Country Music Icon Shocks Fans by Ditching Her Signature Blonde Hair

Country singer Carrie Underwood’s minor hair-color change left a big impression on her fans.

The 42-year-old American Idol judge posted a selfie to her Instagram on December 12 that showed off a fresh hue. The purpose of the post was to promote a T-shirt benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, but commenters quickly honed in on the longtime blonde’s new brown hair color.

The new bronze shade made many do a double-take. “Didn’t even look like Carrie,” reads one of the post’s top comments. Underwood’s fans were divided over her darker color, with one commenter writing that she missed “the original Carrie look,” referring to the country icon’s usual golden blonde.

Some commenters were harsher in their feedback. “Carrie you were beautiful before,” wrote a fan. “What in the world were you thinking. You look like a totally different person. Not a fan of this.” The commenter went on to compare her to Kenny Rogers, who they felt had “ruined” his appearance with plastic surgery.

Still, most of the feedback from fans was positive, with numerous heart-eye emojis throughout the comment section. “So pretty always,” wrote one fan, while another commented, “Your [brown] hair is beautiful, Carrie.”

While Underwood originally changed her hair color over the summer, many recent posts feature the singer with her signature blonde hair, leading to confusion over the light-to-dark timeline. Still, no matter how much time goes by, fans who strongly associate Underwood with her “old look” are likely to continue having (and posting) their strong feelings.

Underwood’s own blonde shade may be gone for now, but we’ll always love her “Before He Cheats” lyrics, which condemn a (hypothetical) flaxen-haired romantic rival: “He’s probably dancing with some bleached-blonde tramp, and she’s probably getting frisky.”