Joel McHale Opens Up on Four Hair Transplants: Pain, Price & Pro Tips
Time to cut through the fluff: here’s what you need to know about Joel McHale’s hair journey as he goes fully bald—and then some. The Community alum didn’t hold back on the June 16 episode of the We Might Be Drunk podcast, revealing that he’s undergone not one, not two, but four separate hair transplant procedures. He recounted his early “strip” surgery, an older method that removes a scalp strip and can leave a linear scar. “Painful. Don’t do a strip,” McHale quipped, before advising would-be patients to opt for modern follicular unit extraction (FUE), where individual grafts are plucked from the back of the head—what he dubs “a miracle.”
Despite the trend of flying to Turkey for budget-friendly grafts, McHale stuck with Los Angeles surgeons, shelling out roughly $10,000 per session (he admits prices may have climbed since). “You get what you pay for,” he stressed, warning that a rock-bottom $3,000 quote might cost you far more in botched results. His candid breakdown offers a rare peek behind the curtain of celebrity hair restoration, underscoring the importance of researching your clinic and surgeon.
McHale isn’t alone in the spotlight for combating male pattern baldness. WWE superstar John Cena confessed on The Pat McAfee Show that relentless fan jabs about his thinning crown drove him to surgery last November. Cena, 47, lamented the “straight-up bullying” that pushed him into surgical hair replacement—a poignant reminder of the harsh glare of public scrutiny.
Beyond these two, Hollywood has opened up about its own cosmetic chronicles. From the Shark Tank star who unveiled a roster of plastic surgeries on Instagram to TV host Andy Cohen’s first Botox admission during a Married to Medicine reunion, the trend of transparency is in full force. A One Tree Hill actress recently reflected on her breast implant regrets, while a Wicked alum detailed years-old filler and Botox before calling it quits. Even reality mainstays like the Teen Mom 2 star have bared all about Brazilian butt lifts, tummy tucks and the emotional aftermath of body-image surgery.
What does this hair-and-cosmetics confessional mean for everyday folks? Celebrity candor is increasingly our guide to making informed choices—whether it’s counting the dollars for an FUE transplant or balancing personal confidence with medical risk. And there you have it: your insider overview of graft counts, price tags and the evolving ethics of elective procedures. Tuck that tidbit into your next salon chat or podcast binge. Make of it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online (We Might Be Drunk podcast), The Pat McAfee Show
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
