It’s no secret: today’s biggest style icons love wigs. It’s not just drag queens fooling us with their lace-front fantasies anymore. Just picture Kylie and her iconic blue-green bob! Wigs like that help stars keep up with the latest hair trends without actually committing to a cut. They also let them try out OTT looks that make statements on the red carpet but don’t damage their hair IRL. But it’s not just red carpet events that bring out Hollywood’s hairpieces.
Many of the industry’s top players wear so-called ‘hair installations’ (wigs, toupees, and fake falls) on the regular. They fool us all the time! This is especially true for the men of Hollywood who are above a certain age. Instead of embracing baldness like forever-attractive Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson or even the distinguished Sir Patrick Stewart, most balding Hollywood dudes choose to wear lace-front pieces that hide their receding hairlines.
The Hollywood women who wear wigs are usually (USUALLY) not wearing them to hide baldness, but sometimes they use wigs, falls, and hair installations to make up for having thin hair in general. As Chrissy Teigen puts it in an interview with Huffington Post, “People want to pretend that they have this natural, full hair. It’s just so silly to me.”
She doesn’t hide the fact that she uses wigs, but loads of celebrities do. We’ve scoured celebrity social media posts and official press photos to find out exactly which ones are wearing full-on wigs and acting like they’re the real deal.
20 Paris Hilton
Paris is one of those stars who wears wigs more for fashion than for function. As far as we can tell, she doesn't actually have any problems with thinning hair or hair loss - she just likes rocking a brand new look every once in a while.
This rose-tinted and bleached wig featured in a few selfies on Paris' IG account. She's been spotted wearing other platinum wigs at award shows like the MTV Music Video Awards, and the odd casual brunette wig while trying to look anonymous walking around LA. Paps have even caught her browsing in a wig shop. We see you, Paris!
19 John Travolta
John Travolta is one of Hollywood's most notorious secret bald men. He steps out with visible lace and a variety of wigs on the regular - and he's been doing it for YEARS. The public has noticed glue along his hairline and obvious toupee situations at plenty of red carpet events, but we've only seen his real bald head on a few special occasions so far.
He posed bald with his family for an IG post last New Year's Eve, and has smiled for a bald selfie with fans who caught him wig-less at the gym. He then stepped out on the Legends of Aviation red carpet with his bald head free of anything artificial, so maybe he's starting to embrace it!
18 Keira Knightley
In 2016, Keira came clean about her hair loss struggles to InStyle UK. She revealed that for more than five years, she had been using wigs to cover up her damaged and patchy scalp and to experiment with new hair trends. If you've ever noticed that Keira bounces from bobs to long looks and back really quickly, it's because you're not looking at her real hair.
"I have dyed my hair virtually every color imaginable for different films," she admitted. "It got so bad that my hair literally began to fall out of my head! So for the past five years I've used wigs, which is the greatest thing that's ever happened to my hair."
17 Elton John
Sir Elton is pretty hush-hush about his hair loss situation, but photographic evidence over the years proves that this unique icon's hairline has receded and then returned many times. He's only spoken openly about it on BBC Radio, where he jokingly admitted, "I had my hair dyed red once by Vidal Sassoon and it all fell out about three weeks later. It's all his fault."
To the radio DJ asking about hair loss and wigs, Elton explained, "It's called getting older, Chris. It's called maintenance." We’re not going to argue with the rocketman himself. Do what you gotta do, Elton!
16 Naomi Campbell
This is a sad one. Look at Naomi's edges! They're more than snatched, they're basically invisible. This supermodel of the world is known for her waist-length, pin-straight hair, but these paparazzi photos prove that this style isn't all-natural.
Like John Travolta, Naomi might be starting to embrace the sad state of her natural scalp. In a wig-free IG selfie she posted last December, the model showed the world that she's stunning to look at even without her signature locks. And did you know she's now dating 1D's Liam Payne? (More on that here.) Girl is doing just fine, real hair or otherwise.
