Jack Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest film actors of his generation, as well as one of Hollywood’s most recognizable celebrities: He was always known as a high-profile star who could always be found sitting courtside at Lakers games and front row at the Oscars.

Nicholson, who turns 86 this month, has been largely out of the public eye in recent years. But recently, media outlets published paparazzi photos of the actor — the first taken of him in over a year — claiming he looked “unrecognizable” and “disheveled.”

But now, fans are speaking up in his defense and calling on critics to leave him alone and let him age in peace.

The paparazzi pics were taken while Nicholson stepped outside his home in Beverly Hills. They were the first photos taken of the 85-year-old actor in 18 months, since he made a rare appearance at an LA Lakers game in October 2021.

Several outlets published the photos and appeared to criticize Nicholson’s appearance: The Daily Mail called him “disheveled” while Fox News called the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest star “unrecognizable.”

But many fans have slammed the coverage and the photographer, saying that Jack was just relaxing at his own private home and he shouldn’t have been photographed.

“Who are the creeps who took those pics sans permission?” one Twitter user wrote. “He can do what he wants in his own home!”

Others have taken offense to media outlets labeling him as “disheveled” or “unrecognizable,” saying he still looks like his old self and the “disheveled” look is how anyone would look after waking up in the morning.

“Why are people saying Jack Nicholson looks terrible at 85? He looks like an 85 yr old, leave him alone,” one Twitter user wrote.

Other users even related to his appearance and said Nicholson actually looked great for his age.

They tried to shame Jack Nicholson for actually looking *great* for a lifetime partier? smh

Widely regarded as one of the best actors of all time, Jack Nicholson’s Hollywood career included iconic performances in films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Chinatown, Batman, The Shining, A Few Good Men, Terms of Endearment and The Departed.

He holds the rare distinction of having won three Oscars, and with 12 nominations he’s the most-nominated male actor in Academy Awards history.

However, he has not appeared in a film since 2010’s How Do You Know, leading many fans to speculate that he had retired or was suffering from health issues.

In 2013, a source told Radar Online that Nicholson retired from acting “without fanfare” due to memory loss. “Jack has memory issues and can no longer remember the lines being asked of him,” the source said.

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But Nicholson denied the memory loss rumors, telling The Sun that he had a “mathematician’s brain.” However, he confirmed he was no longer “driven” to be in Hollywood films: “I’m not going to work until the day I die,” he said.

“I don’t have to be out there any more. The movie business is the greatest business but I only want to do films that move people, films about emotions and people. I had the most chilling thought that maybe people in their twenties and thirties don’t actually want to be moved anymore. They may want just to see more bombs, more explosions, because that is what they have grown up with. And I’ll never do that type of movie.”

For the past decade Nicholson has kept a low profile, making only rare public appearances and declining new projects. Some sources have claimed that Nicholson is in bad health, hinting that he is suffering from dementia.

Even in the paparazzi pictures, Jack Nicholson still looks like his old self and it’s unfair to criticize his appearance. We’re wishing this legendary actor the best!