26 years later, Keri Russell laughs about the backlash that sparked from her haircut onFelicity.Created by J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, Felicity aired from 1998-2002 on The WB. Russell toplined the college-age drama as Felicity Porter, who navigates life and love as she attends the fictional “University of New York.” Russell and Felicity were known for her iconic mane of curly hair, which the actress and character infamously chopped off inFelicityseason 2, which created an unexpected outrage from viewers.
OnImagine Entertainment’s Instagram, Keri Russell recalls in amusement at howFelicity’s haircut was an idea presented to her by J.J. Abrams.Russell shearing off Felicity’s trademark locks led to"hysteria,“with strangers coming up to her on the street commenting on her looks. Read Keri’s quote and watch the Instagram video below:
J.J. called me over the summer. We had shot the first season of Felicity, and he said, “We’re coming up with the storylines for next year. We have this idea that the boyfriend breaks up with you, and then, like college girls do… you go and cut your hair. Would you be willing to do that?” I said, “Yeah, of course.” And so we did it, and there was this crazy backlash. I did not expect all the hysteria. Strangers did come up to me on the street and say things like, “You were so pretty before you cut your hair.”
Keri Russell’s Felicity Haircut Backlash Explained
Felicity’s Hair Became A Pop Culture Punchline
Felicity’s haircut came inFelicityseason 2, episode 3 after her big breakup with Ben (Scott Speedman). As Keri Russell recalled, J.J. Abrams decided to cut Felicity’s hair afterRussell played a joke on her executive producer by donning a boy’s wig.After initially freaking out that his star had cut her voluminous hair, Abrams decided to have Russell and Felicity do it in the series. The backlash was unexpected by Russell, Abrams, andThe CW network, which received angry letters about Felicity’s haircut.
In 2016, Keri Russell revealed onLate Night with Seth Myersthat she received death threats over her haircut.
Keri Russell’s haircut inFelicityseason 2 was a water-cooler moment in late 1990s pop culture. Even people who did not watchFelicitywere aware of Russell’s haircut, which became a punchline on late-night TV, and was lampooned onBuffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, andGilmore Girls.The CW claimed the haircut was the cause ofFelicity’s falling ratings, althoughchanging the show’s timeslot to Sunday nights in season 2 led toFelicitylosing a third of its viewership, as reported inTime.
Our Take On Felicity’s Haircut 26 Years Later
Keri Russell Moved Onto New Roles After Felicity
Keri Russell looks back with amusement at all of the hullabaloo over Felicity’s haircut in 1999. Despite the haircut andFelicity’s cancellation in season 4,TimenamedFelicityone of the All-Time 100 Best TV Shows in 2007, and Felicity Porter was ranked among the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years” byEntertainment Weekly.As a result of the backlash, however,The WB Network instituted a"no haircut"policy for its actorsin the wake ofFelicity’s controversy.
Of course, Keri Russell grew her hair back, and became a Golden Globe winner and four-time Emmy nominee for starring in the critically acclaimed spy seriesThe Americans.Russell also appeared inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,and headlinesThe Diplomaton Netflix. Looking back at Felicity’s haircut, it was a watershed moment for Keri Russell and the series, and many audience members soured onFelicitypost-haircut. 26 years later, there’stalk of rebootingFelicity, which Keri Russell would be game for, but don’t expect another haircut if it happens.
