12 Celebrities with Stretched Ears

Stretched ears and body modifications have made their way to the celebrity scene beyond alternative bands like Linkin Park who’s lead singer Chester Bennington was always known for having stretched ears in the 90s.

But which celebrities are stretching, or have gotten rid of their stretched ears in 2020? Let’s take a look at how stretched ears and wearing plugs and tunnels have found its way into the mainstream, and the celebrities that are sporting them now.

#1 T-Pain 

The American rapper, R&B singer, songwriter, and streamer, best known for his hits “Buy U a Drank” and “Best Love Song” can often be seen wearing tunnels in his stretched earlobes.

The tunnels started on the smaller size of the spectrum when compared to his signature chains, but more recently he looks to have increased his stretch as recent pictures show them looking a bit bigger. That said, it’s likely he’ll still be able to shrink back to his normal size if he decides to stop wearing them.

#2 Deontay Wilder 

This world famous professional boxer from America held the WBC heavyweight title until February this year since 2015 and is definitely the last person you’d expect to have stretched ears considering his professional career. Yet, despite the risks to his stretched earlobes while in a match, Deontay rocks his ear tunnels like the champ he is. You know what they say – no risk, no glory.

#3 Gok Wan 

The British fashion consultant, author, and television presenter can often be seen wearing fake ear gauges, and if one of the most famous and influential fashion consultants wears one, there is no denying that everyone can go after this trend too. You'll definitely find the right pick for your fashion style in our fake gauge collection, looking so good, even Gok Wan will approve it.

#4 Stefanie Heinzmann

The Swiss TV personality and pop singer has been in the top 10 in both Austria and Germany, as well as a coach on The Voice of Switzerland. She’s best known for her songs “Diggin’ in the Dirt” and “My Man is a Mean Man,” and rocks an awesome style with her all-black ear plugs, which are always in plain sight thanks to her ultrashort haircut. It’s great to see that body modifications have become the norm in mainstream pop music, and aren’t just perceived for heavy metal anymore!

#5 Tai Woffinden

Another athlete with stretched ears, Tai Woffinden is a four-time british speedway rider best known for his 2013 World Speedway Champion title. He is still currently competing in the Polish liga in the WTS Wrocław speedway team and even though it’s not the type of sport for jewellery, you’ll still see Tai with large ear gauges that he doesn’t take out even whilst he races.

#6 Kehlani

The American singer and songwriter, best known for her song “Gangsta” from the movie Suicide Squad and “Good Thing” from her album of the same name, can lately be seen with heavy hoops in her stretched ears. She’s often seen with ear tunnels, and is clearly a fan of ear weights as she’s often pictured with larger pieces, even though her stretch size isn’t that big (she’s still making it work!)

#7 Melanie Martinez

The American singer, actor, and director who started her career as a competitor on The Voice and later on continued to work on her own material, got a major breakthrough.

Today she is best known for her “Crybaby” album and the song “Play Date” and she’s a fan of alternative fashion, piercings and making big statements with her jewellery. It’s no surprise then that she has large ear stretches that she shows off regularly with heart-shaped ear weights and other colourful plugs, tapers, and tunnels.

#8 Adam Lambert

Rising to fame after competing in American Idol in 2009, Adam Lambert has since sold millions of albums and has been actively touring with the band Queen. He loves showing off his ear gauges onstage and on his social media profiles, changing his styles as he pleases between the masculine and the feminine. He’s not afraid to normalise body modification and lots of piercings along with his unique style.

#9 Lil’ Wayne

American rapper and songwriter Lil’ Wayne is one of the most influential artists of his genre and is still making music, releasing his latest album in 2020. He’s sported ear stretches in one of his ears for a long time, but because his left ear has been snipped or damaged it means he’s unable to fully stretch it. That’s likely why he keeps the gauge small in his right ear but he still manages to style it out! (although even the small ones had to go when serving his prison sentence.)

#10 Travis Barker (Blink-182)

Of course we had to make space for some of the classics on the list so we’ll start off with Travis Barker, drummer of Blink-182 and a songwriter. He used to wear gauges for a long time, and still sports slightly stretched ear lobes as a result, but chose to take them out years ago to try and let them heal.

#11 Phil Bozeman

Vocalist of the band Whitechapel, American deathcore band, had massive stretched ears back in 2015 and wore huge gauges before he decided to downsize and eventually stop wearing them altogether. His stretched earlobes didn’t heal on their own, however, he went so large he pretty much had a blowout so had to undergo restorative surgery to seal them, which he addressed in one of his YouTube videos.

#12 Travie McCoy

No list would be complete without Travie McCoy from Gym Class Heroes, who rose to fame in the noughties. He’s probably the perfect example of how stretched ears can fit into any genre now, with him specifically saying he doesn’t want to be limited or labelled, so he chooses to create music in the alternative scene as well as hip-hop, reggae, and pop-rap! He’s also signed to T-Pain’s label currently which means they share more than their love of music, they also share their love of stretched ears!

Ear stretching is safe when done right

Whether you rock the style or not like many of the celebrities on this list, there is something that they have taught us over the years, and that is that mistakes can happen. Stretch too much or too quickly and you’ll have blowouts or trouble getting back to your original size.

All of this can be avoided with the help of a professional and a little guidance. Check out our guide for how to stretch ears to give you an idea of what to expect and how to stretch safely!