Kathy Hochul Is Unrecognizable In Throwback Yearbook Photo
When it comes to politicians, society often forgets who candidates were before they were sworn into office to serve the people. Before Kathy Hochul became the Governor of New York — and made history as the state's first female governor — she was just another little girl growing up in Western New York. Hochul reminded citizens of that back in 2022 when she posted a precious yearbook photo of herself on Instagram.
"As millions of New York students head back to school, I'm reflecting on my own journey and the opportunities afforded to me because I had access to education," she captioned, adding that she will work to make sure all New York children have the tools they need for a successful school year. She looked completely unrecognizable in the snapshot, sporting longer hair than New Yorkers are used to seeing on her, as well as adorable freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. Her hair still swoops to the side, though, so that part has stayed the same over the decades.
Many comments on Hochul's post noted how cute she looked as a child, but others decided to air their grievances with her political work for the state. One troll simply wrote, "Wow, she actually had a personality back then."
There's another major difference between that photo and Kathy Hochul today
Commenters on Governor Kathy Hochul's Instagram post noticed how natural she looked in her childhood yearbook photo compared to the woman people know today. "Before all the Botox," one Instagram user commented on the school pic. While Hochul hasn't admitted to going under the knife for cosmetic reasons, she did share with her constituents in September 2024 that she was undergoing a procedure to have basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, removed from her nose. She even posted a video to Instagram with her doctor before the outpatient procedure, explaining what was about to happen.
However, the governor's constituents do believe she's gotten some work done, and shoddy plastic surgery at that. In June 2025, Hochul gave a press conference and her face seemed to be frozen, with one of her eyebrows remaining much higher than the other. "NY Gov Kathy Hochul decided to do a press conference even though one of her eyebrows didn't consent!" joked one user on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Yeah, she looks dropped on the left," Dr. John CeCe of Arria MedSpa, a medical spa in New Jersey with a plastic surgery counterpart, said on Instagram, sharing that over-Botoxing can lead to this issue. Other commenters also thought Hochul had experienced a botched Botox procedure. At least her face didn't completely and permanently change after the alleged procedure, unlike other celebrities' horror stories.