Photos published in early September 2026 authentically show former NFL linebacker Clay Matthews after extensive plastic surgery.
It is unclear whether TMZ’s photos of Matthews with an enlarged chin and jawline and bulging muscles are authentic, meaning not generated or edited using artificial intelligence software. However, Matthews later told the outlet his look in the pictures was a result of prosthetics for an ad campaign, not plastic surgery.
In early September 2026, alleged photos circulated online purportedly showing former NFL linebacker Clay Matthews after extensive plastic surgery.
One X user who shared the images, which showed Matthews with an enlarged chin and jawline, bulging arm and leg muscles and loading bags into a car, wrote (archived): “TRENDING: Packers legend Clay Matthews was spotted out grabbing groceries, looking VERY different after getting some work done. An absolutely shocking transformation.”
(X)
The pictures, originally published by celebrity magazine TMZ, also circulated on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit, where social media users discussed whether they were real.
It is unclear whether TMZ’s images of Matthews are authentic, meaning not generated or edited using artificial intelligence software. Pangram, a highly regarded artificial intelligence detector, determined that several images from TMZ’s gallery were “fully AI.” Such tools are fallible though and should not be entirely relied upon for answers to media’s authenticity.
Regardless, TMZ’s images do not show Matthews after plastic surgery. Therefore, we rate this claim false.
The outlet reported on Sept. 9, 2026 (archived), that Matthews had prosthetics fitted for an ad campaign for a sports betting platform that created the look seen in TMZ’s pictures. That sports betting platform sponsored that TMZ article. It was not possible to independently confirm whether the outlet’s images of Matthews were staged as part of the platform’s advertising campaign. Snopes contacted TMZ to ask about the authenticity of its images and await a reply.
The TMZ article features a video of Matthews saying it took four hours to fit the prosthetics, which another video (archived) posted to the former Green Bay Packers linebacker’s Facebook page shows also included his calves. The sports betting platform Matthews advertised for when he wore the prosthetics also posted a video on X (archived) that shows them being fitted to the former NFL star’s face.
Given that Matthews did wear the prosthetics in question, it is likely that TMZ’s images of him are authentic.
The prosthetics’ cartoonishly enlarged jawline and muscles played on the “looksmaxxing” trend that the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “efforts, sometimes extreme, young men take to look more attractive.”
For further reading, Snopes has previously investigated a number of other rumors about the NFL.
Sources
‘Clay Matthews Looks Unrecognizable After Dramatic Transformation’. TMZ, https://www.tmz.com/photos/2026/09/08/clay-matthews-looks-unrecognizable-dramatic-transformation/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
‘Looksmaxxing’. Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/looksmaxxing.
Pandell, Lexi. ‘Pangram Has Emerged as the Gold Standard of AI Detection. Should You Trust It?’ Wired, 2 Sept. 2026. www.wired.com, https://www.wired.com/story/pangram-has-emerged-as-the-gold-standard-of-ai-detection/.
Pohl, Makenzie. ‘Pangram Review: Is It the Best AI Detector in 2026?’ Siege Media, 3 Sept. 2026, https://www.siegemedia.com/creation/pangram-review.
Staff, T. M. Z. ‘Clay Matthews Shows Off Dramatic Transformation in New Photos’. TMZ, 8 Sept. 2026, https://www.tmz.com/2026/09/08/clay-matthews-dramatic-new-look-transformation/.
T. M. Z. Staff. ‘Clay Matthews Reveals the Truth Behind His Looksmaxxing Transformation’. TMZ, 9 Sept. 2026, https://www.tmz.com/2026/09/09/clay-matthews-explains-his-new-look/.
