Raven-Symoné admits to having plastic surgery before turning 18

Former child star Raven-Symoné has revealed she secretly under the knife in an attempt to stop trolls from criticising her appearance.

Raven Symone. Picture: Noel Vasquez/Getty

Former Disney child star Raven-Symoné revealed she went under the knife for several cosmetic procedures as a minor.

“I had two breast reductions and lipo before I turned 18,” she said during Sunday’s episode of The Best Podcast Ever with Raven and Miranda, as reported by Page Six.

When asked by her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday, why she decided to have the surgeries, the Disney Channel actress — who was starring in That’s So Raven at the time — admitted her dad encouraged her to do it when she was being shamed for her weight.

“There was paperwork involved,” she recalled. “My dad suggested strongly that I should get my breasts reduced.”

“He was like, ‘So you don’t feel bad, is there anything that you want?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, if I get lipo, will people stop calling me fat?’”

“So I got a twofer,” she continued. “It was just a mess, just being that young and the pain of it all.”

Raven-Symoné says she always struggled to accept her appearance. Picture: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

The actress got two breast reductions and liposuction before even turning 18. Picture: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

Despite the experience, the Cheetah Girls star, 37, decided to undergo another procedure when her breasts were “still too big” from gaining weight.

It was a difficult decision for Raven-Symoné, who revealed she suffered a seizure after her first breast reduction surgery.

“I remember waking up and seeing everything … and then I just started to have this dry mouth and couldn’t breathe and went back under,” she recalled.

While the Cosby Show star doesn’t remember much about what happened due to “disassociating” herself from reality, she admitted that not knowing what caused the seizure “freaks her out a bit.”

The actress (right) became a star on programs such as The Cosby Show and That’s So Raven. Picture: Disney

Raven-Symoné then discussed how women’s bodies change from being a teenager to an adult and advised others to wait until they are fully developed before getting surgery.

However, the actress admitted that getting work done was the best decision to prevent her “titties reaching her ankles”.

The star, seen here in 2011, hoped the surgery would cause people to stop calling her fat. Picture: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for PCA

Raven-Symoné, seen here on March 30, is more accepting of her body. Picture: Monica Schipper/Getty Images

“I don’t know if I regret it because they grew back not to that big of a size,” she explained.

The Raven’s Home star, who has previously been open about her weight loss journey, revealed in March 2022 that she lost 18kg on a no-sugar diet with her wife’s help.

“With her help and guidance and love and fantastic cooking skills … she helped me kick sugar,” she said on The View at the time.

“I say kick sugar because it is an addictive drug, and I was addicted to it in wheat form, in regular form. And it’s out of my system. What made me want to change was her.”

Raven-Symoné, who went from 95kg to 77kg, explained that she was motivated to make a change after receiving a reality check from her doctor.

“I want to be here for her as long as I can,” she said.

The actress and Pearman-Maday tied the knot in June 2020.

This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission.