Sylvester Stallone's Jarring Mar-A-Lago Makeover Gets Brutal Reviews From The Internet

This year's Kennedy Center Honors was a star-studded affair that seemed to skew a bit more red state than in years past. Honorees included, in part, country music legend George Strait, the band KISS, and movie star Sylvester Stallone. The whole event, held on December 7, was essentially hosted by President Donald Trump – who, as expected, made it all about his own ego. But for many online, it seemed that Stallone's involvement with the event, and his appearance, were the hottest topics of conversation. Specifically, both his unexpected need for a cane while walking the red carpet and his apparent Mar-a-Lago makeover.

Many of the social media critics seemed to slam Stallone for having accepted the honor from Trump in the first place, and much of the vitriol was clearly motivated by politics. One critic slammed Stallone's rigid 'do, tweeting, "MAGA Sly is fixing his fake hair to look like a true Russian patriot." Another user tweeted a photo of Stallone and asked, "Is Sylvester Stallone's current face entirely made from glued together knees?" Some of the more blunt criticisms suggested he was trying for the now ubiquitous MAGA plastic surgery overhaul that's become somewhat prevalent with right-wing figures and influences. "WTF is going on with Stallone?" one user tweeted. "He looks like an over-surgeried [Mar-a-Lago] Stepford wife."

Is Sylvester Stallone's current face entirely made from glued together knees? pic.twitter.com/AtxUmgQK7V

— Jem Roberts: Author etc. (@JemRoberts) December 7, 2025

It's fairly well known that Stallone has been a Trump supporter and friend, and even introduced Trump at an America First rally in November 2024 as a "second George Washington." In return, Trump awarded Stallone with a special award in the Oval Office one day before the Kennedy Center Honors, during which Trump hilariously mispronounced Stallone's name as "Sylvester 'Sly' Sallone," entirely missing the "t" in his last name (via Daily Beast).

Apart from all the criticism of his plastic surgery, many people were wondering about Sylvester Stallone's use of a cane while walking the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors on December 7. The "Tulsa King" star, who celebrated his 79th birthday in July, wore a crisp black tuxedo and carried a heavy black cane with a golden cane topper while posing for photos and walking with his much younger wife, Jennifer Flavin Stallone.

It's unclear why specifically Stallone has to walk with a cane, although it's not exactly surprising when you consider just how many times he's injured himself during his career. His laundry list of injuries and corrective surgeries is exhaustive. He was hospitalized after getting punched in the heart by Dolph Lundgren while filming "Rocky IV" in 1984, and some of his most worst injuries occurred in his comeback era while filming "The Expendables" in 2010.

Paul Morigi/Getty

During a fight scene, Stallone did much of his own stunt choreography, but a mishap reportedly left him with dislocated shoulders and a fractured spine. He had to undergo surgery and was left with a metal plate inserted in his neck. In 2024, during an episode of his reality TV series "The Family Stallone," the actor opened up about his painful accident. "I never recovered from ['The Expendables']. After that film, it was never physically the same," Stallone revealed (via Us Weekly). "Don't do your own stunts."