Before & After Pics Expose The Most Jarring Celeb Hair Transplants

Fame, money, and power go hand in hand in Hollywood and the celebrity world at large, and all three have been used by A-listers to circumvent life's more undesirable aspects. Some things are simply beyond stars' control, though Hair loss is one of those things that doesn't discriminate — regardless of how many fans one has, their Q-rating, or how healthy or good-looking they may be, there's no telling what will happen to a person's hairline as the years fly by.

For decades, some of the biggest performers and athletes in the world were forced to suffer silently as their volume disappeared and their crowns receded. These days, though, more and more male celebs have bounced back from major hair loss as transplant technology has advanced. As more go under the needle to achieve the youthful looks they desire, more celebs are speaking about it publicly, too.

Some of the results have been eye-popping, especially when compared via before-and-after pictures. With that in mind, here's our list of some of the most jarring celeb hair transplants, along with pictures to document the dramatic transformations that unfolded.

Once upon a time, Wayne Rooney was the boy wonder of English soccer. By 17, he had made his club debut with Everton's first team and also gotten his first cap on the international scene with England's senior national team. More recently, he has served as a manager and head coach for teams in England and the United States after his legendary run as a striker on the pitch. However, he bore the look of a football manager long before his playing career actually ended, as he started losing his hair at a relatively young age. So, rather than resign himself to nature's course, he decided to reinvigorate his mane — and he made no attempt to hide it, either.

Rooney — who once had one of the most expensive pro athlete weddings ever — let the cat out of the bag in a 2011 post on X, writing, "Just to confirm to all my followers I have had a hair transplant. I was going bald at 25 why not. I'm delighted with the result." As reported by the BBC, Rooney's wife, Coleen Rooney, subsequently took to Twitter to let fans know that the call to get a hair transplant was made by Rooney, not her, but noted that she was "pleased for him." Meanwhile, fellow footballer Rio Ferdinand joked that he would be doing Head & Shoulders commercials in no time. Even now, many years after he took the plunge, the before-and-after pictures are dramatic.

Akon exploded onto the music scene in 2004 with the release of his debut solo album, "Trouble," which peaked at No. 11 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and included the hit single "Locked Up" and "Lonely." He continued to have incredible success over the next decade-plus, too, rocking the charts and finding success as a guest artist, producer, and songwriter as well. All the while, he has contributed toward philanthropic efforts benefiting people in Africa, most notably launching the "Akon Lighting Africa" project in 2014. In the meantime, though, the recording artist struggled to keep his hairline intact.

"Don't forget, in the beginning my whole front was loose. It was real thin," Akon told Bootleg Kev during a 2022 podcast interview. By then, Akon's hairline was rock solid, and he told the radio personality that he went to Turkey to get a "procedure" to plug the proverbial gaps, later clarifying that he got a hair graft. Akon joked that Turkey is known for two things: hair and teeth. He added that his procedure might have cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $50,000 had he done it stateside. Instead, he reportedly paid around $7,500 to get his hair done in Turkey.

In December 2025, WWE legend and multi-time champion John Cena participated in his last-ever wrestling match (although you never really know in the world of sports entertainment). The writing had been on the wall for years as the West Newbury, Massachusetts, native had already established himself as a rising star in Hollywood with his work in films like "Trainwreck," "Bumblebee," and the "Fast & Furious" franchise, in addition to bringing to DC antihero Peacemaker to the screen in "The Suicide Squad" and an HBO Max spinoff series. The writing was once on the wall, too, for his hair, which has undergone an evolution of its own throughout his career.

Eventually, and with some prodding from the WWE universe, Cena decided enough was enough and took matters into his own hands. "As I was trying to hide my hair loss, the audience was bringing it to light," he told People in 2025. "I saw their signs that said 'The bald John Cena.' They pushed me into going to see what my options were."

The grappler revealed that he had undergone a transplant the prior year, and that he utilizes a regimen of vitamins and medication to keep himself and his hairline healthy. The results, he says, have been game-changing, and he's not worried about others feeling differently. "If somebody's going to sweat me for that, I don't think there's any shame in that," he said. "It completely changed the course of my life."

MGK – who ditched his former stage name, Machine Gun Kelly – has never been content to blend into the background. Since entering the music industry as a mixtape master during the late 2000s, blowing up with hits like "Wild Boy" and "Bad Things" in the 2010s, and ultimately reinventing himself as a provocateur of the pop-punk scene, he has made a habit of standing out. But as he was pumping out top-five albums and hit songs, his hairline was standing out for reasons that had little to do with the larger-than-life image he had cultivated over the years, thinning and receding at an incredible rate.

