perry told Refinery29 in 2018. "I've done lasers and got [filler] injections under my eyes for the hollowing — which I'd recommend for everyone who wants a solution for their dark circles — but all of my assets are real. People tend to think they are fake, but it doesn't really matter."
Perry went on to talk about her acceptance of anyone's decision to do what they want with their bodies. "We're getting away from that negative stigma about physical alterations," she said. "Of course, always be your authentic self — but if someone wants a nose job that makes them feel better, and they love their profile more because of it, it's like, Go ahead! Do whatever makes you feel better about yourself. Stay in therapy, but get it, girl."
12.Britney Spears shut down judgmental plastic surgeons after going to consultation appointments.
13.Jamie Lee Curtis promotes aging naturally.
"I have been an advocate for natural beauty for a long time, mostly because I've had the trial and error of the other part," Curtis told Lorraine Kelly in October 2021.
"I did plastic surgery. It didn't work. I hated it. It made me feel worse," the actor said. "I've also been an advocate for not fucking with your face, and the term anti-aging ... What?! What are you talking about? We're all gonna fucking age. We're all gonna die. Why do you want to look 17 when you're 70? I want to look 70 when I'm 70."
14.Pink "cannot get behind" plastic surgery.
In a series of tweets from January 2020, Pink addressed aging and plastic surgery, saying that she has contemplated having work done, but ultimately has not been able to go through with it.
"Letter to self; Dear Me, you're getting older. I see lines," Pink tweeted.
Letter to self; Dear Me, you’re getting older.I see lines.Especially when you smile.Your nose is getting bigger..You look(and feel) weird as you get used to this new reality.But your nose looks like your kids, and your face wrinkles where you laugh.And yeah you idiot..u smoked.
The singer also added in a following tweet, "Every once in a while you consider altering your face," but said she "cannot get behind it."
Continued note to self: Every once in a while you consider altering your face, and then you watch a show where you want to see what the person is feeling... and their face doesn’t move. I’m cannot get behind it. I just can’t.
Pink further elaborated that she wants her face to be expressive as she raises her kids.
I want my children to know what I look like when I’m angry
And she concluded by saying she'll be aging naturally.
I’m fortunate because I’ve never really depended on my looks. I’ve decided that my talent and my individuality is far more important than my face. So get on board cause I am about to AGE THE OL FASHIONED WAY (in a tutu ruling shit at 30 mph 100 ft in the air over 40) yasssssssss
15.Chrissy Teigen shared that she underwent breast implant removal and buccal fat removal procedures.
Teigen documented her most recent cosmetic surgery, buccal fat removal, on Instagram in September 2021. "I did that Dr. Diamond buccal fat removal thing here," she said on her Instagram story. "And since I quit drinking, I’m really seeing the results, and I like it. Yeah, I did it, what?"
The influencer and model previously announced she was getting her breast implants removed in 2020 via an Instagram post after sharing that she took a COVID test in preparation for an upcoming surgery.
"I’m getting my boobs out! They’ve been great to me for many years but I’m just over it." Teigen said. "I’d like to be able to zip a dress in my size, lay on my belly with pure comfort! No biggie! So don’t worry about me! All good. I’ll still have boobs, they’ll just be pure fat. Which is all a tit is in the first place. A dumb, miraculous bag of fat. ❤️"
Her Insta story post showed off the results of the buccal fat removal procedure:
Chrissy Teigen takes to Instagram to reveal she’s had Buccal Fat Removal done by Dr Jason Diamond.
16.Heidi Montag famously had 10 cosmetic procedures done in one day, but later wished she'd waited.
17.Lil' Kim's plastic surgery was the result of insecurities after past partners put her down.
18.Jane Fonda is done with plastic surgery.
Fonda previously told Rosie O'Donnell that she had work done to remove bags under her eyes and tighten the skin under her chin. The actor recently announced she's finished with cosmetic surgery for good.
“I can’t pretend that I’m not vain, but there isn’t going to be any more plastic surgery — I’m not going to cut myself up anymore,” she told Elle Canada for their March 2020 issue. “I have to work every day to be self-accepting; it doesn’t come easy to me.”
19.Plastic surgery "doesn't work" for Justine Bateman.
