Joey King has denied having a facelift after her appearance at the 2026 Met Gala prompted speculation that she had undergone cosmetic work.
The 27-year-old actress said she had not gone under the knife, instead describing an intensive beauty routine that included a 36-hour water-only fast, lymphatic massages, facials and a spray tan.
King addressed the speculation during an appearance on Owen Thiele's In Your Dreams podcast, explaining what she had done in the run-up to fashion's biggest night.
She attended the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on 4 May, where her appearance drew attention beyond her red-carpet ensemble. Months later, King offered her own account of the preparation behind the look that had fuelled speculation about cosmetic surgery.
Joey King Reveals 36-Hour Water-Only Fast
King addressed the facelift rumours when the subject came up during her conversation with Thiele.
'So I didn't get a facelift, just so... I'm glad we're talking about this,' she said.
She then offered to explain her preparation, asking: 'Can I tell you what I did?'
According to King, her routine began with a spray tan before she embarked on a 36-hour fast during which she consumed only water.
She said the decision followed a bachelorette party the previous weekend, where she had been drinking and felt that she looked swollen.
'I looked busted,' King said.
The actress explained that she had initially intended to fast for 24 hours as a personal 'reset'. However, the fast ultimately lasted around 36 hours because of the timing of her schedule.
By the time she woke up and was ready to order lunch the following day, she realised more time had passed than she had originally expected.
King also stressed that she did not promote the practice, describing it simply as something she had personally done before the event.
Her account presents the fast as part of the preparation she personally undertook before the Met Gala, rather than as a recommendation or medically established explanation for any change in her appearance.
Lymphatic Massages Completed Her Met Gala Beauty Prep
The fast was only one part of the preparation King described.
She said she had a lymphatic massage for her body and face and a facial the day before the Met Gala, followed by another lymphatic massage for her face on the day of the event.
'So I did fast, a lymphatic massage for the body and face, a facial, and another face massage,' she explained.
The actress said the treatments were part of an effort to make sure she looked her best when she stepped onto the Met Gala red carpet.
'We were doing everything we could to look amazing on the carpet,' King said. 'And guess what? It worked because everybody thought I had plastic surgery, but I didn't.'
King's comments provide her own account of the preparation behind her Met Gala appearance, while denying that she underwent the facelift that had been speculated about online.
Ultimately, King addressed the speculation herself, denying that she had undergone a facelift and detailing the beauty treatments and preparation she said she had undertaken before the event.
