Many celebrities will pop up with new eyelids, hairlines, and bodies without ever addressing the public, but that’s not the case for John Cena. The actor is once again getting candid about something millions of men quietly struggle with – hair loss.
The actor and WWE icon shared an update this week from the latest stage of his hair restoration journey, revealing he completely shaved his head as part of the second round of his follicular unit extraction (FUE) treatment. “Round 2 of FUE treatment and this time I went all in for best possible results,” Cena wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside a photo documenting the process, thanking hair restoration specialist Dr. Ken Anderson and his medical team for helping guide him through it.
Cena’s fans have been showing him support on X and also making hilarious jokes like, “Bald Cena before GTA VI is crazy.”
Male hair loss
Male pattern hair loss is driven by genetics and a hormone called DHT. It’s the most common form of hair loss worldwide, affecting 30-50% of men by age 50, according to the National Institutes of Health. Experts say the emotional toll can be significant, impacting confidence, body image, and even mental health.
It’s his second time undergoing the surgery after getting one in late 2024. “They don’t do anything except move your hair, one by one, from one area to another,” Cena told PEOPLE. “If somebody’s going to sweat me for that, I don’t think there’s any shame in that. It completely changed the course of my life.”
The 17-time WWE champion opened up about his decision to get treatment, which came after years of trying to conceal thinning hair, only to have it become the subject of public ridicule. Including wrestling fans.
“They don’t let you get away with phoning it in, because they’ll eat you alive. As I was trying to hide my hair loss, the audience was bringing it to light,” he told PEOPLE. “I saw their signs that said ‘The bald John Cena.’ They pushed me into going to see what my options were.”
© GettyHe went on to say he hates the shame around it. “I hate the fact that if there wasn’t so much shame around it, I’d have gotten it done 10 years ago. I thought I was alone, but seven or eight out of 10 [men] suffer from thinning or baldness,” he said.
When he was speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Cena joked, “You chant, and you make me feel small, and you embarrass me,” he said. “Y’all don’t know what that’s like.”
For someone whose entire career has been built around physical strength, acknowledging his vulnerability is refreshing. “That is straight-up bullying. It is. That’s just not cool. That’s not cool. So thank you for bullying me into getting surgical hair replacement. That’s how far y’all pushed me,” he continued.
At the same time, Cena’s story is also a reminder of just how normalized body scrutiny has become. Something that women know all too well. Since what seems like the start of mankind, women have been used as pawns in capitalism to stay youthful.
Aging is considered a bad thing, with entire industries built around fixing, tightening, lifting, and preserving. It’s something that’s even encouraged and used as a fear tactic to make women feel like they always have to look perfect.
So while male insecurity around appearance has become a topic of discussion, for women, that conversation has never stopped.
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