"I think getting all this plastic surgery is just people pleasing," the writer, director, and actor said to People in 2021 while promoting her book, Face: One Square Foot of Skin. "You don't want people to criticize you anymore so you appease them. The more you do that, the further away you get away from your true self. It doesn't work for me. If somebody said to me now we could do some surgery, wouldn't I be signaling that I'm super insecure? To me, it would."
20.Drew Barrymore wants to try to age naturally.
Barrymore discussed plastic surgery with Ross Mathews on her show in February 2021. The Never Been Kissed star said she's never had any cosmetic surgery done to her face, which she hopes to maintain in the future.
"I've never done anything to my face, and I would like to try to not to. Never say never," Barrymore said on her show. "The thing that I do care about and I do feel is still relevant to my life is the face. I know myself. I'm a highly addictive person. I do one injection, [and] I'm going to look like Jocelyn Wildenstein by Friday."
She added that, "We're going to age, things are going to go south, and it's OK. It's a part of life."
21.It took years for Ashley Tisdale to process criticism for her 2007 rhinoplasty.
The High School Musical star received harsh media backlash after her 2007 nose job, which she explained to People was a procedure she did to correct breathing issues. Tisdale revisited the subject for a post on her website, Frenshe, in January 2021.
"Plastic surgery wasn’t culturally accepted then like it is now," Tisdale wrote. "When I got it done I was scrutinized, judged, and made to feel ashamed over my decision. I made a decision that was no one’s business (and is STILL no one’s business) and for that decision, I was constantly made to feel bad about it."
"It’s taken years for me to process this experience — an experience that I didn’t think was that big of a deal either," she added.
22.Megan Fox recommends therapy before going under the knife.
“I would encourage anyone to first speak with a therapist, to try and figure out where this want comes from, because a lot of times it’s not related to your teeth or your nose or your chin. The surgery is not going to alleviate that insecurity for you,” Fox told Allure in 2010, Access Hollywood reported. “If, then, you feel, 'This is something that I want to do,' then do it. It’s amazing that we have the technology to do the stuff that we do.”
23.Kate Winslet says that plastic surgery is "against [her] morals."
"It goes against my morals, the way that my parents brought me up and what I consider to be natural beauty," Winslet said of plastic surgery to the Telegraph in 2011. "I will never give in. I am an actress, I don't want to freeze the expression of my face."
24.Kim Kardashian said she never got her nose done.
"I never had my nose done," Kardashian said during a master class makeup session done by her makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, People reported. She also stated that her nose tends to look different in various images, adding, "Pictures, I swear, I look at them and would be like, 'Wow the bump looks so much bigger in some pictures than in others.'"
25.Reginae Carter felt confident before breast implants and still feels that way now.
26.Martin Short doesn't think plastic surgery really works.
In 2011, the Only Murders in the Building star explained on The Rosie Show that he doesn't think plastic surgery truly improves anyone's appearance.
"I've had no work [done]. And I know what you're thinking: 'No kidding!'" Short joked. "That does not work, on a man particularly. ... No one says, 'Who's that 38-year-old dude?' They say, 'Who's the 60-year-old who's been in a fire?'"
27.Gene Simmons had a facelift done but doesn't recommend it.
The Kiss musician underwent a facelift, as did his now-wife, Shannon Tweed, on their reality show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, in 2007. In a 2021 interview, Simmons said that he wouldn't tell others to follow his lead, and instead advises everyone to do what's best for them.
"I don’t recommend anything that I’ve done to anyone. Just because I order something off the menu, doesn’t mean you should," Simmons told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Order whatever makes you happy. Everybody’s journey should be a personal choice. Don’t look over your shoulder while you’re running the race of life. Do the best you can. To thine own self be true."
28.Jennifer Lopez said she's never had any surgery, Botox, or other injectables done.
After Lopez posted a video on Instagram demonstrating how to use a face mask from her skincare line, JLo Beauty, a user accused her of having Botox done. Lopez responded by saying that she's never had any work done to her face.
"LOL thats just my face!!! ....For the 500 millionth time... I have never done Botox or any injectable or surgery!! Just sayin'," she wrote.
29.Janet Jackson hopes to age naturally but isn't opposed to cosmetic enhancements.
“I’m very fortunate to have a very loyal and loving fan base. And I think they will always accept me for who I am. Everyone would always want to stay young and this and that, but [aging is] inevitable. I mean, we’re all going to get there," Jackson told Allure for their February 2022 issue.
