UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549							OMB APPROVAL
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FORM 144
							SEC USE ONLY
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF SECURITIES PURSUANT TO RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933							DOCUMENT SEQUENCE NO.
ATTENTION:  Transmit for filing 3 copies of this form concurrently with either placing an order with a broker to execute sale or executing a sale directly with a market maker.							CUSIP NUMBER
							WORK LOCATION
	1 (a) NAME OF ISSUER (Please type or print)		(b) IRS IDENT. NO.	(c) S.E.C. FILE NO.
	John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund		27-5412302	811-22441
	1 (d) ADDRESS OF ISSUER	STREET	CITY	STATE	ZIP CODE		(e) TELEPHONE NO.
	200 Berkeley Street						AREA CODE	NUMBER
			Boston	MA		02116	617		663-4497

2 (a) NAME OF PERSON FOR WHOSE ACCOUNT THE SECURITIES ARE TO BE SOLD	(b) RELATIONSHIP TO ISSUER	(c) ADDRESS (Street)	CITY	STATE	ZIP CODE
John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A)	Affiliate	201 Townsend Street Suite 900	Lansing	MI		48933

INSTRUCTION: The person filing this notice should contact the issuer to obtain the I.R.S. Identification Number and the S.E.C. File Number.

		SEC USE
3 (a)	(b)	ONLY	(c)		(d)		(e)		(f)	(g)
Title of the Class of Securities To Be Sold	Name and Address of Each Broker Through Whom the Securities are to be Offered or Each Market Maker who is Acquiring the Securities	Broker-Dealer File Number	Number of Shares or Other Units To Be Sold (See instr. 3(c))		Aggregate Market Value (See instr. 3(d))		Number of Shares or Other Units Outstanding (See instr. 3(e))		Approximate Date of Sale (See instr. 3(f)) (MO. DAY YR.)	Name of Each Securities Exchange (See instr. 3(g))
Common Shares	Cowen & Company LLC 599 Lexington Ave., 21st Fl. New York, NY 10022			5,236		$59,841		12,223,813	12/22/2020	New York Stock Exchange

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.	(a)	Name of issuer
	(b)	Issuer’s I.R.S. Identification Number
	(c)	Issuer’s S.E.C. file number, if any
	(d)	Issuer’s address, including zip code
	(e)	Issuer’s telephone number, including area code
2.	(a)	Name of person for whose account the securities are to be sold
	(b)	Such person’s relationship to the issuer (e.g., officer, director, 10% stockholder, or member of immediate family of any of the foregoing)
	(c)	Such person’s address, including zip code

3.	(a)	Title of the class of securities to be sold
	(b)	Name and address of each broker through whom the securities are intended to be sold
	(c)	Number of shares or other units to be sold (if debt securities, give the aggregate face amount)
	(d)	Aggregate market value of the securities to be sold as of a specified date within 10 days prior to the filing of this notice
	(e)	Number of shares or other units of the class outstanding, or if debt securities the face amount thereof outstanding, as shown by the most recent report or statement published by the issuer
	(f)	Approximate date on which the securities are to be sold
	(g)	Name of each securities exchange, if any, on which the securities are intended to be sold

Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required
to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB control number.

SEC 1147 (08-07)

TABLE I — SECURITIES TO BE SOLD

Furnish the following information with respect to the acquisition of the securities to be sold
and with respect to the payment of all or any part of the purchase price or other consideration therefor:

Title of the Class	Date you Acquired	Name of Acquisition Transaction	Name of Person From Whom Acquired (If gift, also give date donor acquired)	Amount of Securities Acquired	Date of Payment	Nature of Payment
Common Shares of Beneficial Interest	4/21/2011	Initial Capitalization	John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund	5,236	4/21/2011	$100,000

INSTRUCTIONS: If the securities were purchased and full payment therefor was not made in cash at the time of purchase, explain in the table or in a note thereto the nature of the consideration given. If the consideration consisted of any note or other obligation, or if payment was made in installments describe the arrangement and state when the note or other obligation was discharged in full or the last installment paid.

TABLE II — SECURITIES SOLD DURING THE PAST 3 MONTHS

Furnish the following information as to all securities of the issuer sold during the past 3 months by the person for whose account the securities are to be sold.

Name and Address of Seller Title of Securities Sold Date of Sale Amount of
Securities Sold Gross Proceeds

Remarks:

INSTRUCTIONS:

See the definition of “person” in paragraph (a) of Rule 144. Information is to be given not only as to the person for whose account the securities are to be sold but also as to all other persons included in that definition. In addition, information shall be given as to sales by all persons whose sales are required by paragraph (e) of Rule 144 to be aggregated with sales for the account of the person filing this notice.

12/22/20

Date of Notice

Date of Plan Adoption or Giving of Instruction,
if Relying on Rule 10b5-1.

ATTENTION:

The person for whose account the securities to which this notice relates are to be sold hereby represents by signing this notice that he does not know any material adverse information in regard to the current and prospective operations of the Issuer of the securities to be sold which has not been publicly disclosed. If such person has adopted a written trading plan or given trading instructions to satisfy Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, by signing the form and indicating the date that the plan was adopted or the instruction given, that person makes such representation as of the plan adoption or instruction date.

/s/ John Bryson

(Signature)

The notice shall be signed by the person for whose account the securities are to be sold. At least one copy of the notice shall be manually signed.
Any copies not manually signed shall bear typed or printed signatures.

ATTENTION: Intentional misstatements or omission of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations (See 18 U.S.C. 1001)

SEC 1147 (02-08)