Blond or Brunette — What's Zooey Deschanel's Natural Hair Color?

Zooey Deschanel has rocked her chestnut brown eye-grazing bangs for so long, that the hairstyle has become a signature look for the star. It's synonymous with the actor, and many people call on her blunt fringe as a reference picture at the salon just before undergoing a big chop. Though the musician is rarely seen without her iconic dark-colored hair, she's worn it in a myriad of different shades on screen throughout her acting career.

Most recently in May 2023, she debuted her latest hair transformation on Instagram, which understandably made her followers do a double take. In a mirror selfie, which shows her stepping into the role of Kellie in Apple TV+'s "Physical," she swapped her brunette hair for retro-inspired voluminous blond curls. With platinum hair, the actor looked unrecognizable. "Who's she?" she captioned the image, jokingly calling attention to the stark departure from her usual look. Though the presence of dark roots could suggest she bleached her hair, she likely wore a wig for the role, meaning the style is only temporary. Regardless, many fans have been speculating on the "New Girl" star's natural hair color for quite some time now, so we're settling the long-standing debate. Deschanel is — drum roll, please — a natural brunette.

Speaking with StyleCaster in a 2019 interview, Deschanel set the record straight once and for all, as many publications prior had mistakenly assigned blond as her birth hair color. "My hair has been the same color pretty much my whole life," she told the outlet. "My hair is naturally dark brown. If you look at my family, my dad has dark brown hair. My mom has dark brown hair. My sister has brown hair. All signs point to brown hair."

The widespread confusion about Deschanel's natural shade likely originated from her role as Jovie in the 2003 cult-favorite Christmas comedy "Elf," in which she has short golden-blond hair. She later shared the chance circumstances that led to her dyed on-screen look in the holiday classic. "I had to dye my hair blond for a screen test for a movie that never happened before I did 'Elf.' And I went in for the meeting for 'Elf,' and then, I asked them, 'Could I dye my hair back to my natural color?'" she said, adding, "And they said, 'No. You have to keep your hair what it was in the meeting.'" The second filming ended and she was permitted to do so, she dyed her hair back to her usual dark hue.

Ahead, check out a handful of childhood photos of Deschanel perfectly demonstrating her natural brunette hair color.