“I don’t know when my day is coming, but at some point it’s going to come and I can choose which path I want to take. I do hope I age gracefully. It’s either a little bit of zhuzh or gracefully,” she added.
30.Reid Ewing had plastic surgery done as a result of body dysmorphia.
The Modern Family actor wrote an essay for HuffPost in 2015 detailing his plastic surgery ordeal. After feeling like his looks were "unacceptable" due to body dysmorphia, Ewing opted to get cheek implants, which didn't turn out as he expected.
"The lower half of my cheeks were as hollow as a corpse's, which, I know, is the opposite of what you'd expect, as they are called cheek implants. They would be more aptly called cheekbone implants," Ewing said.
Ewing then went to another unqualified surgeon who performed two chin implant surgeries on him. Over the following two years, he had several more procedures done by two other doctors. He now advocates for evaluating your mental health and motivations behind having work done prior to going through with plastic surgery.
"Of the four doctors who worked on me, not one had mental health screenings in place for their patients, except for asking if I had a history of depression, which I said I did, and that was that," Ewing said. "My history with eating disorders and the cases of obsessive compulsive disorder in my family never came up. None of the doctors suggested I consult a psychologist for what was clearly a psychological issue rather than a cosmetic one or warn me about the potential for addiction. ... Before seeking to change your face, you should question whether it is your mind that needs fixing."
31.Cara Delevingne has contemplated having her nose and breasts done.
While talking with Josh Smith on his Make It Reign podcast, Delevingne said she's thought about having her breasts and nose done, but ultimately chose not to because she wasn't sure she'd be honest about it publicly.
"Ever since I was a kid I was like, 'I want to have a boob job; my boobs are uneven,' you know — I don't like my nose, or like, different things. And you know, I've gotten close to thinking about [changing] it," Delevingne said. "And luckily in that moment [I] go, well, if I was to do it then I don't think I could be honest about it, and then that would be a problem. Because I think that young girls, or young boys, even need to know that some things aren't naturally attainable ... that's OK ... but what makes it more sad is that people just can't really talk about it."
The supermodel added that she "can't wait to have something done" in the future.
32.Jodie Foster says plastic surgery isn't for her.
“It’s not my thing," Foster said to More magazine about plastic surgery, as reported by People. "I don’t have anything against it for other people. Whatever they want to do, I’m fine with it. For me, it’s really a self-image thing. Like, I’d rather have somebody go, ‘Wow, that girl has a bad nose’ than ‘Wow, that girl has a bad nose job.’ ... I’d rather have a comment about who I am than about something that identifies me as being ashamed of who I am.”
33.Mickey Rourke had corrective facial surgery done after boxing injuries.
Rourke stepped away from acting for years to carry out a professional career in boxing, which is a hobby he took up during his childhood, he told Interview magazine in 2009. He received several facial injuries from the sport, so he had corrective surgery done on his face, but was unsatisfied with the results.
"Most of it was to mend the mess of my face because of the boxing, but I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together," the Rumble Fish actor said to the Daily Mail about getting work done.
In 2017, Rourke posted a photo on his Instagram account revealing that he underwent another corrective surgery on his nose, to be followed by one more procedure.
34.Lisa Kudrow called her nose job "life-altering."
Kudrow told the Saturday Evening Post about a positive experience of having her nose done at 16 years old, right before she began attending a new school.
"That was life-altering," she said. "I went from, in my mind, hideous, to not hideous. I did it the summer before going to a new high school. So there were plenty of people who wouldn’t know how hideous I looked before. That was a good, good, good change."
35.Kaley Cuoco said getting breast implants was "the best decision" she ever made.
In 2014, Cuoco told Cosmopolitan that she had a boob job done at age 18. This was in 2004, while she was a lead cast member of the sitcom 8 Simple Rules. She called the surgery the “best decision [she] ever made.”
36.NeNe Leakes would get more work done.
In 2010, Leakes told People that she had a nose job, liposuction, smaller breast implants, and a breast lift done, saying, “I still wanted to look like NeNe, the black woman that I am, but a better version.”
While she was a guest on The Wendy Williams Show in 2019, Leakes shared that she would be open to getting some more work done in the future, but not a facelift.
"I would do my boobs again, like keep my implants and move my tissue around," the actor and Real Housewives of Atlanta star said. "I would tweak my nose again ... I won't get a facelift; I feel like that's too much."
