The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Draper (née Ngatikaura) shocked fans on Thursday after debuting her post-surgery face on the red carpet for the first time.
Draper, 33, was branded unrecognizable by viewers of the hit Hulu series following an extreme makeover that’s involved multiple facial procedures and a drastic change of her hair color.
The hairstylist recently underwent an upper and lower blepharoplasty, along with facial fat grafting.
She previously had a nose job, along with a breast augmentation, Botox and fillers.
Draper proudly flaunted her new look this week at the premiere of Wuthering Heights, and then at an influencer event for beauty brand Clarins.
After fans commented on her appearance, Draper explained on Instagram that her face is still healing and swollen.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Draper (née Ngatikaura) shocked fans this week after debuting her post-surgery face on the red carpet for the first time
The reality star is pictured in late 2024, before her recent procedures
‘Believe it or not, this is actually not how I want to look,’ she said.
‘A lot of people in the comments are like, “She ruined her face, she looks so scary.” I’m still healing, I’m swollen,’ she continued.
‘I want to make it clear: I did not want to look like this. This is not the result I’m going for, but it’s just part of the healing process.’
Earlier this month, Draper defended her decision to go under the knife.
‘I do look scary, I do look different, and I understand people like pointing that out and being concerned, but the thing with plastic surgery is it’s everyone’s own prerogative,’ she said.
‘What I’ve realized from getting a lot of hate comments from everything from my looks to my relationship to my personality to my friendships, is when people comment negative things, it’s usually a projection of what they’ve been through in their life or what they’re currently going through.’
Despite getting some backlash, many of Jessi’s fans threw their support behind her in the comments section.
‘You are absolutely stunning, you always have been and always will be! Don’t listen to the haters, they are only jealous cause they dont look half as good as you do!’ gushed one admirer.
The 33-year-old recently underwent an upper and lower blepharoplasty, along with facial fat grafting
The hairstylist has completely transformed her appearance since finding fame on the Hulu reality series in 2024
Another wrote, ‘You look absolutely beautiful swollen or not. Let the haters hate.’
A third commented, ‘I think you look stunning before and after! Your blue eyes and your face card are to die for! Before and after the surgery!’
It comes after Draper revealed that she was raped as a teenager in an emotional moment on the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion special.
During the season three reunion, Draper said that she ‘uncovered the memory’ in therapy and started breaking down in tears while sharing the story with her co-stars.
After fans commented on her appearance, Draper explained on Instagram that her face is still healing and swollen
The revelation came after her costar Mikayla Matthews spoke about her own history of childhood sexual abuse, which she previously disclosed last season, while discussing her journey in therapy and intimacy issues in her marriage.
In earlier episodes, Matthews, as well as Whitney Leavitt’s husband Conner, opened up about their histories of being sexually abused as children.
‘I actually loved watching Mikayla’s story because I knew that it happened to her, but seeing it play out, seeing her thoughts and feelings behind it, I can relate,’ Draper said.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is set to return to screens on March 12 for its fourth season.
