Alyssa Milano Shows Off Her Makeup-Free Face on Her Birthday, but One Detail Sparks Controversy

Alyssa Milano, widely recognized for her roles in Charmed, Grey’s Anatomy, and more, celebrated her 52nd birthday earlier this December. As she has in the past, she shared a birthday post on social media featuring a makeup-free photo, which sparked an outpouring of compliments from fans. However, some Facebook users had a different reaction to her no-makeup, no-filter selfie.

American actress and activist Alyssa Milano made her mark in Hollywood with her breakout role as teenager Samantha Micelli in Who’s the Boss? She followed that success with notable roles as Jennifer Mancini in Melrose Place and Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed, cementing her status as one of the rising stars of the silver screen.

On December 19th, Milano celebrated her 52nd birthday and, as has become a tradition in recent years, shared a makeup-free selfie with her fans on social media.

She shared one last year as well, when she turned 51, looking rather fresh-faced in her pajamas, writing, “Today is my birthday! #nomakeupselfie #nofilter #iwokeuplikethis” She even shared how she was not going to say that she was turning 51, but rather she had reached “Level 51!”

Even for her big 5-0, Milano shared a candid snap with a caption similar to this year’s, writing, “This is 50. No filter. No touching up. No makeup. I will spend this day, the same as every day. I will move a little, love a lot, be of service, and count my blessings.”

On the same note, she’s shared a stunning picture, as she turned 52 in 2024.

For her recent birthday, Milano gazed confidently into the selfie camera, captioning the photo, “This is 52. No make up [sic]. No filters. Happiness.”

Addressing her 3.8 million followers on Instagram, the mother-of-two continued, “I love you all. Even the trolls. If you can hate a stranger — I can love a stranger. So... I love you.” She also added an edit to the post, writing, “Edit: yes, my eyebrows are micro-bladed.”

She also disabled comments on Instagram, but many of her Facebook fans still shared compliments, such as, “Looks good, age with grace dignity and a great smile.” Another fan wrote, “You have a really nice complexion and smile. Please enjoy the natural process of aging as it looks good on you.”

However, a few fans took issue with her caption, feeling it came across as a bit too pointed.

One fan, slightly disappointed, wrote, “I have always loved you, but this rubbed me so wrong. Filters, I guess, are for those of us who can’t afford all the ’treatments’ you have had. Please don’t say no filters, maybe no makeup and feeling good.” Another fan shared a similar sentiment, writing, “No makeup. No filters. But botox and fillers. So no.”

Many stood up for her, with one commenting, “At the risk of backlash, these are also medical grade products. Please do whatever makes your little heart happy. You have one life, one body. Do with it as you wish. You want to try fillers, makeup, filter, laser; just do you. Make yourself happy. Not a soul out here is living your life but you. With that said, she’s beautiful with or without.”

Meanwhile, Alyssa Milano shared a follow-up post, showing her fans why it was “one special birthday!”

Congratulations to Alyssa on another trip around the sun! In the meantime, be sure to check out why Marisa Tomei was labeled “the hottest 60-year-old on the planet” for her birthday.