So far, MGK hasn't confirmed having any kind of hair treatment. However, the difference in his hair now compared to the mid-2010s is striking. Meanwhile, social media is flush with analysis and speculation about which procedures or treatments the recording star might have undergone.

A 2022 Reddit thread was filled with commenters who believe MGK underwent a follicular unit transplantation, or FUT, otherwise known as the strip method. "First and foremost he is on medical treatment, most likely finasteride. Then he had at least one FUT surgery where the scar can be very clearly seen in the 'I Think I'm Okay' video," wrote one Reddit user. YouTuber and surgeon Dr. Gary Linkov agrees, opining that MGK likely had FUT and FUE (follicular unit extraction) procedures.

Joel McHale has been making waves in Hollywood since the early 2000s, first rising to prominence during the early and mid-2000s as the host of "The Soup," E!'s follow-up to "Talk Soup." He later earned acclaim playing the role of Jeff Winger on the long-running sitcom "Community," after which he continued hosting and acting in major film and TV projects. All the while, fans have seen his hairline evolve and change in ways that redefined his look.

By the time he landed his gig on "The Soup," he was already thinning up front and on top. More recently, though, he has sported a solid hairline across his forehead and a thicker, fuller look overall. That's because he spent a small fortune on a series of hair transplants. McHale spoke without shame about his hair regrowth journey and the steps he took to achieve his current appearance while guesting on "We Might Be Drunk" in 2025 (via YouTube), revealing that he might not have any hair left if not for his transplant.

"Yeah, I'm fully bald," he told Normand and co-host Sam Morril. "This is four transplants. I did it way back when it was a strip." He went on to reveal that he spent a whopping $10,000 on his hair transplants, lamenting that the price has likely gone up in subsequent years. He also shouted out his doctor, and said that he had his transplants done in Los Angeles.

Rapper and singer Tory Lanez first emerged into the public consciousness in the early and mid-2010s before releasing his debut album "I Told You" in 2016. From there, he rose to the top of the recording game, dropping multiple hit singles and top-10 albums over the next several years. More recently, he has been defined by his 2022 conviction for shooting fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion after a house party in the Hollywood Hills two years prior. He was ultimately sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for felony crimes related to the shooting, and his life in prison has been worse than anyone expected.

Prior to the 2020 incident, one of the biggest online conversations around Lanez was arguably the discourse surrounding his receding and patchy hair. Lanez has spoken at length about taking steps to shore up his hairline and achieve a fuller, thicker look on multiple occasions, although it's unclear exactly which procedures he has done. During a 2019 interview with Bootleg Kev on REAL 92.3 (via YouTube), he gave a shoutout to his doctor and alluded to receiving platelet-rich plasma therapy, or PRP, which he claimed to have stimulated regrowth.

"He specializes in, like, stem cell research. So, especially for hair in African-American and, like, Latino people," Lanez explained. However, others have analyzed and speculated about possible transplant procedures. In any case, a bald spot later formed on the back of his head, which he attributed to alopecia.

Arguably one of the biggest names on this list, Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx has been in the public eye for the better part of four decades at this point. So, Foxx's stunning transformation and the metamorphosis of his hairline aren't hard to track. Nor is his legendary career, which really took off during the early 1990s when he was a featured player on the sketch comedy series "In Living Color." Later, Foxx found success as both a recording artist and a bona fide movie star, getting his statuette for his performance as Ray Charles in the biopic "Ray" and appearing in films including "Dreamgirls," "Collateral," and "Django Unchained."

All the while, his hair changed with age, trends, and, according to Dr. Gary Linkov, possible efforts to camouflage thinning — or even employ a hair system — before ultimately resorting to more long-term methods of maintaining a more youthful look. According to Linkov, what appears to be an FUT scar could be observed by 2007, when Foxx was pushing 40. Over the years, Foxx's look has continued to shift, but he has managed to keep his hair in a state that Linkov believes points to the "Any Given Sunday" star having likely undergone at least two hair transplants.

There's a level of debate over whether or not actor Billy Bob Thornton has had a hair transplant, as his hair has appeared more lush and youthful in recent years. When he joined the ranks of Hollywood's A-list actors following his lauded performance as both an actor, writer, and director in 1996's "Sling Blade" — a film that netted him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay — it was already clear that his hairline had seen better days. Over the years, he rarely appeared on the red carpet or anywhere else without a hat or some kind of coverage for his head. More recently, though, the "Landman" star has been snapped with a far more impressive head of hair than previously shown.