15 Chuck Norris
Even action stars can't escape the reality of male pattern baldness. Chuck Norris has been feeding suspicion about his receding hairline since the 90s, when the top part of his hair no longer appeared to fully match his sideburns or beard. Toupee alert? Most fans seem to think so.
Since Chuck is no longer an A-list celeb, the paparazzi haven't been hounding his hair loss journey as closely as that of someone like John Travolta. That means there are no known pictures of this guy with his toupee off, revealing his true hairline to the world. In our opinion, the proof is in the press photos like the above one. Not a good look.
14 Angelina Jolie
Angelina is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world, but some of that beauty is deceiving. Her hair isn't always...well, HER hair. It's no secret that she wears wigs for her roles in films, but she also usually wears completely clockable wigs on the red carpet.
When will celebrities learn that a wig with bangs still needs to have its edges glued down? Or that a wig installment at the crown of your head needs to be blended well with the rest of your hair? That's one problem Angelina's fans spotted with the wig she wore to the Critics Choice Awards in 2015, as She Knows reports.
13 Ciara
Ciara doesn't hide the fact that she wears wigs and hairpieces all the time. She has also shown the world her natural hair, which is long, healthy and beautiful on its own, but more often than not, this star is wearing different hair when she's out in public.
Her most worn wig style is wavy, long, and brown, although she likes to switch it up for special events. One of her wavy brown wigs made a special appearance on Twitter when Ciara's toddler popped it on her head and strutted around. Ciara captioned it, "I just can't. Princess Sienna is too much. The lace ain't ready!"
12 Cara Delevingne
Cara is one celebrity who does whatever she wants, whenever she wants. We all know by now that she is bald as an eagle, but this girl will take to the streets in long, wavy wigs if and when she feels like it. You've got to admire that bold attitude.
You can watch Cara's IG stories featuring her modelling wigs in wild colors like pink and turquoise, according to Teen Vogue. You can see paparazzi shots of her strolling around London and LA in whatever hair she feels like wearing that day. She also wears a lot of wigs for runway shows and films. So fun.
11 Sean Connery
Who could blame Sean Connery for wearing a wig or hairpiece at his age? The man is 88 years old, with decades of great acting roles under his belt. What you might not know, however, is that he's been balding since he was 21.
According to The Vintage News, when Sean was cast as James Bond, he had everything he needed to slay the role except for a full head of hair. His charisma won him the role anyway, and hair and makeup teams worked with him on every single Bond film to ensure that hair installations were glued securely and looked realistic. Fooled us!
10 Chrissy Teigen
Ever wondered how Chrissy has a cute long-bob cut one day and waist-length waves the next? This woman wears wigs. She's not going to deny it, either. According to The Huffington Post, Chrissy herself admits that "90 percent" of her hair is "fake."
Chrissy even posted a collage of her long hair looks in an IG story in 2017 with the caption: "All this hair!? Notttttt all mine!" The Huffington Post says she did it to call out "extension-shamers" and help other women embrace their need for wigs and hairpieces. We're not surprised that girl-power enthusiast Chrissy is on-board with that message.
9 Kim Kardashian West
Thanks to Kim sharing so much of herself with fans on social media and her own apps, the world already knows that a lot of work goes into looking as good as Kim K looks. Lots of what makes her beautiful has been bought, like her fake lashes, filled facial features, and waist-trained silhouette. Add wigs to that list, everybody!
Like Kylie, Kendall, Khloe, and even Kris, Kim is a big fan of wigs and hair pieces. They allow her to stay trendy, go blonde, go short, and more without actually having to commit to losing her iconic long brunette hair. She's even shared pics of her wig collection on IG stories, according to Daily Mail.
8 Katie Holmes
Katie...that wig is not convincing. Sorry, girl. This actress is no stranger to wearing wigs in front of the camera, whether for a role or for a fashion statement. She wore a long, flowing wig to the 2015 Met Gala and surprised fans who were used to seeing her in her short, blunt bob with bangs.
Later that week, she posted an IG selfie flaunting a short bob with bangs, but that one was also fake (she captioned it "#setlife #gratitude #wig). When it comes to Katie's hair - just like her tumultuous relationship with Tom Cruise - you never can tell what's real and what's fake.
