Mila Kunis & Ashton Kutcher Have Some Questionable Hygiene Habits

When celebrity couples overshare, they can sometimes cause quite a social media stir with their TMI celebrity health confessions. That's what happened when performers Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher admitted their dirty secret in 2021 to Dax Shepard while on his podcast.

Kunis and Kutcher talked about their curious bathing habits. Said Kunis, "I don't wash my body with soap every day." That said, she did say she washed her private areas, breasts, and underarms. But the rest? Nope. Kutcher spoke up and said he did likewise. The duo then continued their confession by telling Shepard they didn't wash their kids regularly, either. Explained Kutcher, "If you can see the dirt on them, clean them. Otherwise, there's no point."

After the podcast aired, social media lit up predictably with snarky memes. But the whole episode begs a bigger question: Is washing every part of you every day honestly necessary?

If you ask an astronaut, the answer might be yes, but with a bit of an asterisk. As discussed on an episode of NASA's "Houston We Have a Podcast," space isn't a shower-friendly environment, but astronauts on the Space Station still take time to wipe down with a tiny bit of soap and water. And unlike Kunis and Kutcher, they bathe daily.

That said, not all humans need to clean off every 24 hours. In an interview with Cleveland Clinic, dermatologist Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal advised that it's more about what works for the individual. "There's not just one 'right' answer," said Dr. Khetarpal. "It really depends on the person and their situation."

For instance, if you are going to be mingling with other people, or if you've been sweating or exposed to dust and dirt, Dr. Khetarpal says that you might want to consider bathing. On the other hand, if showers and baths irritate your skin too much, you might need to adopt a more infrequent bathing routine. (This is what happens when you take a shower every day.)

Of course, you shouldn't stop cleaning yourself. If you stopped showering for a year, you'd end up with scaly areas of dead skin cells. You may also find yourself dealing with a nasty infection, according to dermatologist Dr. Lauren Ploch, as "carrying a large load of bacteria on the skin can pose a problem if the skin barrier were to become compromised" (via USA Today).

(Here's what would happen to your body if you never took a hot shower.)

Ultimately, Kunis and Kutcher can make their own decisions and let people think what they want. As it turns out, more adults might be in their corner than expected. A 2024 survey conducted by The Harris Poll revealed that different generations seem to have different outlooks on showering daily. Specifically, 53% of Baby Boomers take a shower each day, followed by 59% of Gen Zers and 69% of Gen Xers. For the record, Kunis is a millennial, while Kutcher is part of Gen X.