Starlight Actress Erin Moriarty's Plastic Surgery Allegation Response & Backlash Explained

The Boys' Erin Moriarty - who plays Starlight - has faced allegations of having had plastic surgery in recent years, but how has she responded to the backlash?

Some have suggested the actress has undergone nose, jaw, and eyelid reshaping surgery, facial fat removal, and breast augmentation. 

The topic of plastic surgery has long been a controversial one, especially among celebrities. Many share the belief an augmented appearance may give a false image of beauty or provide a bad example to younger girls.

Erin Moriarty's Plastic Surgery Allegations Explained

Speaking on The Megyn Kelly Show, the titular host described how Erin Moriarty had once been a "nice, beautiful, natural gal." She compared The Boys actress to a newer image, expressing shock that the image was not "an AI-generated face" and adding, "She’s done this to herself."

Kelly went as far as to Moriarty's supposedly altered appearance, going as far as to call it "a sign of mental illness:"

"She's got the Kim Kardashian lips, she's made her nose so skinny, it looks like a pencil now... I find it like a sign of mental illness."

The comments prompted Moriarty to announce she was taking an "extensive, if not permanent" break from Instagram in January 2024 with an emotional and since-deleted post (via Entertainment Weekly).

"This is something I truly never anticipated writing. We're all subject to levels of bullying throughout our lives but I am horrified, and I felt that I deserved to take a second to address these things... To receive a message about a disgustingly false, counterproductive to the degree of being ironically misogynistic video of Megyn Kelly commenting on the manner — to learn the widespread nature of this has left me horrified."

She also stated how Megyn Kelly's comments are a "primary example of such harassment" that she has received regarding the plastic surgery allegations:

"I am horrified by the reaction, the reductive assumptions, and the aforementioned video that is a primary example of such harassment. It's broken my heart. You've broken my heart."

Moriarty spoke on online bullying in June 2024 with The New York Times around the time of The Boys Season 4 premiere. The actress had explained how while she was once "heartbroken" by the comments she is now "galvanized:"

“I had left it on a note where I’d explicitly said that I had been heartbroken by the comments. Now, I’m not heartbroken. I’m galvanized.”

The Starlight actress' improved mindset may help explain why she has since removed her post reacting to Kelly's comments and returned to social media use.

Doctor Gary Linkov, who is a licensed professional in the U.S. and creates related online content, published a plastic surgery analysis on Moriarty on YouTube.

In the video, Linkov examined pictures of Moriarty through the years and noted the natural changes along with "some introduced of botox to the forehead" around age 27, just two years ago.

He also pointed out a "smoother dorsum or bridge to her nose" in more recent pictures, suggesting she may have had "some tip work."

Turning attention to images around age 28, Linkov noted "some signs of an upper blepharoplasty" - the removal of excess fat or skin from the eyelids.

The first three episodes of The Boys Season 4 are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. Episode 4 debuts on Thursday, June 20 at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT.

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