The Boys: Erin Moriarty Plastic Surgery Controversy, Explained

Summary

• In January 2024, The Megan Kelly Show made fun of Erin Moriarty's alleged plastic surgery.
• As a result, the actress faced a huge backlash.
• Now, The Boys actress is feeling much more confident.

Our readers who are watching The Boys have surely come across numerous speculations and even debates within and outside the fandom about the appearance of Erin Moriarty, who plays Starlight.

The 30-year-old is believed to have undergone extensive plastic surgery. Unfortunately, this is a touchy subject as many believe that the plastic surgery industry imposes unnatural standards of beauty. However, Moriarty has been subjected to an exaggerated backlash that is in no way justified. But let's find out how the controversy began and how Moriarty responded.

Where Did the Controversy Start?

Most fans only noticed the striking change in the actress' physical appearance when The Boys Season 4 premiered, but the controversy can be traced back to January 2024.

Host Megyn Kelly brought up the subject of plastic surgery on her show. While admitting that she had never seen The Boys, she used an old and a new photo of Erin Moriarty as an example, making inappropriate accusations against the actress and marveling that the second photo was not 'an AI-generated face':

'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.'

It didn't take long for the actress to respond. In a now-deleted Instagram post due to backlash, she wrote (per EW):

'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.'

The actress stated that Kelly intentionally used an old photo from ten years ago for comparison, and the second photo was taken after heavy makeup. While Ellen was supported by her castmates, some internet users started to bait her, which caused the actress to stop using social media for a while.

Erin Moriarty Addressed the Allegations

It's been an agonizing few months for Moriarty. Not only did she have to deal with fan hatred, but she also had to endure the paparazzi actively stalking her. Luckily, the actress returned to Instagram ahead of the premiere of the new season of The Boys.

She also noted in an interview with the New York Times that she has only become more confident:

'For a few months, I thought my career was over, because there was so much attention brought to something that I was told never to address.'

As for whether there was plastic surgery, many surgeons have noted that it probably happened, but not as much as Kelly and some fans have exaggerated, and most of the appearance changes are age-related.

It is necessary to discuss the problematic nature of plastic surgery, as the industry is literally messing with conventional standards of beauty and putting pressure on women and their insecurities. However, it is not ethical to use real people as examples, because we do not know all the reasons why they decided to do it. Moreover, the very act of calling out specific people to a large audience does nothing to solve the problem — instead of criticizing the industry, the hatred is directed at its victims, which only makes women feel more uncomfortable about their appearance.

Meanwhile, Erin Moriarty will appear in the final episode of The Boys Season 4, which will air on Prime Video on July 18, 2024.

Source: Megyn Kelly, EW, Instagram, The New York Times.