John Cena is calling out supposed fans for "bullying" him into an intense appearance change — that required surgery.
The beloved professional wrestler, who is celebrating his 48th birthday today, April 23, recently revealed that he got a hair transplant, which, through surgery, takes hair follicles from a donor area such as the back and moves them to areas experiencing thinning or hair loss.
And as he opened up about the procedure, he did not mince his words, admitting he was pressured into it after fan comments.
© GettySpeaking on The Pat McAfee Show and addressing a crowd of fans, he said: "You ripped me to shreds for a genetic problem that I can't control."
Quoting some of the comments he received, he continued: "Hey dude, you don't look good enough out there," and emphasized: "This isn't cool, you guys aren't cool."
And while he said he understood a situation where you have a good friend that sometimes offers fashion advice, he went on: "One of you sons of [bitches] could have pulled me to the side, but no, in unison you chant, and you make me feel small and you embarrass me."
© Getty Images"You all don't know what that's like, that is straight up bullying … that's just not cool," he maintained."
And as one of the show's guests quipped that "the hair looks good, if that means anything," John added: "Yeah so thank you for bullying me into getting surgical hair replacement. That's how far y'all pushed me."
© GettyAfter clips of the candid moment were shared on social media, fans were quick to express their sympathies, with one writing: "That's actually really sad. It was probably an insecurity of his and seeing those comments didn't help," as others followed suit with: "He's kinda joking about it but you feel his pain. This pain is REAL!" and: "Why do humans always forget that humans are actually humans??" as well as: "He told the truth. People didn't wanna hear it, cause it hurts. But they caused pain."
© WireImagePer the Cleveland Clinic, the most common way to do a hair transplant is through grafting, and "to be a good candidate, you'll need to have thicker areas of hair on your head."
Detailing how it works, their website states: "The healthcare provider takes grafts, or small pieces of skin, from areas of the body that contain healthy hair. Healthcare providers call this area the donor site. It's usually on your head, at the back of your scalp where hair tends to be thickest. The healthcare provider moves the grafts to hairless parts of the scalp. Once the transplanted skin heals, it should continue to grow hair."
Though the recovery process can vary, typically patients are back to their regular routines by the third week after the procedure, though it can take up to a year before you see the full results of any hair transplant.
