Joey Lawrence’s shocking transformation: star is ‘unrecognizable’

Over the past several decades, audiences watched Joey Lawrence grow from an adorable 5-year-old boy with a bowl cut to a 48-year-old man who ruined his “best asset” with a hairstyle that makes him look “like an egg.”

In addition to his “unflattering haircut,” fans are shocked and “scared” by his face, saying that “plastic surgery has taken its toll” on the former teen heartthrob, who now looks “unrecognizable.”

Keep reading to learn what people are saying about Lawrence!

When people think of Joey Lawrence, they likely think of the catchphrase, “whoa” that became synonymous with the shaggy-haired teenager from the hit TV series, Blossom, which starred a young Mayim Bialik.

The baby-faced actor made his TV debut in the late ’70s and early ’80s with guest appearances on shows like Diff’rent Strokes and Silver Spoons. And then, in 1990, he got his big break on Blossom, playing the not-so-smart Joey Russo, who even as a young teenager was popular among the girls.

In fact, his “whoa” was born when a beautiful girl stepped onto the stage.

“She walked in and literally I was like ‘whoa,’ literally, and the audience erupted into laughter. The third take, exploded. The producers were like, do it again,” recalls Lawrence, now 48. “And the next three months it literally exploded.”

“The ‘whoa’ has been very kind to me,” adds the actor who in 1995 starred alongside his real-life brothers Matthew (now 44) and Andrew (now 36) in the TV series Brotherly Love.

In July 2017, the star of Melissa and Joey ran into financial difficulties with his second wife, Chandie Yawn-Nelson. The now divorced couple reportedly filed for bankruptcy after accumulating $355,517.27 worth of debt, including from credit card bills, cars, back taxes and an unpaid loan.

The pair settled their case in 2018 and then in July 2020, after almost 15 years together and two shared daughters, Yawn-Nelson and Lawrence divorced.

In 2022, he then married Samantha Cope, his co-star from the Lifetime movie My Husband’s Secret Brother. His third daughter was born in 2023.

After two years of marriage, Cope filed for divorce in August 2024 and is reportedly seeking sole physical custody of their 19-month-old girl, Dylan.

Despite his personal issues, the charming actor has spent the past 40 years building an impressive a portfolio that includes TV, film, music and Broadway, and today, the multi-hyphenate is still keeping fans entertained.

In 2022, he reunited with Bialik on an episode of Call Me Kat, he flaunted his vocal chops on Masked Singer and he was a fan favorite on season 3 of Dancing with the Stars, where he was a semi-finalist.

Now the man co-hosts the podcast Brotherly Love with Matthew, known for his role in Mrs. Doubtfire and Boy Meets World, and Andrew, an actor and filmmaker, offering fans a real glimpse into the lives of the three brothers.

“It’s just dinner table conversation,” he told The Blast in March 2024. “I think that’s really what people are kind of responding to. We’re not a specific show.”

“We’re not a show where celebrities come on and promote things. We just literally have friends, some of them are celebrities, some of them aren’t. Some of them are near and dear, but they all have special places in our hearts. We have our best friends on, we’ve had both our parents on. It really is dinner table conversation. I think that’s what people have really responded to.”

‘Looks plastic’

While fans love the podcast, many are expressing their opinions over his changing appearance, saying he’s had a “hair transplant,” and “shaving the little that was on that dome.”

The handsome star has changed his hair from a natural shag, to bald, to a heavy parted style, to bald again.

And people are confused.

One user tweets: “I don’t understand Joey Lawrence’s hair. Is he bald? Does he have a receding hairline, does he use a toupee, or does he have a full head of hair he cuts short? When he was younger, it was long and thick… confused.”

“Back in the day the man looked like a John Stamos starter kit and now Lawrence has no hair,” writes a second user.

Others are gobsmacked over his youthful face, and fans suggest he’s had some plastic surgery to maintain his youthful look.

“Joey Lawrence’s surgery has taken its toll,” writes one, while a second says, “Joey Lawrences looks plastic!” 

A third pens, “Wow, Joey Lawrence is unrecognizable!” and another adds “His face kinda scares me. That’s what too much plastic surgery will do for you.”

Meanwhile there’s an entire conversation on Reddit devoted to Lawrence and his once enviable hair.

In the post, titled “Can we talk about his hairstyle?” the original poster writes, “WTF is going on with his hair? If you’re an aging teen idol, why ruin your best asset?”

Responding to the post, one Redditor shares, “Why would you intentionally keep getting a haircut that makes your head look like an egg?”

Another adds, “It’s not even just his head shape, because he looks good with his hair buzzed, it’s the unflattering haircut. I guess he figures he paid for those plugs so he wants to fully show those b****es off.

The doting father has not confirmed or denied rumors about plastic surgery or a hair transplant.

What do you think of this story? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can hear what your friends have to say!

READ MORE