Jenny Mollen's recent social media post about discovering she had lice while on a flight from Los Angeles to New York City has ignited a wave of backlash and strong reactions online. The 45-year-old actress and author, married to actor Jason Biggs, documented the experience in a series of Instagram videos, describing the moment she realized the issue mid-flight. "I'm on a plane with Caroline, and she just looked at my head," Mollen said, referring to her travel companion. "Remember when I told you last week that I said my head was itchy and I thought I was having perimenopause symptoms? Guess what? I have f-ing lice."
Sitting in first class, Mollen tried to contain the situation by placing a plastic bag from her airline headphones over her head, though it only partially covered her hair. "I can't even deal. This is insane, you guys, this is insane. We have a five-hour flight," she said, visibly distressed. Mollen admitted she had never dealt with lice before and was unsure how to handle the situation. "I've been itching for two weeks, so they've been living on me for two weeks," she added.
The response from social media users was swift and, at times, harsh. "You shouldn't be on a plane and that bag should be covering ALL your hair!" one user wrote, while another commented, "You better inform the flight attendants. I'd be freaking out on you if I was a passenger near you." Critics also accused Mollen of potentially exposing other passengers to lice. "That's disgusting. You're going to spread that all over the plane. You should be ashamed of yourself and you're doing a video laughing about it," read another pointed comment.
Mollen fired back at some of the criticism, explaining that she did not have a confirmed diagnosis until she landed in New York. "Can you try and put yourself in that position?" she replied to one commenter. She emphasized that she initially thought her symptoms were related to perimenopause and did not suspect lice until her companion pointed it out during the flight.
After returning home, Mollen shared another update, showing herself undergoing treatment to remove the lice. "We're peeling out the lice. Last night we put the shampoo on and killed everybody," she said in the follow-up video. As she sat with a towel around her shoulders, she described the process of removing dead lice and eggs from her scalp. Mollen revealed that her entire household, including her husband and their sons Sid and Lazlo, had been affected. "The whole house is infested," she said. Biggs, she noted, only had "like two eggs" in his hair, but their children had more significant infestations.
Mollen acknowledged the potential impact on the next person to use her airplane seat, saying, "I know, the airplane seat, that's a bummer for whoever sits there next. I want to be clear, I didn't know that I had lice until I was on the airplane." She partially blamed Biggs for not identifying the lice sooner, saying, "Let's just blame my husband for not looking closely enough at my head."
The incident has prompted discussions about lice prevention and treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lice are parasitic insects that feed on human blood and are primarily transmitted through direct head-to-head contact. The Cleveland Clinic estimates that head lice affect six to twelve million people annually, with symptoms typically including scalp itching. The spread of lice can also occur through shared personal items such as combs, brushes, or hats.
While Mollen's candid documentation of her experience drew criticism from some, others expressed empathy, acknowledging that such unexpected health situations can happen to anyone. Nonetheless, her story has sparked conversations about navigating public health issues and the power of social media to amplify personal moments-whether humorous or distressing-on a global scale.
