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UNDER THE KNIFE

Music Icon, 85, Reveals Whether She’ll Get Plastic Surgery

The folk legend spoke candidly about aging on Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s podcast.

Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

PublishedMay 28, 2026, 5:52 PM EDT

UpdatedMay 28, 2026, 5:52 PM EDT

Updated May 28, 2026, 5:52 PM EDTPublished May 28, 2026, 5:52 PM EDT

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Music icon Joan Baez, 85, shared her candid thoughts on aging and revealed whether she’ll ever seek plastic surgery.

After videos of a 20-year-old Baez resurfaced on Instagram and TikTok, in which she sings her solemn, soulful take on the Hedy West song “500 Miles,” the singer appeared as a guest on the Wiser Than Me podcast. During the interview, she spoke about her current appearance, 65 years after the initial recording.

“What do you think the best part about being your age is right now?” host and Seinfeld star Julia Louis-Dreyfus asked the folk legend, noting Baez’s extensive musical and political achievements.

“The best part is what everybody talks about that you have accumulated, you know, a lifetime of stuff,” Baez answered.

Baez continued, “There’s a downside, you know, I don’t like my wrinkles. I mean, some women say, ‘Oh, I’ve made friends with my wrinkles.’ I really haven’t. I try, but there you are.”

Delving deeper into Baez’s views on aging, Louis-Dreyfus asked whether she has contemplated undergoing plastic surgery.

​“Not really,” the singer said. “Sure, I mean, like every woman, I go to the mirror, and I take my cheeks, and I push them back, you know? But, I think about taking a slice out of that flesh that’s hanging over my eyelids, and then I changed my mind.”

​While her “500 Miles” performance continues to trend in 2026, Louis-Dreyfus highlighted a more politically significant moment in her career: Baez’s inspiring rendition of a Civil Rights anthem during 1963’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

“Just a few minutes before Dr. King began that day,” Louis-Dreyfus said, “a 22-year-old woman walked out onto the same stage in front of that immense crowd, barefoot in a patchwork shift dress, a guitar slung over her shoulder, and began to sing, ‘We Shall Overcome.’”

Baez’s 1960s wardrobe and flowing hair stand in contrast to her modern-day aesthetic, which usually features simple ensembles and cropped hairstyles.

Despite her distaste for the physical signs of getting older, Baez told the podcast that she feels as though she is in her early seventies—a sensation that could be attributed to her devotion to wellness and self-care.

​Movement, for instance, is a critical aspect of Baez’s routine.

“Dancing is where my freedom comes,” she said. “It’s where everything else disappears, the troubles disappear. And, I love that movement. I love the music, and I love to dance.”

​This wellness routine also includes posture work, with Baez setting up reminders in her phone to realign her body, head, and neck every 20 to 25 minutes.

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While Baez had a widely publicized relationship with fellow folk icon Bob Dylan, 85, she mothered a child with her late ex-husband, David Harris. The activists divorced in 1973, after five years of marriage. Their son, 56-year-old Gabriel Harris, is also a musician.

Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

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