8 Celebs You Probably Didn’t Know Secretly Wear Wigs & Hair Extensions – Photos

• Discover which Hollywood stars wear wigs or extensions.
• Some have shared their reasons for wearing them.
• See photos of Emilia Clarke and Wendy Williams revealing their hidden hair secrets.

Hair problems are common. Celebrities face unique challenges like hair loss due to health issues or damage from styling. Here are eight stars including Kristin Davis and Viola Davis, who have secretly worn wigs and hair extensions for years.

Jada Pinkett Smith

Movie actress and talk show host Jada Pinkett Smith has been open about her hair loss. She discussed it on social media and "Red Table Talk," calling it "terrifying."

Smith noticed her hair falling out while showering, which led her to cut her hair shorter. She shared that her hair was a significant part of her identity and feared the possibility of going bald.

The Emmy Award winner explained that taking care of her hair is a "beautiful ritual." She appreciates having the choice of having tresses or not.

In 2021, Smith posted a video of her bald head, showing alopecia marks. "This here hair is act'n like it's try'n a make a come back. Still have some trouble spots, but — we'll see," Smith posted, giving updates about her hair which has since grown.

Kristin Davis

Kristin Davis faced hair thinning. "My hair just was not what it used to be," she said. Her ponytail felt smaller, prompting her to see hairstylist Luke O’Connor.

"It was very fine, like it had gone away, there just was hardly any hair there.…[...] When I tried to do something or had to go somewhere I was like, ‘Where is my hair?'" she recalled.

O’Connor suggested Volaire products. Initially skeptical, Davis eventually tried them and documented the results with selfies. She was pleased and joined the Volaire project.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis has dealt with alopecia since age 28. "I woke up one day, and it looked like I had a Mohawk. Big splash of bald on the top of my head," Davis shared in a 2014 interview.

Stress caused her hair loss, leading her to wear wigs everywhere to cover her head. But she has now grown to accept her condition and feels less need to conceal it.

Following her diagnosis, she wore wigs in every aspect of her life. "I never showed my natural hair. [...] I was so desperate for people to think that I was beautiful." said Davis.

At the 2012 Oscars, "The Woman King" acress revealed her natural hair, feeling liberated. Now, she wears wigs only for roles and photoshoots.

During an appearance on "Anderson" several years ago, Davis was asked about the buzz around her going natural at the 2012 Oscars. "I took off my wig because I wanted to step into who I was," she revealed.

"For me, it felt like every time I put on a wig I was apologizing for being a dark-skinned woman with curly hair, like I was hiding it. [...] I felt like I didn’t want to do that anymore," Davis further explained.

Wendy Williams

Another celebrity who has faced hair challenges is Wendy Williams. In a Lifetime documentary titled "Where Is Wendy Williams?" the talk show host, known for her varying wigs, removed the one she was wearing to show her real hair.

Williams wears wigs due to thyroid disease, which causes hair loss. The television personality finds wigs fun and rarely goes out with her natural hair.

Wendy previously discussed her wigs on her now-defunct talk show "The Wendy Williams Show," sharing humorous moments and maintenance tips. She shared that her ex-husband met her when she wore her natural hair most of the time.

However, this changed over the years as she began to wear a wig daily. She even joked about the moments she has had while wearing one, including the fact that they tend to slip off when she laughs too hard.

Moreover, the TV star has been caught fixing her wigs on camera several times during her show. In one episode, she pushed some of her front hair back and remembered that her hairstylist advised her not to touch her wig on top but only at the bottom.

In another episode, Williams recalled a time when she met Lil Romeo for the first time, and he boldly asked her if she was wearing a wig. "You know kids just say any damn thing and so he called me out," she stated. As for maintaining her wigs, the media personality revealed that she colors the front and deepens the roots to keep them looking fresh.

Keira Knightley

Also on the list of celebrities who have been open about wearing wigs is British actress Keira Knightley. She admitted in 2016 that she wore wigs for years due to hair loss from dyeing.

"I have dyed my hair virtually every color imaginable for different films," she shared, adding, "It got so bad that my hair literally began to fall out of my head!"

Thinning hair affects a significant number of women in the UK, with hair loss becoming increasingly common. However, like Knightley, if dyeing has led to hair issues, she assures that hair can grow back.

After having her daughter, her hair grew back thicker. "I have naturally crazy, curly hair and since I’ve had the baby, it’s become ten times thicker. So now I’ve been finding quite a lot of dreadlocks," she disclosed. Knightly uses a specific product to manage her curly dreadlocks which gets rid of kinks without losing her hair.

In a 2018 interview, Knightley was asked about wearing wigs in films and her favorite one. Knightly loves her wigs, especially the pink one from "The Nutcracker." She also has some "pretty nasty pink wigs" at her house that her daughter plays with and occasionally makes her wear.

Emilia Clarke

Emilia Clarke is best known for starring as as Daenerys Targaryen on "Game of Thrones," in which she wore wigs. In 2018, she revealed a short blonde haircut on Instagram captioning her post with, "Me: I’m thinking when Gwyneth and Brad had the same haircut."

In an interview that same year, Clarke explained that dyeing damaged her hair, so she cut it short to let it recover. "[...] It’s almost the shortest it’s been. I’m honestly trying to grow out the blonde, because it’s just killed my hair, and I miss having nice hair!" she said.

Clarke frequently wore a blonde wig that closely resembled her character Daenerys's hair on "Game of Thrones." In 2019, she shared the wig installation process with fans, showing the meticulous preparation involved.

Beyonce

Another iconic figure in the entertainment industry has also made waves with her hair care practices is Beyoncé. The singer showed off her natural hair in April 202 while sharing her hair care routine using her product line, Cécred.

"It has been such a special experience seeing all of your #cecredwashday rituals all over my timeline… I just had to join in with something I had in the archives," the performer captioned her post.

She shared how being disruptive and challenging traditional processes has always thrilled her, and her hair and music have frequently embodied this spirit.

Maintaining her signature blonde look for 25 years, Beyoncé highlighted the role this experience played in developing Cécred’s products. She noted, "It’s the hardest to keep color-treated hair healthy and strong, but @cecred is here."

In a video shared on Instagram, Beyoncé demonstrated her detailed hair care routine. The multi-step process included shampooing, conditioning, and moisturizing her blonde hair, which she has maintained for a quarter of a century.

Addressing the stigmas associated with wig-wearing celebrities, Beyoncé stated, "It ain't nobody's business," reinforcing her stance on personal choice and privacy. She views her hair care routines with deep intentionality, considering them more than mere necessities.

Tyra Banks

Lastly, Tyra Banks is another star who has had trouble with her hair. Back in 2011, she revealed that her jam-packed schedule took an unexpected toll on her scalp.

"I got a little alopecia from the stress," Banks disclosed in an interview. The stress stemmed from the five years it took her to write her book, "Modelland," while balancing her numerous other professional duties.

A Philadelphia-based dermatologist at the time, Dr. Orr Barak, weighed in on the issue, saying, "Writing a book can definitely be a stressor that can lead to hair loss, or alopecia."

"For women experiencing hair loss, doctors also check for thyroid issues or low iron levels, though these are less common causes compared to emotional stressors like what Tyra described," added Barak. The doctor suggested that Banks experienced "telogen effluvium," a type of hair loss induced by stress.