The Moment
Celebrity makeup artist Jasen Kaplan, a longtime favorite of reality stars and red-carpet regulars, has died at 46. Multiple entertainment reports say authorities have ruled his death a suicide, with injuries described as consistent with a fall from a height in New York City shortly before midnight on December 31.
Kaplan reportedly died in a New York City hospital just hours before the ball dropped in Times Square. The city medical examiner’s office has not publicly commented, but word of his death spread fast through Hollywood’s group chats and glam chairs.
Within hours, actors, reality stars, and stylists were mourning a man many described as a gentle, loyal presence who stayed by his clients’ sides for decades. For most viewers at home, though, his name was unfamiliar. His work? You’ve been looking at it on TV and red carpets for 20 years.
The Take
I keep coming back to this: in Hollywood, we can list five ex-wives of a B-list actor, but we don’t know the name of the person who’s been doing their face for ten years.
Kaplan was one of those quietly essential people. He wasn’t just sweeping powder on strangers; he was part of the inner circle for names like Bethenny Frankel, Kelly Osbourne, Eva Longoria, Lynda Carter, Cyndi Lauper, and New York social fixtures like Tinsley Mortimer and Lydia Hearst. When the cameras rolled, he disappeared out of frame. When tragedy hit, his loss landed like a bomb in that small, private world.
That’s the dissonance here. The public sees the glam. The people in the chair see the human being holding the brush. And far too often, when someone behind the scenes dies, the industry shrugs and moves on after a few posts and a carousel of old selfies.
Some reports have already latched onto the fact that Kaplan was the second person connected with the 2016 dating show “Finding Prince Charming” to die in recent weeks, after fellow contestant Chad Spodick. You can almost feel the urge to turn that into a spooky “cursed show” narrative. Let’s not do that.
Two tragedies don’t need a gimmick; they need compassion. They need practical conversations about how we support people in a business that is built on image, perfection, and constant gig-to-gig hustle. Glam squads are like emotional first-responders for celebrities, but who shows up for them?
If Hollywood is going to flood Instagram with tributes when a beloved artist dies, it might be time to show up just as loudly with mental-health resources, fair pay, and basic stability while they’re still alive. Right now it can feel like we’re sending flowers to a house we never bothered to visit.
Receipts
Confirmed
- Kaplan died in a New York City hospital on December 31 at age 46, according to multiple entertainment news reports citing sources close to him (published January 2026).
- Reports referencing New York City authorities state his cause of death was ruled a suicide, with injuries described as blunt impact trauma to the torso and extremities, consistent with a fall from height.
- Kaplan was a working celebrity makeup artist for more than two decades, known for long-term client relationships with reality stars, actors, and musicians including Bethenny Frankel, Kelly Osbourne, Eva Longoria, Lynda Carter, Cyndi Lauper, Tinsley Mortimer, and Lydia Hearst.
- He gained early TV visibility doing makeup for Brittny and Lisa Gastineau on their mid-2000s reality series “Gastineau Girls.”
- In 2016, he appeared as a contestant on the Logo dating show “Finding Prince Charming,” produced by Lance Bass.
- Another former “Finding Prince Charming” contestant, Chad Spodick, also died in recent weeks, as reported by a major U.S. entertainment magazine in December 2025.
Unverified / Reported, Not Officially Documented Publicly
- Friends quoted in entertainment coverage describe Kaplan as a “great artist” and “sweet guy” whose clients often stayed with him for decades. These are personal recollections, not independently verifiable facts.
- Specific details about where, exactly, the reported fall occurred and any circumstances surrounding it have not been publicly confirmed by officials as of early January 2026.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you weren’t deep into early-2000s reality TV or beauty credits, here’s the quick download. Kaplan built his name in the mid-aughts working with mother-daughter duo Brittny and Lisa Gastineau on their reality show, “Gastineau Girls.” From there, he settled into that sweet spot every glam pro dreams of: a roster of loyal, well-known clients who kept booking him for shoots, appearances, and big life moments.
He wasn’t a household name, but inside celebrity circles he was the guy you called when you needed to look pulled-together on no sleep. He also stepped in front of the camera in 2016 as a contestant on “Finding Prince Charming,” a gay, “Bachelor”-style dating series on Logo. The show only ran one season, but it gave viewers a glimpse of the dry wit and warmth people in his chair say they’ll miss most.
What’s Next
Officially, the cause of death appears to be settled, at least according to multiple reports referencing New York City authorities. What comes next is less about paperwork and more about how the industry chooses to remember – and learn from – a loss like this.
We can expect more tributes from clients and colleagues as they process the news and share memories. There may be private or public memorials planned by friends, family, or fellow artists; nothing has been formally announced yet.
The bigger question is whether Hollywood turns this into yet another sad post-and-scroll moment, or whether it sparks real attention on the lives of the people holding the cameras, the brushes, and the garment bags. These are the folks who keep the machine running while the stars take the bows.
If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, help is available. In the United States, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or reach out to a trusted medical or mental-health professional in your area.
Your turn: When you see tragedies like this, do you think Hollywood does enough to honor and protect the people working behind the scenes, or does it all feel a little too “thoughts and prayers” and not enough action?
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