There’s one thing you should know about me, which is that I am obsessed with Twilight. I also think Twilight is fundamentally bad, full of cultural appropriation, toxic relationships, terrible messaging about gender roles, and plot holes as wide as the Grand Canyon. And yet as a cultural phenomenon and a time capsule, I think it’s fascinating that it ever became so popular. Anyway, that’s why I take an interest in the actors from the Twilight movies–it’s a bit of fun nostalgia. Taylor Lautner, who played Jacob, recently started a podcast called The Squeeze with his wife, who is also named Taylor Lautner. It’s an interview format with guests, but compared to other celebrity podcasts, it has more substance than I expected. When pictures from a recent promotional outing for The Squeeze were posted on Instagram, people piled on Taylor, making mean comments about him and saying he looked old. Taylor saw these comments and made a video about them on his Instagram, discussing how mean comments used to make him feel versus how he deals with them now.
Mean comments still bring up old feelings and memories: “I just got back from a run. I was feeling really good about myself, trying to stay healthy both physically and mentally. And I felt compelled to share something with you because when I got back from that run I hopped on Instagram,” Lautner says at the start of the video.
The 31-year-old goes on to explain that last week he and his wife, who is also named Taylor Lautner, had been on a show in New York City that had posted about their appearance.
As he was going through the comments under the show’s post, Lautner says, “it brought up old feelings and memories” that had led him to avoid reading remarks on the internet in the past. He notes, however, that he’s “in a different place now.”
People are calling him old (?!): Lautner then shares several screenshots with circled comments that showed messages like, “Brooo where is his hair line running off to??? Looks like Ratatouille putting the years on him.”
Similarly, another comment read, “He did not age well goodness.”
“Damn looks like s—,” one read, while another went, “Wait he looks so old wtf happened.”
Lautner then appears back on screen to say all the comments were from the same post, which he calls “crazy,” adding that “there’s only so much we can do to change” the harsh reality.
“But I think what I really wanted to say is, if this was 10 years ago, five years ago, maybe even two, three years ago, that really would have got under my skin and it would have caused me to want to just go in a hole and not go outside, definitely don’t do press and interviews and put myself in the position where I have to see that kind of stuff,” he says.
Taylor’s in a better headspace now: The actor says he’s thankful to now be in the headspace to deal with hateful comments, though some continue to get under his skin, adding that he “wouldn’t be on here posting this video if it didn’t bother me at all. But it doesn’t make me question who I am and it doesn’t take anything away from me.”
“So I think my biggest point is just think about and remember where you put your value in life, and also just be nice,” Lautner concludes. “It’s not that difficult. Let’s be nice to each other. Let’s spread love and positivity. It’s that simple.”
Taylor is only 31 years old and I think these people are full of it. He looks like an exceptionally healthy 31-year-old man with not a wrinkle in sight. Maybe people are reacting this way because when he got famous he was super young, only 16. After the Twilight movies he hasn’t been that active in Hollywood and has more or less flown under the radar. Now that he’s promoting his podcast, some people are seeing him again for the first time in years. Even so, I don’t get why people are saying he looks old. Have we become so used to the uncanny valley of the Jenndashians and TikTok filters and FaceTune that someone like Taylor looks flawed to us?? If he passed me in the street I would want to know what skincare he uses and who his aesthetician is!
This story made me think about the pressure he faced as a young actor to change his body. Maybe that’s part of the “old feelings and memories” he mentions. A refresher, because it’s been a while: in classic Hollywood fashion, no one at Lionsgate thought that a movie aimed at teenage girls like Twilight would be a success. When the first film did big business, the sequel New Moon was rushed into production right away to capitalize on the hype. In New Moon, Taylor’s character goes from skinny to buff in a matter of days because he’s a werewolf and everyone knows that werewolves are totally Mr. Olympia-level buff. The director of the second film, Chris Weitz, told Taylor that if he couldn’t bulk up, he’d be replaced. So this 16-year-old-boy put on 30 pounds of muscle in roughly four months in order to keep his job. He was then objectified throughout the rest of the films and in the media in a really gross way. He became an international sex symbol, in one of the most famous film franchises ever, while he was still a minor. I can’t imagine what it must have been like, but I’m sure it scarred him. So I’m glad that he’s no longer in a place where mean comments are hurting him on a deeper level.
Photos credit: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images, Getty and via Instagram
He looks good to me. The people who remember him when and think he looks old now might want to take a look at themselves in the mirror. Fifteen years will leave a mark on anybody.
He looks damn near the same. His face looks like it took its adult shape. So he no longer looks underage and that’s a bad thing? Dude wasn’t even close to being done growing at 16.
I’m not a fan of moustaches, so that’s my only gut reaction. He’s a good-looking guy & the people making comments about him being old are insane.
Even if he was looking old, who cares & why bring it up? Anyone who goes around trash talking another person’s looks is a jackass, honestly. Get outdoors, touch grass. Make an effort to not be cruel.
maybe it’s his styling, but he looks older than 31 to me. he still looks very fit and is obvoiusly very good looking but he has a bit of a dad vibe, not that that’s a bad thing!
I agree that he looks older than 31. Despite looking older than his age, he looks good and healthy, and
I certainly dont see a thing wrong with his appearance.
I never watched the Twilight series, but my middle daughter was obsessed with him.
Good for him. Honest feelings are hot.
*Sigh* I’m glad he’s in an okay place with it. All I see is a very attractive young man whose good looks are undeniable. I’d actually like to see him cast as an elf, and you know how long they look young!
Seriously, he looks terrific.
He looks the same. And im glad he not listening to internet critiques. Them same folks probably out of shape and beat with an ugly stick themselves.
