Jason Momoa, 45, Shaves His Iconic Beard, Sparking Heated Debate

The movie star made the change to prepare for his role as Duncan Idaho in the upcoming "Dune 3," as he gets ready to return to the sci-fi epic.

Jason Momoa's beard has long been part of his signature look, but now it's gone, and fans are in shock. His clean-shaven appearance sparked a wave of online discussion, and while a few embraced the change, most fans pleaded with the actor never to shave again.

On Wednesday, July 30, Momoa posted a video on Instagram showing himself mid-shave while reflecting on the mission behind his sustainable water company, Mananalu. "Haven't shaved in six years, and here we are again," he captioned the post.

The video shows Momoa running an electric shaver through his thick beard. As the facial hair fell away, he paused, laughing and muttering, "Oh man," before bending over in amusement. Once he got a good look at his freshly shaved face, he groaned hilariously, "I hate it!"

After the actor debuted his freshly shaven face, social media erupted with dramatic reactions, disbelief, and a few heartfelt and hilarious pleas.

One fan summed up the internet's collective mood, "Women everywhere screaming 'Noooooo' [sic]." Someone else begged him, "Please don't ever shave your face again😭😭." Another pleaded for emergency reinforcements, "Glue that beard back on."

One viewer could barely recognize him and declared, "That is not Jason anymore my GOD 🤣🤣🤣 put the beard back on." Shock continued to ripple across the internet, with someone remarking, "Looks like a whole other person 😳."

Netizens couldn't believe the difference, exclaiming, "Why he look 10 years older..??" A fan drew an unexpected comparison, "Shaved. He looks like he and Josh Brolin could be brothers." Still, not everyone was mourning the beard. One admirer gushed, "He's beautiful 😍 ❤️."

In the video Momoa posted, he quipped, "Only for you, Denis," revealing that he was shaving in preparation for his role in "Dune 3." The film is directed and co-written by Denis Villeneuve, with Momoa reprising his role as Duncan Idaho in the sci-fi saga.

Although the shave was for his character, Momoa used the dramatic change to spotlight a powerful message about cutting down on single-use plastic. In his caption, he shared that he and his sustainable water company, Mananalu, are taking things a step further by partnering with Boomerang Water to introduce a closed-loop system that sanitizes and bottles water onsite.

This approach, he noted, reduces waste, cuts down on shipping, and allows aluminum bottles to be reused repeatedly. "This is the future, and we're starting in Hawai'i," he wrote. "Let's get rid of single-use plastic. For our children and for our planet," urged Momoa.

Even with Jason Momoa's important message, most people were fixated on his facial hair change. Still, it isn't the first time he's gone without his signature full beard. Over the years, he has sported everything from light stubble to a neatly trimmed beard.