Barry Manilow Accused Of 'Too Many Botox Injections' After Fans Spotted His Face 'Not Moving' During Performance

Dec 26, 2023

Barry Manilow was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Russian Jewish mother, Edna Manilow, and Harold Keliher, an Irish truck driver. Edna didn't want their son to be named Kelliher, so she made her husband change his surname. 

After a search in the family registry, they found a Jewish uncle from Kelliher's family who lived in the 1800s named Pincus and Kelliher took his name. Kelliher and Edna divorced when Manilow was a baby, but shortly before the latter's Bar Mitzvah, his surname was legally changed to Manilow. 

Manilow’s love for music started at an early age, and it was the one thing he could do well. He has also credited his grandfather and stepfather for helping him gain an interest in music. To gain more knowledge about his hobby, he studied at the New York College of Music.

The musician balanced his studies with his work as he was employed under CBS to earn money. He later furthered his expertise by studying musical theater at the prestigious Juilliard Performing Arts School.

He began his career by writing commercials, and he has written and performed songs for musicals, films, and commercials for corporations like McDonald’s, Pepsi-Cola, and Band-Aid. 

The singer’s career began skyrocketing after he collaborated with Bette Midler for a nightclub act. Later in the trajectory of his work as a musician, he was praised and loved for his hit songs “Mandy,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” “Somewhere Down the Road,” “It Never Rains in Southern California,” and many more.

In 2023, Manilow continued to entertain fans, but some people noticed something off with his face as they accused him of getting too much work done. Read below to see what he looks like.

Aside from his usual music, Barry Manilow is also known for singing classic Christmas covers under his 1990 album titled “Because It’s Christmas.” The tracklist is composed of his own renditions of songs such as “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” “Joy to the World,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and many more.

In an interview with Billboard to promote his holiday special titled “Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas,” He opened up about the special season being well received by the public.

“It’s always received really well. I figured out a way of not only doing Christmas songs but my hits. It goes back and forth. It still always feels like a Christmas show,” he said.

The singer also revealed that his songs are full of emotions, as he explained, “If it doesn’t make me feel something, and if it doesn’t make the audience feel something, whether it’s sad or happy, then I’ve missed; then I haven’t done it right.”

In November 2023, the musician was among the artists who performed their hit songs during the 91st Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the iconic Rockefeller Center, which is an annual celebration to kick off the holiday season in New York City.

At the time, other artists included Cher, Carly Pearce, Keke Palmer, Chloe Bailey, Kelly Clarkson, and more.

According to an article published by NBC News that year, Manilow took the stage to perform Mariah Carey’s classic hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” but his version was completely different as he went with a jazz and slower rendition. 

After his performance was broadcast on television, online users took to social media to express their thoughts about Manilow’s face as they accused him of going under the knife.

“Barry Manilow is scaring me with all the plastic surgery and fake teeth.. vocals are heard, but his face is not moving...😂😂😩😩,” one wrote.

“Who stole Barry Manilow’s lips?” one posted, while one shared, “Watching the NY tree lighting and I’m fairly certain Barry Manilow might have had one too many Botox injections.”

There was also a user who noted that Manilow looked like a completely different celebrity, as they wrote, “Barry Manilow looks like Martin Short playing Barry Manilow.”

“Does Barry Manilow look Martin Short in an SNL skit?!” one wrote.

Not every comment was negative as there were also people who defended Manilow as they wrote, “Hey, man, lay off Barry Manilow! He's an American icon!” one posted.

One user has had enough of the gruesome remarks about the singer as she wrote, “I’m seeing all these mean tweets about #BarryManilow. I saw him in concert this year and he was absolutely fantastic- just as exciting today as when I saw him in 1976. Give the guy a break re:plastic surgery. It’s hard enough to age without having to do it in front of the world.”

Manilow spoke about the allegations of plastic surgery in a 2014 interview with Jonathan Ross, as reported by OK! Magazine, where he revealed that he never went under the knife, but rather, it was all-natural, and he was only “aging that way.”

However, he admitted in a conversation with the Irish Independent two years prior that he gave Botox a try but said that he didn’t like it because it didn’t look right.

What do you think of Barry Manilow’s changing physical appearance? Do you agree with fans that he underwent plastic surgery, or was it just the way he aged? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.