Jennifer Grey Reveals She Felt Invisible After Facial Surgery Made Her ‘Anonymous'

Dec 14, 2021

To this day, “Dirty Dancing” is still one of the most recognized and loved movies of all time. It was one of the biggest surprise film hits of the 1980s and catapulted its two main stars – Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey – into the spotlight. Prior to her rise to fame, Grey had a few other moments of success thanks to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” However, the success of “Dirty Dancing” was unexpected, which made Grey’s instant fame tricky to navigate, and the actress later receded from the public eye.

More than three decades later, Grey finally opened up about the tragic car accident that changed her physical appearance, the trajectory of her career, and the overall course of her life. While she has since been able to overcome many of the hardships she went through, Grey has continued to share her life experiences with others.

During her time in the spotlight, Grey underwent a facial transformation that left her almost unrecognizable and made the actress feel like she was anonymous. The star ended up getting two nose jobs during her life as she tried to move forward with her career while balancing her personal struggles as well as the beauty standards that society expected her to meet. However, it seemed like her new appearance made finding work even harder.

Nowadays, Grey is 61 years old and is absolutely radiant. On top of that, she has been able to find work in recent years, continuing her career as an actress. Still, she can’t help but look back on the challenging times she previously faced.

Although Hollywood is well known for altering the looks of its stars, Grey’s story is an example of how outside pressure to conform to society’s expectations can have significant consequences. While Grey is still undeniably stunning today, the features that once made her unique and popular were stripped from her face following cosmetic procedures and ultimately played a part in stalling her career progression.

According to Closer Weekly, Grey has had a few cosmetic procedures over the course of her career. She first skyrocketed to fame in the late 1980s following the release of “Dirty Dancing,” and was a natural beauty playing the part of Baby. However, her face began to look different as the years went by. 

In 1996, Grey had two rhinoplasty procedures, according to Closer Weekly. The second procedure was done because there had been some issues that followed the star’s first rhinoplasty. However, the surgery left Grey looking completely different, and it seemed like many of her friends, family and fans hardly recognized her.

Grey struggled to deal with the aftermath of her two nose jobs and the anonymity it seemed to give her. “I went in the operating room as a celebrity and came out anonymous,” Grey said. “It was like being in a witness protection program or being invisible.”

The nose job was so jarring that Grey even referred to it as the “nose job from hell.” She said, “It was the nose job from hell. I’ll always be this once-famous actress nobody recognizes because of a nose job.”

Since people struggled to recognize the star, she had a hard time landing jobs for quite some time. Fortunately, Grey persisted with her passion for acting and strived to find success again in the entertainment industry. She even joked about her nose job in the 1999 sitcom “It’s Like, You Know…,” playing herself as a Los Angeles veteran helping a New Yorker learn the ropes of Hollywood, according to Newsweek. Grey explained, “I said, ‘Let’s talk about all the things that people say behind my back.’ Let’s let me say them, you know? Let’s have fun with the absurdity that is my life.”

Since then, Grey has been more open about her personal struggles and has also graciously continued to find more success as a performer. In 2010, she won Season 11 of “Dancing With the Stars.” She also has been featured in a handful of television series and movies, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Phineas and Ferb” and “Red Oaks.”

On top of reviving her career, Grey has also found ways to feel more comfortable in her skin. Speaking with The Girlfriend in November 2020, the “Dirty Dancing” star said, “I’ve always been interested in living my best life and pursuing the things I love and being physically strong and resilient enough to have the physical strength to do just that. I have this desire to maintain a certain vitality.” She added, “There’s so much that I’m powerless over, but I have power over what I eat, how I structure my life and who I spend time with.”

Did you know about Jennifer Grey’s facial transformation? What do you think about her career today? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones, too.