Jake Gyllenhaal Sets The Record Straight On Whether He Takes Showers
Jake Gyllenhaal made raised eyebrows when he was quoted telling Vanity Fair that he finds bathing “less necessary at times” in his adult life.
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For those who weren’t aware, there was an odd trend going around over the summer in which celebrities were being asked in interviews and on social media about their respective bathing habits. Most of the responses were pretty straightforward and boring because, obviously, people know that bathing regularly is essential and no one would rise to A-list status with visible stink lines coming off them. However, Jake Gyllenhaal made raised eyebrows when he was quoted telling Vanity Fair that he finds bathing “less necessary at times” in his adult life.
With that, the media was off to the races and labeling the Spider-Man: Far From Home actor as the face of the imaginary anti-shower movement. Now, speaking to press junket for his movie The Guilty, Buzzfeed reports that Jake Gyllenhaal wanted to make it clear that he was just being “sarcastic and ironic” in his response to Vanity Fair. He even joked with reporters at the junket by apologizing to them for showering before he came to the event and ruining his new image as Hollywood’s most willfully stinky star.
Alas, it’s true that Jake Gyllenhaal believes in showering every day after all and he really wants people to understand that he was just kidding before. It makes sense given how widespread and vexing the trend of asking celebrities about their bathing habits has become.
Although Jake Gyllenhaal was briefly, and erroneously, the face of adults who don’t bathe, the entire debate actually shifted from celebrity children to full-grown stars. When Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis admitted on an episode of Dax Shepard and Monica Padman’s Armchair Expert podcast that they don’t find it necessary to bathe their kids every single day, it somehow created a firestorm debate among parents.
Kristen Bell, Shepard’s wife, came forward in defense of Kunis and Kutcher to say that she too struggles to make sure her kids are fully bathed after every single potentially dirty outing. However, she noted the importance of keeping them clean somewhat regularly for health reasons. It didn’t take long before celebrities were then being asked left-right-and-sideways about their personal grooming habits. While Jake Gylennhaal’s answer was by far the most eye-popping, other celebrities who weighed in include Cardi B, who said people saying they don’t shower was giving her “itchy.”
Meanwhile in the wake of Jake Gyllenhaal’s revelation, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson responded to a fan on Twitter who asked about his showering routine. The actor noted that, due to his strict workout regimen, he bathes himself roughly three times per day. Other notable stars who weighed in as pro-shower include Terry Crews, the Old Spice man himself, who agreed with Johnson and Jason Momoa, who also works hard on his physique, noted that he too is in the pro-shower camp.
In fact, one would have difficulty finding a celebrity who said that they don’t bathe themselves regularly except Jake Gyllenhaal, making one wonder if his sarcastic answer to Vanity Fair is solely responsible for sparking the “Do Celebrities Bathe?” fad.