7 Bret Michaels
If you believe what you see, Bret Michaels has had the exact same hair since the early 1980s when he wowed crowds as the frontman of glam rock band Poison. Of course that was more than 30 years ago, and this dude is now in his late 50s. The shoulder-grazing blond look hasn't exactly aged along with him.
As Bret has grown, he's kept his old hair via hairpieces and extension installations, according to Jezebel. In his words, he says that beneath his bandanna is "a combination of my own hair and the finest extensions Europe has to offer." We could tell something fishy was going on under there.
6 Lady Gaga
Of course Lady Gaga wears wigs to perform - that's a given. We've also seen her wear wigs on red carpets and in music videos, as part of her wearable art installations. What's happening lately is that Gaga's been spotted wearing wigs for everyday casual appearances and interviews.
Look at the one she's wearing here for an interview about her Oscar performance of a song from A Star Is Born. She's talking to a host on Good Morning America, but looks like she could be a go-go dancer at some nightclub in the 60s (with a wig that looks like it's 60s-era quality). So clockable, Gaga!
5 Rebel Wilson
Rebel Wilson isn't shy about much, and that includes her experience with hair pieces. She wears wigs on the regular, and shares personal experiences with her hairdressers on Snapchat.
Rebel's main lady is hairstylist Cheryl Marks, who Rebel recorded holding bundles of hair while teasing Rebel's own blonde shoulder-length locks, as Hello Giggles reports. After teasing, Cheryl attaches the extra hair to Rebel's scalp at the crown, which Rebel admits is "real heavy." Then Cheryl curls the ends of Rebel's natural hair into the new hair for a seamless finish. It's a better installation than most on this list, 'cause we wouldn't have known if Rebel didn't show us herself.
4 Charlie Sheen
As far as we know, Charlie Sheen has never admitted to wearing a toupee or wig. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have to. As is the case for many male celebs and public figures, the wind is his hair's worst enemy. It's blown the front part of his hair over too far for it to be natural.
At least he's not alone in his balding struggles. Charlie's former Two and a Half Men co-star Jon Cryer is also notoriously balding. According to Daily Mail, Jon jokes that he only has "four or five hairs" left on his head, but unlike Charlie, he's choosing to embrace his thinning hairline.
3 Karrueche Tran
Stunning starlet Karrueche Tran is in a different boat from Charlie Sheen when it comes to wearing wigs. Yes they both do it, but while he does it out of necessity she does it purely because she can. She's got the money to buy as many wigs as she wants, and this lady isn't afraid to invest in new beauty trends.
Karrueche gets her wigs installed by celebrity wig stylist Tokyo Stylez, and isn't afraid to post pics of her pieces being put in, sometimes even captioning them "new wig lol." Tokyo Stylez has a long list of clientele that she's proud to post pics of in her wigs, like Cardi B and Kylie Jenner. Werk.
2 Gwen Stefani
How can someone stay perfectly platinum blonde for 20 years and never appear to have damaged hair? One word: WIGS. Gwen Stefani isn't afraid of using fake hair to protect her real hair as it recovers from literally decades of bleach and tones.
While Gwen's stylist Danilo tells E! Online that he and Gwen work hard to protect her hair from breakage in general (he uses conditioner as styling gel!), Gwen has still been spotted with sew-in or clip-on installations from time to time. We can't fault her: Gwen's a busy mom with a banging career. Take the short cuts where you can get them!
1 Zendaya
Zendaya takes every red carpet as an opportunity to showcase her amazing creativity. She's got a unique style that always seems to be changing, and her hair changes along with it every time. We may have actually never seen Zendaya's natural hair in the past few years on the red carpet. That's how committed she is to the wonders of wigs.
She wore this rusty red wig to a Met Gala, and a rounded, jet-black bob to the Kids Choice Awards during the very same awards show season. To be honest, we are obsessed. We don't care if we never get a peek under those wigs. Keep changing it up, girl!
Sources: InStyle, She Knows, Teen Vogue, Daily Mail
