The 85-year-old Knots Landing star addressed the comment directly after a user wrote on one of her posts that she used too much makeup for her age. In response, Mills posted a playful Instagram clip showing just how different she looks with and without her signature glam.
The video begins with Mills appearing as fans usually see her — youthful and polished, wearing a black leather jacket, lace-trimmed blouse, jeans, and what looked like a wavy blonde shoulder-length wig. Her bold makeup emphasized her eyes, completing the striking look. She laughed at the criticism, joking, “I guess I didn’t get the memo,” before snapping her fingers.
Instantly, she reappeared makeup-free with natural graying hair, looking noticeably older in the dramatic before-and-after reveal. She leaned into the transformation, adding slim gold glasses, a frilly white blouse, and pearls for a more aged appearance. With a chuckle, she asked, “Did you want me to look like this?” before adding, “Sorry… not sorry.”
Moments later, she snapped back into her glam style, defending her look. “I like the way I look,” she said, adding that her personal style doesn’t come with an expiration date. In the caption, she doubled down with, “I said what I said,” along with hashtags about aging, style, and her playful clapback.
Fans quickly flooded the comments with praise, calling her stunning and applauding her response. Many criticized the original remark as rude, while others celebrated her confidence and agreed that style has no age limit.
Mills has been a familiar face on television since her 1966 debut on the CBS soap The Secret Storm, and she later gained widespread recognition as Abby Cunningham on the Dallas spin-off Knots Landing, where she starred from 1980 to 1989 before returning for later specials. Her glamorous, recognizable makeup look became part of her signature image — so much so that she once filmed a makeup tutorial long before such videos were common. She funded the production herself, later selling it to Universal Pictures, where it reportedly went platinum after fans eagerly snapped it up.
