The Big Picture

• The infamous Felicity haircut caused national outrage, fan revolts, and even death threats, revealing the shallow nature of viewer's love for Keri Russell.
• Despite the success of Felicity, ratings dropped significantly in the second season after Russell's haircut, leading to blame being placed on her new do.
• The reaction to Russell's haircut highlights the ugly truth that an actress's looks often outweigh her talents in Hollywood, emphasizing the need for change in the industry.

It's 1999, and the world is gripped by a story that could spell the end of the world as we know it. Not Y2K. Not the impeachment of then president Bill Clinton. Not the rise of Napster. Surely, then, it must be Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appointed as acting president of Russia following Boris Yeltsin's resignation. While that still may actually be the end of the world as we know it, it wasn't in 1999. No, friends, the people of 1999 had no interest in such trivial matters. They were concentrated on things that were of real importance, like Felicity star Keri Russell's haircut in Season 2 of the show. Ridiculous? Well, you'd think, but the fallout from Russell's short new 'do was nothing short of catastrophic. It's a tale of national outrage, fan revolts, plummeting ratings, and even death threats, and it is indicative of the hairy hypocrisy of Hollywood.

'Felicity' Instantly Made Keri Russell a Star

Felicity premiered in 1998 on The WB network, which had already enjoyed great success attracting the teenage market with the triumvirate of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek, and 7th Heaven. Not bad for a network that had only launched three years earlier. The series' central character is Felicity Jones, and the series follows Felicity as she leaves her Palo Alto, California home to attend the University of New York, initially following her high school crush there on a whim. What begins as a rash decision, though, turns into a journey of self-discovery, and over the course of four seasons, we share in the experiences that form who Felicity becomes.

The series was a hit for the network, and that first season would earn Russell a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series and a Teen Choice Award. The series itself would garner a People's Choice Award as Favorite TV Drama. What captivated viewers, though, was Russell's look, and specifically her long, curly locks, which The New York Times referred to as "that glorious head of voluminous golden backlit hair." Viewers fell in love with Russell, but the second season would reveal just how shallow that love was.

The 'Felicity' Haircut Started as a Joke But Ended in Disaster

The infamous Felicity haircut started off innocently enough as a practical joke on showrunners J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. After spying a little boy's wig among the items that were being put away after the first season, Russell took it, and as she explains, "We put it on me at like 2 in the morning as a joke… and we took a polaroid and over the summer we thought it'd be really funny to send to J.J. (Abrams) and Matt (Reeves) and say, 'I cut my hair — hope you like it.' Totally as a joke." The look, though, inspired the pair, and Abrams contacted Russell to see if she would actually consider cutting her hair. Russell was game, and so the haircut began on-camera, in the first episode of Season 2, before finishing the job after the scene had been shot. With the episode ending before the revelation of her new look, viewers had to wait for the second episode to weigh in.

And weigh in they did. Boy, did they ever weigh in. Russell loved it, feeling it was true to the character at that point in the narrative, but she was in the minority. Strangers approached Russell, saying, "You were so pretty before you cut your hair," among other negative comments. Brad Turell, a WB spokesman, recounted the vitriol the network received over the decision, saying, "We got a lot of e-mails and letters and feedback from our friends in the industry who were fans of the show. People were disappointed and angry at us and at Keri for cutting off her hair. 'Who made that decision?' they asked." Abrams took responsibility, fairly or not, for the decision, but admitted to being taken aback: "People revolted against the look and the show. She's so gorgeous, we thought, 'Who cares how long her hair is?' The answer came back pretty quickly." Ratings for the second season dropped significantly, and although it had been moved from Tuesday at 9 to Sundays at 8, and the narrative was darker, the blame was placed squarely on the new 'do.

The 'Felicity' Haircut Reveals an Ugly Truth About Pop Culture

As Russell's hair started to come back, so did the viewers, although it never achieved the success of its first season. The haircut moment, though, became a touchstone moment in television history, with "pulling a Felicity," when a TV character makes or things about making a major hair change, joining "jump the shark" as an oft-used idiom and as a punchline for shows like 30 Rock and Family Guy. Russell has since moved on to craft a successful career but looks back at her infamous moment with a sense of humor. On a segment for Late Night With Seth Meyers titled "A Message to My Younger Self," Russell tells her younger self,

"Your life is going to be so exciting, but whatever you do, don't cut your hair short during the second season of Felicity. ... No, I'm serious. People will freak the hell out. You'll get hate mail. You'll even get death threats. But, gradually, your hair will grow back and your fans will forgive you, but you will never—and I repeat never—forgive your fans."

The reaction speaks to an ugly truth, which Russell herself realized: the way an actress looks is more important than her talents. As recalled in The New York Times, Russell said, ''It must have been a boring year to have so many people worried about my hair. It made me realize how much of a physical presence this character was.'' Think Farrah Fawcett and her flowing blond hair in Charlie's Angels, she landed the role because her hair was needed to contrast with the dark hair of Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, according to the same Times article. Or how "the Rachel" overshadowed the excellent comedic talents of Jennifer Aniston in Friends. It's a story heard time and time again, one that is almost exclusively placed upon women in the industry. Change has been slow at best, but Felicity's most infamous moment is proof positive of the need for it.

'Felicity's Cast and Crew Recently Reflected on the Infamous Haircut Moment

In March 2024, The Ringer launched a podcast, Dear Felicity, an in-depth look back at the TV series, and why it still resonates 25 years later. The May 15 episode, "The Haircut: An Oral History," brought together the entire creative team — cast, crew, producers, and more — to reflect on this very topic and offer further details from their perspective. One member of the team in particular, Laura LaRocca, has a vested interest in the haircut's history, given she was the head of the hair department at the time. She recalls when Abrams called her into his office and asked for her opinion: "I don't want to do it because either Keri's going to hate it, or you're going to hate it, and I'm going to get fired."

Later on, Russell brought up how a WB executive, Susanne Daniels, had said, "We're never going to let someone cut their hair again," saying that it was meant as a joke that got blown out of proportion, a reveal that caught some on the podcast by surprise (it sounds like castmate Scott Speedman is the one who exclaims, "Someone actually said that?"). What Daniels actually said is, "Do I think it's a good idea to take the lead of a show and dramatically alter her appearance? No, I don't. Nobody is cutting their hair again on our network and our staff. That's my new stance - no more haircuts." Daniels has since reevaluated the moment, saying the haircut was on brand with the theme of the show, and offered up a long-overdue apology: "I really don't know what I was thinking at the time. (laughter) I take it back. I take it all back. I just love you, Keri, I'm sorry, J.J. and Matt." Maybe, just maybe, we should offer a long-overdue apology as well.

Felicity is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.

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