Yes BARBIEM! I bet you are right🤣😆
I’ve always thought Twihards were the stupidest people in the known universe. Lautner is a crappy actor, let’s face it, but he looks damn good. His face has lost the adolescent look and he’s become extremely handsome. Did they expect him to look 17 forever?
I’m glad he was able to process this in a positive way, but man people can be cruel. He’s still exceptionally handsome, just not in as buff shape as he was for the Jacob role. And Carina’s take on how messy it was that Hollywood required a minor to completely morph his body in 4 months is the right take. I hope he’s living his best life now.
Agreed, really great take by Carina. Looking forward to reading more of her analysis
Taylor looks like a healthy, handsome, young man. I’m glad he is speaking out about this
Dude looks fantastic. God, some people really have nothing to do all day. 🤷
Word. I am too old to have been into Twilight, I was still all about Spike, but he is hot. It’s gross that anyone has shamed him.
So we’ve all heard the old adage “don’t read the comments!”. Celebitchy is one of the few places where that is not true, despite it being a gossip site where we do say snarky things, the comments are not full of hateful trolls.
When I say “he looks great” I mean that sincerely. I am not trying to be kind or reasonable. I simply do not see what the #$%^ these snarkers are talking about. He looks nearly the same as he always has. Does he look like he aged a little from 16-31? I guess? His hairline looks ever so slightly different but isn’t even remotely bad. His hair still looks GREAT. I legit wouldn’t even have given it a second glance were it not for this article pointing out that people are talking about it.
People behind keyboards can be just so *mean*. I recognize the irony of writing that on a board called CeleBITCHY. But this site is not usually that mean, unless we are talking about gross someone’s actions. I’d love to see what all those critical people look like, are they all 22 and dewy? Because I guarantee if they aren’t all super young most of them haven’t aged as well as him.
Agreed, except for this being “one of the few places where that is not true” – errr perhaps you don’t read the Royal posts? Usually plenty of hateful comments based on someone’s appearance/ age/ weight (even when the subject is a child!)
@LadyBaden-Baden … “even when the subject is a child”. Untrue. I was a lurker on this site for years before posting and people who come for children, royal or not, are quickly checked. Kids are off limits.
There are definitely unkind comments about the hateful and racist British Royal Family and British Media. Which I support and have made many comments about myself. No racist will ever get a pass from me.
Btw I agree- Taylor looks great.
You’re right, Lady Baden. Sometimes there are mean things said, usually about mean people though so I care a lot less.
100% agree with this. We really all need to think about how we contribute to this problem in the comments. Ripping apart a person constantly because of they’re bald or aging seems to be acceptable if its the royals. Id like to think we can be critical, call out behaviour, or be snarky while also being concious. I’ve actively started to avoid the comments section lately as its not been good for my mental health.
@Chantal
You must have missed the comments about the Cambridge children where they are ridiculed and the youngest child called a brat, bad mannered and even diagnosed behavioral disorders.
I agree Lady Baden and Samantha, Just because you may hate someone, it doesn’t make it any less inappropriate to make comments ripping apart a person’s appearance. It sends the same message to the readers — that it’s okay to judge people harshly for aging, balding, etc.
Buncha pedophiles preferring the young teenager version. Same thing happened to Sophie Turner last week. People put up side by side pix from when they were literal kids. Sickening.
He looks his age maybe even younger. People who are making the old comments probably haven’t seen him outside of Twilight. Ten years is a long time especially during the teenage years. That’s why I hate when people use teenage photos as proof someone had plastic surgery. It’s good that Taylor is in a good headspace to deal with this.
He looks great, I don’t know what people are talking about.
I don’t think I’d ever read comments or have social media if I were famous, people feel they can say horrific things just because you were in a few movies. It also has to be weird to have something you did so long ago still popular and present in pop culture, and then people expect you to be that age forever.
He looks really good. Seriously he has barely aged except in an “it’s been 15 years” kind of way. People are so odd. Hey “Judy”you have also aged 15 years?!?!
Taylor seems like such a genuinely nice person.
I think there are a few thing at work:
1) because of filters and just how common cosmetic procedures are in Hollywood, many of us don’t know what natural aging looks like.
2) Young kids are re-discovering these movies and probably expected he’d still be 16.
It is crazy how much pressure Taylor faced around his body as a minor. Looing back, the 00s were really gross to both men and women (and minors).
Women have dealt with this forever. Over thirty is “dead.” It’s so stupid.
He seems like a nice guy and he looks great.
Maybe it’s just me, but he looks exactly like he’s always looked. It’s sad that he’s so bothered by internet trolls though.
They’ve got to be literal trolls because I don’t even see a difference besides him growing into a man.
Oooh these kids are gonna be in for a fuckin surprise when they *gasp* get old
Except those weren’t kids making those comments. They were adults. Which makes it all the more galling.
I didn’t realize he was so young when Twilight came out, that’s crazy.
He does have a good point.
Stop all the looks and body shaming on SM. And IRL. And end the bullying!
In what universe does this guy look old? What are they talking about? He looks fine and young. But wasn’t Twilight over 10years ago? People age and get older. He’s older but not old.
I think his hairline receded? People are awfully picky, I guess. It happens to women all the time. Surprised it happened to him (if it did).
Taylor is gorgeous.
Bullies suck.
Okay, what is wrong with his hairline, what am I missing? He looks the same, he just isn’t 16-17 anymore. Heaven forbid his face has matured!
He looks unchanged, except that he’s grown into adulthood. He’s a very handsome man and I’d love to see him onscreen more often.
Those people are nuts
He looks BETTER now tbh. Less boy, more man. He has more gravitas now.
I hated the Twilight series, but I’m glad its stars survived and thrived. It’s not easy to outrun a mega-successful franchise and show what else you can do.