12 Celebrity Men Who Have Opened Up About Getting Hair Transplants

From John Cena to Joel McHale to Akon, these stars have shared the details about reversing their hair loss with a transplant surgery

According to NYU Langone Health, more than 80 percent of men experience hair loss. For many of those men, being a part of that statistic can feel challenging — even more so when you're on camera for a living, and confronting your receding hairline in real time.

These celebrity men have used their platforms to talk about undergoing hair transplant procedures in an effort to not only look good on camera as part of their jobs, but also boost their confidence day-to-day. They've been open about their experiences to help eliminate the stigma surrounding the procedures. From John Cena, who recently revealed he's going for a second transplant, to Joe Buck, who revealed an addiction to plugs almost cost him his career, their openness helps other men decide if the procedure is something they want to consider and reassures them they're not alone.

Below, see the celebrity men who have opened up about getting hair transplants.

01 of 12

John Cena

On June 30, John Cena surprised his followers with a behind-the-scenes photo of himself getting ready for his second hair transplant. "Round 2 of FUE Treatment and this time I went all in for best possible results," Cena captioned the photo. "Thank you Ken Anderson and the staff at Anderson Center for Hair for accompanying me on this journey!"

The famed wrestler-turned-movie-star underwent his first transplant with Dr. Anderson in November 2024 and he opened up about the journey in a PEOPLE cover story last summer, revealing that WWE fans pushed him to do something about his hair loss.

"As I was trying to hide my hair loss, the audience was bringing it to light," he said. "I saw their signs that said, ‘The bald John Cena.' They pushed me into going to see what my options were and actually do some homework to learn about scalp health, hair health, follicle health. I now have a routine: red-light therapy, minoxidil, vitamins, shampoo, conditioner and I also got a hair transplant."

Cena also admitted that if it weren't for the stigma surrounding hair loss for men, he would have done it sooner. "I hate the fact that if there wasn't so much shame around it, I'd have gotten it done 10 years ago," he told PEOPLE. "I thought I was alone, but seven or eight out of 10 [men] suffer from thinning or baldness."

02 of 12

Joel McHale

Joel McHale pulled no punches when talking about his transplant on the We Might Be Drunk podcast in May 2026.

"Yeah, I'm fully bald … This is four transplants. I did it way back when it was a strip," McHale explained, referring to the hair transplant method where a strip of scalp is removed. "Painful. Don't do a strip. Do plucking. Now they pluck it from the whole back section, and it's a miracle." 

While on the pod, the Community star also revealed that he paid $10,000 for the procedures, but noted, "it might have gone up" in the years since.

03 of 12

AJ McLean

Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean used his hair as a method of expression in the early days of his career, rocking everything from bleach blonde spikes to a colorful buzz cuts. So losing his hair was a tough pill to swallow.

"Losing my hair is something that I have personally struggled with for a long time. I ended up going to the straight Pitbull look where it's just bald, and since then I've had hair surgery. I did it right before I got married, which will have been 10 years ago in December," the singer told Allure in 2021.

"I'm going back under the knife again this year," he continued. "I had gotten to that place where I was shaving my head all the time because it was easier to maintain and it happened to look good with my tattoos. But once I had [the surgery] done, I posted pictures on my socials. I wasn't ashamed because I totally accept whatever anybody wants to do to make themselves feel better, to boost their self-confidence. "

04 of 12

Landon Donovan

Soccer player Landon Donovan opened up about his hair transplant journey after going viral when he showed up with patches that exposed his scalp while covering the Euro 2024 soccer tournament. "Had a hair transplant procedure two weeks ago and was told it wouldn’t show up on camera,” Donovan revealed after former LA Galaxy teammate Mike Magee called him out on the look.

After two failed attempts, the retired soccer player now wears a custom hairpiece, the making of which he shared with fans in October 2025.

05 of 12

Akon

After fans had been speculating for some time, Akon shared that he got a transplant during a 2022 interview on The Bootleg Kev podcast.

"Oh, yeah, I went to Turkey. I went to Turkey and got a procedure done. Don't forget, in the beginning, my whole front was loose, it was real thin," he explained, adding that he spent $7500 on the graft.

