Fans stunned as wrestler looks unrecognizable by going fully bald
The most decorated WWE superstar in history is undergoing a major change to his appearance after bowing out of the ring last year.
Retired wrestling icon John Cena shared a surprising image from the Anderson Center for Hair in Atlanta of his bald head taken moments after going through a second round of hair transplants.
The 17-time champion received Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) treatment, which is a minimally invasive hair transplant which takes follicles from one part of the head and implants them in balding areas.
Cena says reaction from fans is what drove him to start fixing his hairline.
'I saw their signs that said "The bald John Cena,"' the wrestler told People last August.
'They pushed me into going to see what my options were. I now have a routine: red-light therapy, minoxidil, vitamins, shampoo, conditioner - and I also got a hair transplant last November.'
John Cena stunned his fans with a new bald look after getting a hair transplant procedure
Cena, seen just weeks earlier before he shaved his head for the procedure this week
Cena has been retired from wrestling since last December after winning 17 championships
'I hate the fact that if there wasn't so much shame around it, I'd have gotten it done 10 years ago.'
While he wasn't required to go bald for the transplant, Cena said doing so gave him the best chance at good results.
Cena says the surgery 'completely changed the course of my life' and gave him the confidence to do more acting.
His acting chances have grown since he tapped out in his final match last December during an episode of WWE's 'Saturday Night Main Event.'
Cena has appeared in more commercials as of late and will look for more movie roles after starring in 'Trainwreck,' 'The Suicide Squad,' and 'Ricky Stanicky.'
He is currently working on 'Matchbox: The Movie' which is set for an October 9, 2026 release.
Kaley Cuoco Cried Filming ‘Big Bang Theory’ Breakup Scene Weeks After Real-Life Johnny Galecki Split
Kaley Cuoco had an emotional reaction to filming a breakup scene in The Big Bang Theory weeks after she and costar Johnny Galecki split in real life.
While appearing on the Monday, June 29, episode of “The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast,” director Anthony Rich recalled his first day on set which happened to be while filming the end of season 3. Rich, now 58, directed the episode “The Spaghetti Catalyst” which followed the aftermath of the breakup between Penny and Leonard, played by Cuoco and Galecki, respectively. The character’s split came shortly after the actors called it quits.
“There was a lot going on that week,” Rich joked, explaining that Cuoco and Galecki dated for “about two years” and split “four to six weeks earlier.”
Host Jessica Radloff added that Cuoco and Galecki handled the change in their personal lives “beautifully” as it was a “really difficult” situation.
Related: Kaley Cuoco and Ex Johnny Galecki's Friendship Through the Years
No hard feelings! Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki have maintained a strong friendship since their 2009 split — and never let their personal lives get in the way of their professional bond. The actors worked together on the Big Bang Theory for 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019. When the series began, they sparked an […]“So now their characters are breaking up, and this is just hitting a little too close to home,” she said.
Rich recalled while filming the post-breakup scenes for Penny and Leonard, both Cuoco and Galecki felt like the script was “not giving proper attention to the demise of the relationship.” Rich explained that the writers did not want to give fans a “real sad breakup episode.”
“People don’t wanna watch that. They’re here to laugh,” he said.
Rich also shared that when it was time for Galecki and Cuoco to reunite in front of the cameras “it was hard for them to even get through it.” Rich claimed that Cuoco “started sobbing” and went off stage to collect herself. When Rich went to check on her, they had a sweet heart-to-heart.
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Related: Kaley Cuoco Would ‘Absolutely Reprise’ Penny Role in ‘The Big Bang Theory’
Kaley Cuoco has revealed she loves Penny in The Big Bang Theory just as much as fans do. Cuoco, 38, told People in an interview published on Saturday, October 19, that her role in the hit CBS sitcom made a significant impact on her life. “I spent 12 years playing that role, and it really […]“She goes, ‘I thought I could handle it, but it’s kinda catching up to me.’ And then she looks at me and she’s like, ‘And I’m ruining your episode.’ I was like, ‘You’re not ruining my episode,’” he recalled.
After the pep talk, Cuoco returned to film with Galecki. Rich praised both Cuoco and Galecki for being “such pros” during that time.
While Cuoco and Galecki’s characters ultimately got back together on The Big Bang Theory, the pair’s love story didn’t have the same ending in real-life. Cuoco found love with actor Tom Pelphrey whom she started dating in 2022. The couple share daughter Matilda, 2, and are currently expecting baby No. 2. In 2024, Johnny revealed he married wife Morgan Galecki and they quietly welcomed daughter Oona.
