‘Doesn’t Being a Master Include Strict Discipline’: Steven Seagal’s Weight Gain and ‘Rubber Dracula Hairpiece’ Draw Fire from Fans Who Remember the 90s Star Differently
American-born actor Steven Seagal has changed a lot from the height of his film career in the 1990s.
Seagal, 73, attended the annual Moscow Victory Day military parade in Russia on May 9, 2025. The martial artist showing up at the event mostly garnered attention for his physical transformation.
Footage of Seagal in Moscow spread across the internet following his appearance at the 10,000-troop parade, which marks the Soviet Armed Forces’ victory over Germany in World War II.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, Seagal is seen walking through a crowd with a group of men. The short clip is captioned, “The Master of Aikido.”
Many people focused on the aikido instructor’s hairstyle. Seagal rocked a widow’s peak in the front of his head and a short ponytail in the back.
The “Under Siege” star has also gained weight since fans watched him become an action movie standout over 30 years ago. His outfit in Russia sparked responses as well.
“Looks like he’s wearing one of those rubber Dracula hairpieces that my mom got me for Halloween when I was 9 years old,” an Instagram user stated about Seagal.
Similarly, a second person commented, “That Dracula hairline upsets me instantly.” Another critic of Segal’s hair added, “He needs to let the dream die, he has no more ponytail.”
Likewise, someone else sarcastically asked, “Is aikido a type of donut?!” Plus, one person jokingly wondered, “When did he become a Mongolian warlord?”
“It’s so crazy that he can be such a discipline master of martial arts, but yet allow himself to get so freaking huge. Doesn’t being a master include strict discipline?” read another comment.
One person jeered, “Master of the buffet is more like it.” Yet another jokester suggested, “Master of the donuts.”
The Daily Mail reported in October 2024 that Segal had crossed the 320-pound mark after moving to Russia. President Vladimir Putin granted him Russian citizenship in November 2016.
Seagal’s weight gain became noticeable in his “In The Name of Justice” documentary about Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine. The 30-minute doc aired on a Russian state-run media platform in 2024.
In a 2013 interview on Russian TV, the Michigan-born entertainer praised Putin as “one of the greatest world leaders, if not the greatest world leader alive today.”
Putin then awarded Seagal with Russia’s Order of Friendship honor in February 2023 for his “international humanitarian and cultural work” as a special representative for Russian-American humanitarian ties.
Seagal was also spotted at Putin’s fifth inauguration ceremony in Moscow in May 2024, two years after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. His close connection to the Kremlin leader has led to Seagal being labeled a Russian propagandist.
Before becoming a close ally of Putin and Russia, Seagal captivated filmgoers around the world as the leading man of blockbusters like 1992’s “Under Siege,” 1990’s “Hard to Kill,” and 1996’s “Executive Decision.”
Seagal continued as a working actor well into the 2010s. According to IMDb, the Golden Raspberry Award-winning director’s last movie role was in 2019’s “Beyond the Law” crime action film.
The cast of “Beyond the Law” also featured the late rapper/actor Earl “DMX” Simmons. Seagal and DMX previously shared the screen in the “Exit Wounds” action comedy, which hit North American theaters in 2001.