Barry Manilow Is Totally Unrecognizable At Tree Lighting

Tis the season for ... nips, tucks, peels, and pulls? Well, allegedly. Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow turned many heads while performing at the 2023 Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting on November 29, but it wasn't just because of his festive and cheery performances of "Because It's Christmas" and Mariah Carey's classic "All I Want For Christmas is You." (Yes, you better believe he definitely caused an uproar for trying his hand at Carey's extremely lucrative Christmas hit.) As it turns out, Manilow's totally unrecognizable face is what really had everyone up in arms

"Barry Manilow can't move his face at this Rockefeller tree lighting event. His surgeon did a good job tho," one user alleged on X (formerly known as Twitter). Another tweeted, "Barry Manilow should've called Dolly Parton's surgeons." (In response, we would kindly ask that they leave Queen Dolly out of this.) 

Meanwhile, a third user took issue with Manilow's appearance and for what they believed was a lackluster performance of Carey's jubilant holiday jingle. "Hi police? Please arrest Barry Manilow. His face is frozen and he just murdered Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You,'" the user joked. So what is really going on with Manilow's — ahem — new look? Let's get to it.

Barry Manilow's ever-changing appearance has been the subject of speculation and discussion for years. However, the "Mandy" crooner is adamant that he has never had any surgery solely for cosmetic purposes. "Jonathan, look at me, don't I look my age?" he asked during a 2014 appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show. He went on to add, "Really, this is what I look like. I don't know what the hell they're talking about."

In 2003, however, Manilow admitted that he would probably have his nose repaired after a freak accident. "I veered left instead of right and slammed into the wall. I may have to have my nose fixed and, with this nose, it's going to require major surgery," he told The Guardian. He's also admitted to having his "jowls" removed during surgery to excise two facial cysts. "The guy said, 'We can get rid of those jowls.' I said 'Sure' — and that was that," Manilow told the Irish Independent in 2012. 

He went on in the interview to attribute the fullness of his face to steroid shots in his hips. "They think I'm the Joan Rivers of the guys, which is ridiculous. But I've had this nasty hip problem for the last ten years. I've had three surgeries, the last one four months ago," he explained. But that's not all — Manilow also fessed up during the same chat to trying Botox, but said he was unimpressed with the results, saying, "I gave it a try, but I just didn't like it. It didn't look right for me."

Still, many remain unconvinced by Barry Manilow's plastic surgery denials — including a few plastic surgeons and cosmetic procedure experts. "A lot of patients come up with elaborate stories to explain why they have had surgery to avoid saying they were simply having a nose job," plastic surgeon Alex Karidis told The Daily Mail. "And with someone like Barry Manilow, who has millions of fans who associate him with his nose, it would have been hard for him to avoid people trying to prevent him having surgery."

Dr. Rita Rakus has also publicly weighed in on Manilow's transformation over the years. "His face has changed quite drastically – he has substantial [volumization] in his cheeks, as well as Botox," she told The Sun in 2017.

Perhaps, however, it would do us all a bit of good to remember it costs us absolutely nothing to not worry about the looks of celebrities. As the old saying goes, "If you mind your own business, you'll stay busy all the time." Merry Christmas, Barry Manilow!