Like many other stars whose hairlines were suddenly rejuvenated, Thornton hasn't confirmed having received a hair transplant. There's no shortage of social media threads, including on Reddit, where fans debate if he's using a hairpiece or has had a transplant. However, an article published by the U.K.-based Crown Clinic claimed that "Billy Bob Thornton has had one of the most successful celebrity hair transplants of recent years." It was further noted that he may have had as many as three procedures over the years, likely of the FUE variety. In any case, Thornton's hairline now, in his 70s, looks more youthful than it did during his heyday.

At one point, specifically during the late-'90s or Y2K era, the Backstreet Boys may have been the most popular musical act in the world. Even now, the group owns the distinction of having sold more records than any boy band in history. While fans each have their own personal favorite member of the group, AJ McLean's soulful voice may be the best of the bunch. His hairline, however, didn't hold up quite as well as that of some of his cohorts as the group transitioned from being the proverbial new kids to the elder statesmen of the scene. So, McLean took steps to roll back the clock.

McLean proudly copped to getting a hair transplant in the early 2010s, going so far as to share before-and-after pics on Instagram. "Some girls get their boobs done some guys get ab implants all to make them happy!" McLean wrote in the caption (via ET Online). "This was the one thing I did and I couldn't be happier thank u Dr. G!!!!"

Years later, in 2021, McLean spoke at length about his hair loss to Allure and revealed plans to undergo a second procedure. "Losing my hair is something that I have personally struggled with for a long time," he said. "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. ... I'm going back under the knife again this year."

For someone whose primary career has little to do with the aesthetics of his body and everything to do with how it functions in a competitive environment, there has been a surprising level of discussion about LeBron James' fluctuating hairline. On the court, there's no question that James is one of the best ballers in hardwood history. He's the leading scorer in NBA history with over 42,000 career points, and he has four MVP trophies to go along with his four championship rings. His hair game, however, went into serious decline before making a major comeback during his Lakers years.

For his part, YouTuber and surgeon Dr. Ross Kopelman observed that by 2008, James had developed temporal recession, after which he lost hairline density. By 2022, though — as evidenced by before-and-after pictures — his hairline and overall volume more closely resembled the look he sported as a teenager and early 20-something. Kopelman guessed that James probably underwent an FUE procedure, estimating that he had as many as 1,600 to 2,500 grafts placed to give him a fuller look.

More recently, he has been heckled for another loss in volume. James is taking it in stride, though. During a late 2025 game, when a fan told the multi-time All-Star (via Instagram), "You still ain't got no hair," he shrugged it off and conceded that "it happens," before playfully clapping back with a quip about the size of his bank account.

Like LeBron James, NFL legend Tom Brady is firmly entrenched in the GOAT debate in his sport. However, while the James vs. Michael Jordan debate often doesn't play out in the former's favor, some analysts believe that Brady has pulled away from the likes of Jerry Rice and Jim Brown in football's version of the exercise. Of course, winning seven Super Bowls and throwing for more yards (89,214) and touchdowns (649) than any quarterback ever puts the former Patriots and Buccaneers QB in a class all his own. Alas, Brady's hair seemingly needed a significant pick-me-up to continue performing at a high level.

Since retiring after the 2022 NFL season, Tom Brady has made at least one startling on-air admission. However, he has yet to confirm whether or not he had a transplant to regrow a voluminous mane after years of thinning. Another former NFL QB clearly believes that Brady did what he needed to get back in the hair game. During a 2025 discussion about traveling to Turkey for a transplant on WFAN's "Boomer and Gio," 1988 NFL MVP Boomer Esiason quipped (via X), "I've been telling you about this since Tom Brady came back with a full head of hair, which seems like five years ago." In the end, the pictures may just tell the tale.

Jimmy Carr has been a fixture of the British comedy and television scenes since he broke out as a stand-up in the late 1990s. He later served as a host for a number of game shows and comedy series on Channel 4 before hosting "The Fix" on Netflix in 2018. He has also produced multiple comedy specials for the streamer and is arguably best known for being one of the celebs with the most annoying laughs. Others may know him for his involvement in a K2 tax avoidance scheme controversy in 2012, from which he later withdrew before issuing a full apology. His hairline has been somewhat less controversial, but the transformation is apparent.

For his part, Carr hasn't backed down amid chatter about his newly shaped mane, approaching the topic with the same humor he uses when discussing anything else about his life. During a 2025 appearance on Radio X, he confessed (via the Daily Mail), "My hairline, I've gone forward quite a bit. So, I got the hair transplant." The comic previously joked on the podcast "The Mid-Point" that he looked like a "vampire's accountant" before addressing the situation. He also clarified that his hairline wasn't necessarily receding, but that he had had a strong widow's peak since he was about 17.