On January 4, the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards kicked off the 2026 awards season in Santa Monica, California. The star-studded event honored the past year’s talent in motion media: Sinners, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, and more. Naturally, the highlight for millions of fans was the red carpet; a focus on old Hollywood glamor, gowns, sharp suits, and…wigs. Or, rather, accusations of wigs.
I Love L.A. and Marty Supreme star Odessa A’zion’s striking blue eyes and head of corkscrew curls flooded users’ timelines on social media. Many accused the 25-year-old actress of wearing a wig to multiple press tours and premieres in the past few months.
In an interview with Deadline, A’zion finally quashed the theories about the big night. It’s safe to say that she looked gorgeous. She donned a custom silver embellished Ott Dubai gown, with a keyhole opening at the chest and slit bat-wing sleeves.
She explained, “There’s a whole debate: is it a wig? Is it not? I guess we’ll never know…No, I’m kidding.”
Talk about celebrity transparency has only ramped up since COVID-19. Fans and critics alike want the full scoop on the latest Botox, hair extensions, flips, tucks, or sew-ins. It’s got people thinking—not just about celebrities, but how the pandemic has altered how we see appearance.
Since lockdown, a huge focus on self-care took the internet by storm. For those infected, many recorded drastic changes in health and appearance—with many experiencing hair loss following their diagnosis.
Harper’s Bazaar’s beauty commerce editor Tiffany Dodson Davis spoke to Joyce Kim, a board-certified dermatologist, who confirmed the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology’s recent findings that an estimated one in five women experience telogen effluvium. This is a temporary form of extreme hair loss, usually occurring after a point of stress, trauma, or shock. After the years-long lockdown and stress of returning to an on-site lifestyle, there has been an online influx of advertisements for supplements, serums, and oils that claim to increase hair growth, density, and thickness.
Davis dives into possible disconnects between social media users’ understanding of A’zion’s hair and the general fear of hair loss. Hair loss is common for women due to drastic hormonal changes throughout life (i.e. pregnancy). A’zion’s real (or fake) hair has such little bearing on her character.
“The gag is the LA Premiere [of Marty Supreme] was a wig, and the New York Premiere it took me five hours to do my hair!”
A’zion continued, “You think I could afford a wig like that, and wear it all the time?… I’ve heard wigs…can go up to like $20,000 or $30,000. Are you kidding me? I don’t even have a hair [artist], makeup [artist] or stylist. Because I’m trying to save my money.”
Following the interview release, A’zion received more criticism for claiming her bank account doesn’t justify such a large purchase. These posts came piling on top of the already pointed comments on her hair growth and changes throughout the years.
A’zion spoke again to Deadline to double down on her perspective: “I talked about money, but then I don’t think that people realize that for a large majority of your career, you’re not making a lot of money. It’s not going too crazy, but knock on wood, there will be some changes. But that’s just what I meant when I said I’m trying to save my funds.”
As recently as yesterday, the conversation surrounding A’zion’s hair has reignited discussions on X.
This is par for the course of celebrity life: public lives receive public scrutiny. More questions overshadow answers, and the cycle continues.
In another interview with The Hollywood Reporter, A’zion left a simple message. She explained on what is ‘in’ as we welcomed the new year: “Let’s be nice for 2026…I think being nice is in!”
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