For years, Drew Barrymore has stayed loyal to her warm, golden-brown brunette. It’s been part of her identity — soft, effortless, familiar. So when she appeared with icy gray hair, even longtime fans had to blink twice.
The dramatic switch happened on a new episode of The Drew Barrymore Show. Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton was in the studio transforming actress Valerie Bertinelli when he decided to give Barrymore a surprise preview of her own gray era.
And the result? Not what she expected.
Before anyone panicked, this wasn’t a permanent dye job — at least not yet. Appleton placed a gray wig on her head to show what she might look like if she embraced the silver trend. The cool-toned shade framed her face differently, sharper and more striking than her usual bronze hue.
Barrymore’s reaction said it all.
“I love it,” she admitted, clearly surprised by her own reflection. At another moment she laughed and confessed, “I literally was like, ‘I’m scared for both of us.’ I can’t believe how good I feel!”
The enthusiasm marks a shift from where she stood just two years ago. Back then, she openly admitted she was still covering her grays and wasn’t ready to commit to going fully silver. She appreciated the trend and called it beautiful, even fashionable — but said she wasn’t prepared to take that step herself.
Instead, she stuck to what she calls her signature tone. “It’s almost a bronze,” she once explained. Not too light, not too dark. A balance she felt comfortable maintaining. She also admitted lighter shades required upkeep she simply didn’t want to deal with. Roots, constant touch-ups — not her idea of fun.
Now, after seeing herself in full icy gray, the door feels a little more open.
Barrymore has never pretended to be anti-aging. In fact, just months ago, she shared a makeup-free selfie and declared that aging is a privilege. The message resonated — natural, honest, unapologetic.
Whether she eventually trades her brunette for permanent silver remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: she didn’t look afraid of it. She looked energized.
And that alone made the transformation feel bigger than just a wig.
