An iconic ’90s TV megastar has left fans doing a double take after undergoing a jaw-dropping transformation for his latest role, stepping out in a bold, gender-bending look.
Best known for playing the sharp, stoic FBI agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files, David Duchovny looked completely unrecognizable as images of him in a sequined skirt and a blonde wig began making headlines.
One amused netizen reacted to the 65-year-old actor’s latest look, writing, “He looks better than me in a skirt.”
Actor David Duchovny stunned fans by stepping into a gender-bending look, wearing a miniskirt and a blonde wig
Viral images of David Duchovny dressed in the look surfaced last week while he was filming on the Los Angeles set of his upcoming movie, Soapbox.
The film is directed by Andrew Jay Cohen, best known for Neighbors, and features a script co-written by Duchovny and Max Barbakow.
The satirical comedy boasts a star-studded cast, including Duchovny, Laverne Cox, Randall Park, and, notably, Duchovny’s daughter, West Duchovny, in her first major project alongside her father.
According to Deadline, Duchovny will star as an aging soap opera actor navigating a career derailed by a history of toxic behavior and the absurdities of modern-day culture wars.
As filming began last month in Los Angeles, leaked set images showed the ’90s heartthrob in full drag, wearing a sequined black miniskirt paired with a matching semi-sheer blouse, tights, a blonde wig, and bright red lipstick.
Gray fuzzy slippers and sleek sunglasses completed the now-viral look.
The images were captured by paparazzi last week as the 65-year-old was spotted filming his new role in Soapbox
Netizens found his latest look nearly unrecognizable, noting the stark contrast to his usual masculine, suit-wearing role in The X-Files.
One fan jokingly questioned, “They’re finally filming that Madonna Biography??”
Another quipped, “Searching for Agent Mulder and couldn’t find him!!!!”
“Dang, for a second I was thinking ‘Juliette Lewis is looking gooood!’” wrote a third netizen.
However, some critics were far more harsh in their reactions. One person commented, “The deep state dress humiliation ritual for fame and fortune.”
Another blunt remark read, “He makes an ugly woman. Also, I guess this is what they mean about having to ‘sell your soul’ in Hollyweird. I’d rather not participate in that kind of dirty, evil backstage antics.”
welcome back denise bryson pic.twitter.com/dBnsWjPnc4
— milpool (@milpoolE_) April 2, 2026
“Money makes people do strange things… Classic humiliation ritual.”
Meanwhile, some longtime fans of Duchovny noted that this isn’t his first time in drag, as he famously played the transgender DEA agent Denise Bryson in Twin Peaks starting in 1991.
“Paying the price of re- entry into relevance. Not sure why he needs it at this point,” one critic expressed
David Duchovny shares his first comments on the in-development #TheXFiles reboot, which is being headed up by Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler. https://t.co/gBbJpIGsWy pic.twitter.com/OLgc6wESSw
— ScreenRant (@screenrant) July 2, 2024
“He was great as a cross dresser in twin peaks,” said one person, while another commented, “Dude back to his roots.”
Others added, “So Denis/Denise came back from Twin Peaks. He’s still spinning around…”
“It’s giving Twin Peaks Denise and Zagats SNL sketch…”
David’s fan favorite series, The X-Files, has also been rebooted for a new season and is currently in development at Hulu.
However, this new version will feature a fresh, more diverse cast rather than a direct continuation of Mulder and Scully’s storyline.
In recent months, David also made headlines after confirming that he tied the knot with his three-decades-younger girlfriend last year
Earlier this year, it was announced that Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel will star as the new lead FBI agents in the reboot, with Duchovny not returning to the project.
The actor has maintained a polite but distant stance on the revival, saying in a 2024 interview with Screen Rant, “I don’t really have any thoughts on it. It seems to be a whole separate project. I wish them luck.”
Apart from his professional life, Duchovny also shared an exciting new chapter with fans.
Last September, while appearing on Today with Jenna & Friends, the actor confirmed he had married his longtime girlfriend, Monique Pendleberry, 32, in a private ceremony held in February of that year.
This marks his second marriage, as he was previously married to actress Téa Leoni from 1997 to 2014.
He shares two children with his ex-wife: daughter West Duchovny, 26, and son Kyd Miller Duchovny, 23.
“Surprisingly, he looks better than the females on Oscar night,” wrote one amused social media user
