Jamie Lee Curtis has revealed that bleaching her hair for a film role before having a perm left it so badly damaged that it had been 'burned off' her head.
The 67-year-old Oscar winner shared the beauty confession while revisiting a television appearance from 1981, when she sported short blonde hair during an interview on NBC's Today show. She returned to the programme on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, to promote her new sitcom, Newlyweds, nearly 45 years after the original interview.
The Hair Disaster Behind Her 1981 Look
The archival footage showed Curtis being interviewed by former Today host Tom Brokaw on 31 October 1981, when she discussed her horror films Halloween and Halloween II. During the interview, Brokaw highlighted the actress' prominence that weekend, with the original Halloween scheduled to air on NBC and Halloween II arriving in cinemas.
'You were saying just a few moments ago that NBC this weekend stands for "Nothing But Curtis,"' Brokaw told her.
Curtis replied: 'Somebody told me this on the radio the other day and I thought it was so sweet. Halloween is gonna be on television on NBC on Friday and Halloween II is released Friday night in theaters.'
Curtis later shared the footage on Instagram, revealing the story behind her hairstyle. 'My hair had been burned off my head after getting it bleached for a movie and then a perm,' she wrote.
She added: 'Weird to see the past in the present. Thrilled to be back,' while tagging NBC and including the hashtag #nothingbutcurtis.
Curtis did not identify the film for which she had bleached her hair or provide further details about the damage. Her account offers a glimpse into the hair mishap behind the short blonde style seen in the archival footage.
Actress Revisits the Past While Promoting New Sitcom
Curtis returned to Today to promote Newlyweds, an NBC sitcom centred on a later-in-life love story. The series stars real-life married actors Téa Leoni and Tim Daly as Jeanie and James, a free-spirited woman and a buttoned-up professor who marry impulsively after a whirlwind courtship.
Leoni and Daly married in July 2025 after first meeting more than a decade earlier on the set of the political drama Madam Secretary. Curtis co-created the sitcom and serves as an executive producer and recurring guest star, with the series exploring romance and the possibility of finding love later in life.
Discussing the show's appeal, Curtis said: 'I mean, ultimately [at the core of this is love]. This is free TV! You get to turn us on on Friday night at 8:30 on NBC. What we get to bring you is love, aspirational love.'
She also highlighted the show's appeal to older viewers and those who continue to believe in romance. 'For all the Boomers out there, for all the single Boomers out there, for all the people that believe in the possibility of love, watching a real couple create this experience for you? It's infectious,' she said.
Curtis' comments about the sitcom reflect its focus on romance and the possibility of finding love later in life. Her recollection of the hair mishap, meanwhile, reveals the unexpected story behind the short blonde hairstyle she wore during her 1981 television appearance.