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Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ Drama Explained: How Dave Portnoy Was Involved
The Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn “Call Her Daddy” drama will go down in history — so much so that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy included it in his June 2026 memoir, Cancel Me If You Can.
“The revelation of Alex and Sofia’s torpedoed friendship was almost more than the public could handle,” Portnoy wrote in his book. “Two girls who the world loved to hate now hated each other.”
Portnoy’s version of the story offered more details that the public might not have been privy to before. For example, he first noticed Cooper on MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard’s Instagram in 2017, when they were dating.
After hearing about her decision to launch a podcast, Portnoy reached out to Cooper, and the “Call Her Daddy” era began. The podcast launched at Barstool Sports in 2018 where it lived until 2021, when Cooper and the company mutually parted ways.
However, the end of the “Call Her Daddy” and Barstool era had tons of drama, which rocked the internet in 2020 as Cooper and Franklyn severed their friendship.
Keep scrolling for a complete breakdown:
The Contract Drama Begins
According to Portnoy, the contract drama began in 2019 after Cooper and Franklyn appeared on Logan Paul’s podcast. They started to “show their growing dissatisfaction” with being tied to Barstool, he claimed, and by the end of that year, lawyers were involved for contract negotiations.
By 2020, however, things got even rockier when the contract drama went public. In May of that year, Cooper told “Call Her Daddy” listeners that she and Frankyn had signed a three-year deal with Barstool, making $75,000 their first year, $85,000 the second year and $100,000 the third. They both got a raise during their first year because of how well the podcast was performing. Cooper, who handled the production side of the podcast, got an extra bump.
Behind the scenes, Franklyn’s then-boyfriend started shopping the show around to other networks. Portnoy got wind of this.
The Rooftop Meeting
This led to the infamous “rooftop meeting” in 2020 where Portnoy offered Cooper and Franklyn $500,000 along with “3.5 percent each of all merch they sold,” according to Portnoy’s book. “At the end of their term, they would own all their merch sales,” he explained. It also “cut six months off their contract so they would have to do the podcast with us for only one more year,” he wrote, noting that after the year ended, Barstool would “relinquish full ownership of the intellectual property.”
Cooper Accepts the Deal
Cooper had her own meeting with Portnoy and eventually accepted the deal.
“Alex left our meeting saying that she wanted to accept the deal. She also said that Sofia hated my guts, which came as a surprise,” he wrote. “The whole time I had believed that Alex was the one who didn’t like me, but I thought that I had a solid relationship with Sofia.”
Portnoy also admitted to leaking the story about the drama to The New York Post, leading to the end of Cooper and Franklyn’s friendship.
“It worked perfectly: Alex and Sofia completely severed all communication. They each believed the other had leaked the story,” Portnoy wrote. “The friendship, and the podcast as we knew it, would never exist again. They hated each other.”
Related: Barstool Employees Who’ve Detailed Salaries and Contract Negotiations
Getty Images (3) Barstool Sports is (almost) always making headlines for something — and they are arguably well-paid to do just that. Grace O’Malley announced her departure from the company in December 2024 after a friendship breakup from longtime bestie Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia (more about that, here) and has since spilled the tea on what […]Cooper’s Docuseries
In June 2025, Cooper reflected on her friendship with Franklyn in the Call Her Alex docuseries. She noted that their relationship had started to fracture long before the contract drama.
“It became really difficult to enjoy the process,” Cooper said at the time. “It was the classic you think you see something online, and people genuinely believed we were like sisters, but our relationship was so awful.”
Franklyn’s Book
Franklyn announced her Daddy Issues memoir in February 2026. The book is set to tell the story of “girlhood, friendship, sexuality, agency and healing.”
“My story has only been told for me. And if you asked me to write this book five years ago you would have gotten a different story — fearful, vengeful, insecure, wounded with something to prove,” Franklyn shared in a statement at the time. “I couldn’t live truthfully until I told it in my own words, on my own terms, and in the most radically honest way I know how.”
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Cooper and Portnoy still have a close-knit business relationship. During a June 2026 interview with Us Weekly, Portnoy even shared the advice he gave Cooper while she was going through some public drama.
He also explained how their relationship evolved — and where he stands with Franklyn — in his memoir.
“Through it all, Alex Cooper has never forgotten the company that helped launch her. She credits me and Barstool frequently, and I’m genuinely happy for all the success she has found,” he wrote. “I’m even hoping she helps me promote this book. I guess we’ll see what she thinks of this chapter. I have no f***ing idea what Sofia is doing.”
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