Meet 6 Celebrities Who Use Botox

Hollywood celebrities have traditionally been more than a little wary about discussing their age. Jack Benny—in case you somehow missed his running gag—was perennially 39 years old. For the women we love to see up on the big screen, aging has been an even more touchy subject.

But a funny thing started happening lately: A parade of celebrities have been coming forward to talk about their use of Botox to effectively deal with some of the appearance battles we all fight as we age. Let’s check in with a few of them.

Virginia Madsen

Maybe some of the credit for the celebrities’ new openness about how they keep their good looks—and consequently their careers—in great shape is due to Virginia Madsen, who is the official celebrity spokesperson for Botox. The last time we checked the Oscar-nominated actress’ IMDB.com page, her screen credits were getting close to 100. Even more impressive than the sheer number of roles she has played is the fact that her career started back in 1983 and today she seems busier than ever.

In a recent interview, Madsen discussed her desire to talk openly about Botox. “Why is everyone being so hush-hush about Botox Cosmetic? Why is it a taboo subject? Why can’t we talk about it in the open?” She and others came up with the idea for the “Freedom of Expression” campaign.

It looks like it has worked. Here are some more names you’ll probably recognize.

Jenny McCarthy

As the 1994 Playmate of the Year, Jenny McCarthy has a pretty good handle on the importance of looking one’s best. As she moved beyond her centerfold days, McCarthy continued to model and started to land various television and movie roles. Many of us probably know her from her roles in a couple of classic, and somewhat camp, horror movies: Scream 3 and Scary Movie 3. When the camera comes in close to capture the screaming ingénue, a fresh, wrinkle-free countenance is a major plus.

Sharon Osbourne

This isn’t meant as a criticism, but Sharon Osbourne’s face has seemingly been everywhere the last several years. Many of us were big fans of The Osbournes reality TV series and then we got to known Sharon even better in her role as a judge on America’s Got Talent and The X Factor. Next she established herself as one of the afternoon network gabfest queens on The Talk. She’s a longtime fan of Botox who has used it very wisely to keep herself looking her natural best.

Simon Cowell

While we’re on the subject of TV talent show judges, let’s take the opportunity to check in with one of the men who is a regular Botox user. A school drop out at the age of 16, Cowell started in the recording industry by working in the mail room. That would definitely qualify him for the tag of “self-made man” but the credit for keeping his face smooth and young looking has to go at least in part to Botox. Cowell says he considers using it as natural as using toothpaste.

Vanessa Williams

Natural beauty and an extraordinary singing voice propelled Vanessa Williams to being crowned the first African-American Miss America. If you don’t remember, during her “reign” some risqué photos of Williams turned up and forced her to resign. However, she refused to stay down and through hard work crafted one of the best comebacks in show business history. Today, Botox helps her maintain her good looks and she enjoys a regular role in the sitcom, Ugly Betty.

Annie Potts

No one has been more frank than Annie Potts about the need to maintain good looks in Hollywood. She said that as an actress you need “to look as young as you can for as long as you can so you can pay the rent.” Botox has helped Potts, who we first fell in love with in Designing Women, keep paying her rent…with a little money left over, we think.