Julianne Hough Admits She Pees While Brushing Her Teeth. The Hygiene Police Would Like A Word
"Very unsexy." They're the exact words that Julianne Hough used to describe her bathroom habit of peeing while brushing her teeth during a 2026 Marie Claire interview. Whether or not the practice has sex appeal is debatable, of course. However, Hough does run into two potential hygiene-related issues when she multitasks her way to fresh breath and an empty bladder.
The first issue stems from whether or not Hough waits until she's done brushing to flush the toilet. Ideally, she would urinate, walk to the sink, finish cleaning her teeth, and only then flush. But what if she decides to flush while still brushing? In that case, she could be sending toilet water toward her wet toothbrush and mouth due to toilet plume, which is when a high-powered spray of tiny water droplets shoots upward and outward from a toilet during a flush — a very good reason why you shouldn't flush with the seat up.
A 2022 study in Scientific Reports showed that plume droplets spray at a velocity of about 2 meters (6.6 feet) each second. Additionally, the droplets can reach heights of approximately 1.5 meters (4.9 feet). Consequently, if you're on the toilet using a toothbrush, you might accidentally swallow residual urine or fecal matter. In fact, as microbiologist Jason Tetro explained during a 2024 episode of the "Am I Doing It Wrong?" podcast, it's possible to get infected with E. coli or a norovirus from a toilet plume.
Peeing while brushing could mean you're not brushing long enough
The potential for a toilet plume experience isn't the only issue with Hough's brushing-while-peeing habit; her oral health might also be at stake. Typically, most people spend about 20 seconds urinating (or longer, if they're having trouble emptying their bladder). Here's why: A 2014 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that most mammals take the same time to pee due to the relative size of their urethras. As a result, Hough might be short-changing her brushing duration by calling it quits too early. After all, dental professionals recommend brushing for two minutes, which is far longer than just a 20-second pee break.
To be fair, in the Marie Interview article, Hough said, "I'll brush my teeth, but then I'll always have to pee." This might mean that she starts brushing her teeth and then urinates after already spending some time scrubbing her pearly whites. In that case, she might wind up getting the appropriate amount of brushing her teeth deserve. Additionally, Hough told E! News in 2018 that she loves clean toothbrushes and changes hers on a regular basis. She also mentioned that she keeps a well-stocked cupboard of toothbrushes, both for herself and for guests. It's possible she's taking additional hygienic steps to make her "unsexy" bathroom habit efficient without exposing her body to germs or her teeth to inadequate brushing.