Sam Thompson says he is about to have a hair transplant, making it the latest procedure in a run of personal health updates. He dropped the news on Staying Relevant, and Pete Wicks immediately turned it into a joke about Sam coming back looking like a Brillo pad.
Staying Relevant and 2.8 million followers
Sam did not dress it up. When asked how he knew the transplant was worth the money, he said, "Because I'm about to have one". That is the sort of line that works on a podcast because it lands as both a decision and a sales pitch: he is not weighing the idea anymore, he is already at the point of doing it.
The bluntness fits Thompson’s recent public approach to health. Before surgery to remove a cyst from his vocal cords, he told his 2.8 million followers, "I talk too much and shout too loudly and I keep losing my voice really easily." He also said, "So yeah they are cutting it out, they are putting me to sleep, I've never been put to sleep before. I'm a bit nervous, I don’t like not being in control."
Pete Wicks and the Brillo pad line
Wicks pushed back fast. His response was, "Well you don't know if it's worth the money because you haven't seen the results. I'd suggest we hold back on that just in case you come back looking like a Brillo pad." That gives the story its friction: Sam is treating the transplant as a worthwhile spend, while Wicks is openly mocking the possible finish.
There is a practical reason the exchange lands harder than a normal celebrity gag. Thompson has already gone through vocal cord surgery a few months earlier, and he said three days of mandatory vocal rest were hard going: "I know it sounds crazy, but the last three days was super tough. I didn't realise how much I need to talk to get my emotions out and how much I need interaction with people."
2023 and the recovery run
In 2023, Thompson also said he had been diagnosed with ADHD, and he has said he has autism as well. Those details do not change the transplant itself, but they help explain why he tends to talk about health changes in plain language and in public rather than keeping them private.
For now, the only firm next step is the procedure itself. The transplant is the thing he says is coming, and the real question is how he looks once the dust settles — and whether Wicks feels vindicated or just overcooked the joke.
