Aside From Jada Pinkett Smith, These Are The Celebrities Who Have Opened Up About Dealing With Alopecia

Alopecia can change a person’s appearance fast, and for celebrities, that shift often plays out in public. Jada Pinkett Smith is one of the most visible names to speak openly about it, but she is far from the only one.

From singers and actors to models and politicians, several well-known women have shared their experiences with hair loss and the emotional toll that can come with it. Some linked it to stress, others to illness, and a few only spoke up after years of keeping it private.

Here’s a look at the stars who have opened up about alopecia and how they have handled it.

Dealing with hair loss isn't easy, even for Hollywood stars.

Predrag Popovski / Getty Images

Jada Pinkett Smith is one celebrity who is particularly open about the challenges of hair loss.

The USA alone has 6.8 million cases of alopecia, and Jada isn't the only celebrity dealing with this condition.

@jadapinkettsmith / Via instagram.com / Instagram: @bexxfrancois

Jada shared her struggles on the talk show, Red Table Talk.

It was one of those times in my life when I was literally shaking with fear... Even in my terror and in that moment of just thinking, ‘Oh, my God, why are you so terrified that you might lose your hair?’ I really had to put it in a spiritual perspective, like, the higher power takes so much from people. There are people out here who have cancer, people who have sick children. I watch the higher power take things every day. And, by golly, if the higher power wants to take your hair, that’s hair? When I looked at it from that perspective, it really did settle me,Arturo Holmes / FilmMagic / Getty Images

Jada’s openness made the conversation feel a lot more personal.

Jesy Nelson was only a teenager when she started experiencing hair loss.

I was probably about 13 when my hair just started coming out. Stress can cause alopecia, and it wasn’t pleasant. I got picked on because I’ve always liked to dress differently. I’ve never really wanted to fit in with everyone else.Karwai Tang / WireImage / Getty Images

Viola Davis was shocked to discover that she was losing hair in her late 20s.

I woke up one day, and it looked like I had a Mohawk. A big splash of baldness on the top of my head.

Initially, she didn't feel comfortable in her own skin. Eventually, she decided to stop using wigs and embrace her true self.

Abc / ABC via Getty Images

Neve Campbell's condition stemmed from being stressed and overworked in her early 20s.

At 23, I developed alopecia. I was horribly overworked and going through a divorce. Additionally, I had stalkers and started receiving threatening mail. I was so distressed by it all that my hair started falling out. Life hasn’t always been a bowl of cherries.Tasos Katopodis / WireImage / Getty Images

It also echoes what Bijou Phillips warned about her health after a diagnosis, saying she could face serious challenges within days.

Tyra Banks experienced hair loss at one point in her life.

Honestly, chilling for me was eating a meal. I couldn't just look at the ocean. In hindsight, that wasn't healthy. How can I say this without tearing up? I developed a little alopecia from the stress.

Banks said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Ian Tuttle / Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley admitted in 2020 that she had been dealing with alopecia for several months.

I did not want to go to sleep because I did not want the morning to come when I would remove this bonnet and my wrap and be met with more hair in the sink and an image in the mirror of a person who increasingly felt like a stranger to me.

She said in a video by the political and cultural YouTube channel, The Root.

Paul Morigi / Getty Images

Kiera Knightley experienced hair loss due to dyeing her hair too frequently.

I have dyed my hair virtually every color imaginable for different films. It got so bad that my hair literally began to fall out! So for the past five years, I’ve used wigs, which is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my hair.

Knightley shared in a 2016 interview.

Kristy Sparow / WireImage

Naomi Campbell developed the disease from using hair extensions excessively.

She also ended up with bald spots on her head. Fortunately, it grew back when she started taking better care of her hair.

Thierry Chesnot / Getty Images

Alyssa Milano’s post brought the issue into sharper focus.

Alyssa Milano started experiencing hair loss after becoming stressed from battling COVID-19.

I thought I’d show you what COVID-19 does to your hair. Please take this seriously. After one brushing, this is my hair loss.

She told people in an Instagram video.

That clip made her experience impossible to ignore.

For Ricki Lake, it took almost three decades before she could finally admit that she has alopecia. Hair loss was a part of her adult life.

In my case, I believe my hair loss was due to many factors: yo-yo dieting, hormonal birth control, radical weight fluctuations over the years, my pregnancies, genetics, stress, and hair dyes and extensions. Working as talent on various shows and movies, whether DWTS or my talk show, also took its toll on my fine hair.

Lake shared in an Instagram post.

@rickilake / Via instagram.com

Christina Milian experienced postpartum hair loss.

I have always taken pride in not being the girl who leaves hair in the shower. Like, you're not going to find my hair all over the soap. Well, I became that girl... It's a really disheartening experience. I had times when I wanted to cry because I wasn't sure if I'd ever have my hair grow back again.

Milian shared with people. She eventually found products that helped with her condition.

Dominik Bindl / Getty Images

For these celebrities, hair loss became part of a very public story.

And celebrities aren't immune to the effects of their condition. The sudden physical changes in their bodies can lead to feelings of depression.

You can't help but admire celebrities who, instead of living in fear, decided to create awareness by admitting that they have the disease. It shows people that they're not alone in their journey to treat their condition.

Some of them turned a private struggle into a very public conversation.

Want another beauty-industry struggle? Read how Christina Applegate said MS kept her from facing her reflection for a year.