There are many things that one might imagine an actor confessing to on social media. While those things could easily range from the silly to the profound within categories that are either personal or professional, it seems like American Horror Story actor Cheyenne Jackson has finally decided to unburden himself with regards to something that touches, quite a bit, on both his personal and professional life. Jackson has just revealed that he's been hiding his hair loss for several years, but now he's ready to completely "release" his "shame and anxiety" about it.
Actually, when I say that Cheyenne Jackson has been holding on to the secret of his hair loss for "several years," it turns out that it's actually been well over a decade, though Jackson's many roles in film, television and on stage, which includes four seasons on American Horror Story, certainly haven't given anything away, and for a good reason. Jackson recently took to his Instagram feed to lighten his load about his balding secret, revealed why he felt now was the right time to come forward, and explained just how hard this decision was for him. Take a look:
Phew, boy. Hair is such a thing, isn't it? Anyone who's had a seriously bad hair day (or week...or year) knows that you don't have to be an actor or anyone else in the entertainment industry to feel anxiety over your hair. The standard of what makes good hair is hardly universal (even for men) but deciding to go bald when you realize that your follicles are failing you is usually not an easy choice.
As Cheyenne Jackson noted in his post, he first started losing his hair 17 years ago when he was still in his twenties. And, it doesn't take a hair historian (Is that a real thing? Someone please tell me that's a real thing.) to know that openly bald actors (never thought I'd type that phrase) only come in two types: old men or tough guys. If you don't fit into one of those subsets (or really don't want to) and just want to play regular young men who aren't trying to make some kind of statement with a bare pate, then I can see how being bald as an actor doesn't feel like an option.
Jackson was so desperate to keep his hair loss a secret that he went through the trouble of having five hair transplant surgeries over the course of the last 14 years to combat feeling "less attractive" and "truly less like myself." Those procedures, which likely ranged in price from $4,000 to around $15,000 each, helped, but as time passed and he kept his balding to himself, the weight of the secret grew.
Now, Cheyenne Jackson says that he's coming forward both to release himself, and also to show his kids that it's possible to accept yourself, scars and all, because "shit like this just doesn’t matter." Well said, Mr. Jackson. Well said.
You can watch Cheyenne Jackson's work on American Horror Story on Hulu or Netflix, as the show streams on both platforms. If you need more to fill your viewing schedule in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2020 Netflix premiere guide and see what's coming to TV this summer!
