Hunter Schafer Opens Up About Undergoing Gender-Affirming Bottom Surgery: ‘I Love It So Much’

Hunter Schafer, best known for her breakout role in HBO’s Euphoria, has revealed that she underwent a gender-affirming surgical procedure in December. In a candid new interview, the 27-year-old actress shared details about the experience, her recovery, and her evolving thoughts on identity, career, and what it means to live authentically in the public eye.

Schafer opened up about the procedure during a conversation with Elle, published on Monday, October 19. “I just had bottom surgery in December, which was amazing, and I love it so much,” she told the magazine. The admission marked one of the most personal and detailed discussions she has had about her medical journey as a transgender woman.

During her recovery in the early months of this year, Schafer said she rented a large apartment and invited close friends and family members to visit while she was on mandatory bed rest. The actress described the experience as both physically demanding and emotionally meaningful. “I think my limit was 150 steps per day, which is nothing,” she recalled, offering a glimpse into the constraints she faced while healing.

Schafer, who came out as transgender during her teenage years, explained that the decision to pursue surgery came after a long period of reflection. She had spent years embracing a more gender-expansive presentation and had tried to make peace with a body that did not always align with her internal sense of self. “For a long time I’ve embraced the gender-expansive part of myself, and I really wanted to try to make that previous body work, because I thought there was something really cool and badass about it,” she said.

But ultimately, Schafer said, the surgery felt right for her. She was careful to note, however, that there is no single path for transgender people, and that each person’s journey is deeply personal. “I feel like that’s the magical thing about queerness,” she continued. “On an ideological level, it’s about possibility and expansion and growth, and being on that journey and finding yourself … I’m a woman. I’m a girl.”

The term “bottom surgery” refers broadly to gender-affirming procedures that reconstruct genital anatomy to align with a person’s gender identity. According to health platform Ro, these surgeries can be either feminizing or masculinizing, and may involve the removal of existing sexual organs, the construction of new ones, or both, depending on the patient’s goals and needs. Schafer did not specify the exact type of procedure she underwent, but her comments reflect a sense of relief and personal fulfillment.

The Blade Runner 2099 star has long been one of the most visible transgender women in Hollywood. She first gained widespread attention for her role as Jules Vaughn on Euphoria, a character whose own storylines often explored themes of identity, desire, and self-discovery. Over the years, Schafer has become a fashion icon and an outspoken figure in conversations about transgender representation in the entertainment industry. Yet she has also been careful about how much of her personal life she shares publicly.

In her new interview, Schafer acknowledged that she has previously struggled with the way her identity has been framed in the media. During a 2024 interview with GQ, she reflected on the way the word “trans” often becomes the focal point of any article about her. “It has not just happened naturally by any means. If I let it happen, it would still be giving ‘Transsexual Actress’ before every article ever,” she told the outlet at the time. “As soon as I say [the word ‘trans,’] it gets blastoff.”

Schafer explained that it took her a long time to understand how she wanted to navigate her public identity. She expressed frustration with being reduced to a single aspect of her life, especially after working hard to move beyond some of the most difficult moments of her transition. “It took a while to learn that, and it also took a while to learn that I don’t want to be [reduced to] that, and I find it ultimately demeaning to me and what I want to do,” she said. “Especially after high school, I was sick of talking about it. I worked so hard to get to where I am, past these really hard points in my transition, and now I just want to be a girl and finally move on.”

That desire to move forward has shaped her career choices in significant ways. Schafer revealed that she has been offered “tons of trans roles” over the years, but she has consistently turned them down. She has previously spoken about not wanting to be typecast or limited by her identity, and she reiterated that stance in her latest interview. By choosing roles that are not defined by her transness, Schafer hopes to demonstrate that transgender actors can play a wide range of characters.

At the same time, she acknowledged the weight of her position. As one of the most famous transgender people working in media today, Schafer said she sometimes feels a sense of responsibility to be a spokesperson for the community. But she also admitted to feeling guilty about not being more vocal or activist-oriented in her public life. “I know for a fact that I’m one of the most famous trans people in media right now, and I do feel a sense of responsibility, and maybe a little bit of guilt, for not being more of a spokesperson,” she concluded.

Still, she believes that her success in the industry can be its own form of advocacy. Rather than constantly talking about her identity, she hopes that simply doing her job well and reaching new heights in her career will send a powerful message. “But ultimately, I really do believe that not making it the centerpiece to what I’m doing will allow me to get further. And I think getting further and doing awesome s***, in the interest of ‘the movement,’ will be way more helpful than talking about it all the time,” she said.

Schafer’s openness about her surgery comes at a time when gender-affirming care is the subject of intense political and cultural debate. By sharing her personal experience, she adds an important voice to the conversation, one that emphasizes joy, self-knowledge, and the right of every person to make decisions about their own body. For her, the surgery was not an ending point but part of an ongoing process of becoming more fully herself.

Her comments also highlight the complexity of living authentically as a public figure. Schafer has always maintained a level of privacy about certain aspects of her life, but she has also been willing to speak candidly when she feels it matters. In this latest interview, she managed to do both: she shared a deeply personal milestone while also setting boundaries about how she wants to be perceived.

Fans and followers responded to the interview with an outpouring of support, celebrating Schafer’s honesty and her unapologetic embrace of her own identity. Many praised her for sharing such an intimate part of her journey, while others admired her refusal to be defined by the expectations of others.

Schafer’s career continues to thrive. After Euphoria, she has taken on new and challenging roles, including the highly anticipated Blade Runner 2099 series. She has also become a fixture in the fashion world, known for her striking red-carpet looks and collaborations with major designers. Her trajectory suggests that she is indeed “getting further,” as she put it, and doing so on her own terms.

As she moves forward, Schafer remains committed to living her truth, whether that means undergoing surgery, choosing roles that excite her, or simply enjoying the simple pleasures of life after recovery. Her story is a reminder that identity is not a monolith and that everyone deserves the freedom to define themselves in ways that feel right for them.

In the end, Schafer’s words carry a simple but profound message: she is a woman. She is a girl. And after years of searching, questioning, and growing, she is finally at peace with who she is. That peace, she suggests, is not something to be explained or justified. It is something to be celebrated.