Carrol Burnett wasn't a fan of her red hair — at first

Burnett said she felt like a "hussy."

January 13, 2025, 10:30AM By MeTV Staff

CBS Television Distribution

Carol Burnett is known for a lot of things; her voice, her iconic outfits, and of course, her amazing sense of humor. But when someone thinks of Carol Burnett, they think of that iconic head of bright red hair.

Those less familiar with Burnett's long career might not be aware that the actor is not a natural redhead.

Burnett began dying her hair early on in her career before she began working on The Carol Burnett Show. However, Burnett finally decided to forgo the hair dye after eleven seasons of the series and let her hair grow naturally after the series wrapped.

Oddly enough, Burnett had spent so many years dying her hair, that she had nearly forgotten what her natural hair color was.

"After all these years with red hair, I decided to revert to its original color," said Burnett during an interview with the Newspaper Enterprise Association. "Although it had been red so long, I wasn't too certain as to what its original color was - or might be today. So, I let it grow - and it was and is, once again, light brown."

Burnett first dyed her hair under the advice of a theatre director, George Abbott. While we all know and love Burnett's hair, the actor herself had a less-than-stellar reaction when she first caught sight of herself in the mirror.

"I remember when it was first dyed red, I was about to do "Once Upon a Mattress" on stage in New York," said Burnett. "The director, George Abbott, thought the character I played, Princess Winifred the Woebegone, would be more effective with bright red hair. The first time I saw myself, I felt like such a hussy."