And while he stated the procedure itself wasn't painful, the prep wasn't pleasant. "The painful part is the beginning when they have to numb you up. That numbing ain't no joke."

06 of 12

Jimmy Presnell

Love Is Blind season 6 star Jimmy Presnell felt the need to transform after fans criticized his physical appearance on the show. In addition to losing 30 pounds and getting veneers, the reality TV star also got a hair transplant and chronicled his journey on TikTok.

"Coming off Love Is Blind, the comments weren't where I would have wanted them to be," he told TMZ in November 2025. "I got a lot of shots for my hairline, and so it honestly gave me the courage to do something about it."

"It's done wonders for me and my confidence. I'm super happy about it," he added. "I want to maintain a healthier lifestyle going forward."

07 of 12

Kwame Appiah

Similarly, season 4 contestant Kwame Appiah underwent a hair transplant which he chronicled on his social media and in January, the Love Is Blind alum rejoiced over getting a line up for the first time in over a decade.

"Got a haircut this week and for the first time in 15 years, he got a lineup. I'm telling you, I've been waiting for this moment. I'm six months out of my hair transplant. Got it at the end of July, it's looking pretty good. I'm feeling pretty good," he said in a video shared to TikTok.

08 of 12

Cheyenne Jackson

In a vulnerable post shared to social media in 2020, American Horror Story star Cheyenne Jackson opened up about having had several hair transplants done over the course of 14 years.

"I’ve been DREADING this day for 17 years. The day when my horrible secret would be revealed," he began his lengthy post on Instagram. "No, this gnarly scar across my head isn’t from life-saving brain surgery, nor did I narrowly survive a shark attack. It’s worse. (At least in Hollywood…) I had hair transplant surgery. 5 of them, to be exact over 14 years."

"Over the years as my hair kept thinning, I kept secretly getting more procedures & would just pray that no one would find out," Jackson later added. "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."

He continued, "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."

09 of 12

Brian Urlacher

At 6-ft.-4-in. tall, Brian Urlacher cut an intimidating figure on the football field, but the NFL star felt less confident once his helmet came off. After retiring, the linebacker underwent a surprising makeover, receiving 5,300 grafts of hair in a transplant facilitated by Restore.

"I kind of want to open the door so that men know you can do this. It's not that big of a deal anymore. You can talk about it to your friends, you can go and get it done," he stated in a video shared to Restore's website.

The Hall of Famer became a spokesperson for the company, with several billboards of his epic transformation shared across the Chicago area in 2019.

10 of 12

Joe Buck

In his 2016 memoir, Lucky Bastard: My Life, My Dad, And The Things I’m Not Allowed To Say On TV, Joe Buck revealed that an addiction to getting hair plugs almost cost him his career. In an excerpt shared by Sports Illustrated, the sportscaster revealed that during his eighth procedure in 2011, a surgical cuff resting on his neck accidentally damaged his vocal cord. At the time, he told the world he had a virus that struck the laryngeal nerve, but came clean with the real truth in the memoir.

"Broadcasting is a brutal, often unfair business, where looks are valued more than skill,” he wrote. “I was worried that if I lost my hair, I would lose my job. O.K., that’s bulls—-. It was vanity. Pure vanity. I just told myself I was doing it for TV.”

11 of 12

Tyga

During a heated X (then Twitter) exchange between Nicki Minaj and her ex, Safaree Samuels, the "Roman's Revenge" rapper revealed that both Samuels and Tyga had gone to the same doctor for hair transplants and that Samuels' hairline was falling out because, "God don't like ugly."

Though he was merely caught in the crosshairs of the ex-lovers' quarrel, Tyga owned up to the procedure. According to Vice, a few days after the heated exchange, the "Taste" rapper shared a screenshot of Dr. Craig L. Ziering, the hair transplant surgeon he used, alongside the caption, "The [plug]. Tellem Tyga sent u.”

12 of 12

Wayne Rooney

Another athlete who is not ashamed of having gotten a hair transplant, former English soccer player Wayne Rooney proudly shared his news on X back in 2011. "I was going bald at 25 – why not. I'm delighted with the result," he wrote, per the BBC.

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