The Hugh Jackman Steroid Allegations Explained

Hugh Jackman gave fans the shock of their lives when he made the unexpected revelation that he would return as Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for 2024's "Deadpool 3." After years of insisting that he had retired from wielding his adamantium claws for good, the star walked back on his word and made the surprise decision to revisit one of his iconic roles, which meant that he would have to bulk up for the nth time. With the actor already in his 50s, skeptics questioned whether he could still get jacked up like he used to, at least without the help of science.

One notable skeptic happens to be Joe Rogan, who discussed the actor's MCU comeback on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. Given Jackman's age, the former "Fear Factor" host expressed doubts about his ability to bring back his trademark superhero physique without special assistance. He said that Jackman's either going to rely on special effects or consume artificial enhancements. "They're gonna CGI it. He said that he can't do this anymore, and it's also he's in his 50s. I mean what do you think that a guy like that gets on to get that big?" Rogan said. "I mean what kind of stuff? I've never gotten that big. So when you get that big like, what are you on?"

Jackman never got to answer him directly, but he did put an end to the speculations about his steroid use once and for all. As it turns out, the "Logan" star is a big fan of bulking up the traditional way.

Hugh Jackman is not a big proponent of resorting to steroids or enhancements just to put on muscle. The actor swears that part of preparing to be the world's most famous mutant involves putting himself through the wringer and training — hard.

In an appearance on HBO's "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace," Jackman was flat-out asked if he "juiced" or took steroids to get ripped, so the actor took it as an opportunity to squash the rumors (per Variety). "No, I love my job. And I love Wolverine", he said, noting that he's wary about the physical repercussions of such enhancements. "I got to be careful what I say here, but I had been told anecdotally what the side effects are of that. And I was like, 'I don't love it that much.' So no, I just did it the old school way." If anything, the only thing that's have helped him is chicken — copious amounts of chicken. "If the deity has anything related to chickens, I'm in trouble," he quipped.

Playing Wolverine goes beyond mere bulking up for Jackman. To be believable, he has to perform stunts, too. "You really have to be mobile and be able to fight and jump and do wire work and stuff like that," he told The Los Angeles Times. "The training has to be functional. Of course, you want to look a certain way, but to me the look is more about him being animalistic than just looking buff."

Training to fulfill the role of Wolverine is no joke. It involves months of pure, hard work, with Hugh Jackman telling Men's Health that in the previous "X-Men" films, he's had to train for about a year to hit his targets. "I didn't want to bulk up quickly. I wanted to do it slowly so I could look after my heart at the same time," he said. "I started training a year before the film began. When you're changing your body, it takes that sort of time to make permanent changes."

The preps get even tougher when he has to juggle projects, like when he did "The Music Man" on Broadway. He told "The Late Show" that to put on weight while doing the show, he had to work his way up to consuming 6,000 calories. "I'm on about 4,500-5,000 calories at the moment ... I burned 1,500 calories in the show, eight times a week. So she [my trainer] goes, 'Oh, you gotta eat,'" he explained. "So I was eating 4,500 calories a day, it was not pretty."

And when it finally comes to getting physical, Jackman says he allocates a good portion of his days at the gym. "I do heavy weights in the morning for about an hour, and then I do 45 minutes of higher-volume lifting in the afternoon," he shared in his Los Angeles Times interview. "I do about two-and-a-half hours of training a day when getting ready for the role, and foodwise I eat more, but I eat a lot stricter."