Fans have rushed to Zac Efron's defense after the actor spoke out to address why his face has changed so much over recent years.
The actor's changing look first caught fans' attention back in 2021, after he appeared on Facebook Watch to promote Bill Nye's Earth Day Musical.
Many suspected that the High School Musical star may have gone under the knife and had some plastic surgery after noticing his jawline looked different from before.
However, Zac, 36, opened up to reveal that the reason for the change in his look was actually down to him breaking his jaw, which caused his masseters to grow.
The actor spoke out about what happened during a Men's Health interview last year, as he discussed the difficult year and a half he'd had, in which he also tore his ACL, dislocated his shoulder, broke his wrist, and threw hi back out.
He broke his jaw after running through his house in socks which caused him to slip and smack his face on the corner of a granite fountain, knocking himself out.
When he regained consciousness, he realized his chin bone was "hanging off his face" according to the publication, and required physical therapy to overcome the injury, which he stopped for a while, meaning other muscles in his face had to overcompensate for the ones which were not working as well as before.
The masseter muscles, which are used for chewing, are powerful, superficial muscles located at the sides of the jaw, and are among the strongest muscles in the body.
Zac told the publication what happened when he took time off from physio while in Australia, explaining: "The masseters just grew. They just got really, really big."
When the video he'd recorded was shared, the internet blew up with reactions from fans to his new jawline - something which passed Zac by until his own mother phoned him to ask if he'd had plastic surgery.
Despite the furore over his changing look, Zac wasn't that bothered by the reaction, adding: "If I valued what other people thought of me to the extent that they may think I do. I defnitely wouldn’t be able to do this work."
The new look gained renewed attention recently, when he appeared in promo for his new movie The Iron Claw.
Fans rushed to social media to defend the heartthrob, writing: "Y’all need to leave Zac Efron’s face alone and let him live."
Others added: "Zac Efron broke his jaw and had a surgery but all of you keep making fun of his face. Get over it, leave him alone," and: "I feel bad for Zac Efron. Every time the man shows his face, all people care to bring up is how different he looks. Even after explaining he had broken his jaw and needed surgery. Leave the man alone fam."
Another commented: "Zac Efron had an accident years ago that broke his jaw and injured his face; who knows what that man has been though. Insulting someone’s appearance is low brow."
Others added: "Before everyone comments abt it Z said that his jaw shattered in an accident and he had to get it restructured which is supposedly why it looks different now," "I think he still look hot," and: "I love this man, Beautiful inside and outside."
