11 Celebrities Who Completely Embrace Their Gray Hair

Find out what these stars said about going gray…

During the early days of the pandemic, Andie MacDowell started letting her hair go gray and after some encouragement from her children, she decided to go all in. While her managers were hesitant about her changing her locks, Andie was set on her choice — and quickly realized her “instincts were right.”

“I’ve never felt more powerful. I feel more honest. I feel like I’m not pretending. I feel like I’m embracing right where I am. I feel really comfortable. And in a lot of ways, I think it’s more striking on my face. I just feel like it suits me,” Andie told Vogue.

She continued, “I somehow feel like I look younger because it looks more natural. It’s not like I’m trying to hide something. I think that it’s a power move, and that’s what I kept telling my managers.”

Hilarie Burton Morgan has gone gray — and she’s not looking back. The actress explained that after years of watching her gray-haired male counterparts like George Clooney be fully embraced in Hollywood, she decided to do the same. While she admits there was an “awkward phase” when she started growing out her roots, she says it’s now “total freedom.”

“When I was growing up, the men who were really handsome, like the Harrison Ford’s out there, there was always that twinkle of gray hair. There was George Clooney. He turned into a silver fox. My husband turned into a silver fox right before my very eyes,” she told Scary Mommy. “I loved how their aging process was embraced. And so rather than just complain that us girls don’t get to do the same thing, I thought it was really important to walk the walk. And so, silver is here to stay.”

When Sarah Jessica Parker decided to go gray, it made headlines. But Sarah didn’t think it was such a big deal and believed that being applauded for her “bravery” just showed how much the public and media focused on women aging in Hollywood.

“‘Gray hair, gray hair, gray hair. Does she have gray hair?’ I don’t know what to tell you, people,” she told Vogue. “It almost feels as if people don’t want us to be perfectly okay with where we are, as if they almost enjoy us being pained by who we are today, whether we choose to age naturally and not look perfect, or whether you do something if that makes you feel better.”

Jamie Lee Curtis has now been rocking her natural hair for years but before making that decision, she did everything she could to cover her grays. She says she eventually got tired of trying to cover it up with chemicals.

“I tried to do everything you can do to your hair. Personally, I felt it humiliating. I would go into a hair salon, the smell of the chemicals, the feeling of that color on my hair, the wearing the things, sitting under the hair dryer, I was like, ‘For what?’” she shared during an appearance on Lorraine. “I have been an advocate for natural beauty for a long time, mostly because I’ve had the trial and error of the other part.”

Jane Fonda made her gray hair debut at the 2020 Academy Awards after working with hair stylist Jack Martin. At the time, the hair stylist spent 7 hours transforming Jane’s hair from her blonde locks to an elevated silver.

“I tell you, I’m so happy I let it go gray,” she shared on The Ellen Show. “Enough already with so much time wasted, so much money spent, so many chemicals — I’m through with that.”

Jon Bon Jovi has fully embraced his age and is proud to have gone gray. The musician joked that he left the leather pants in his past and is now all about acting his age.

“Yup, I’m the guy who embraced going gray! There are a lot of gentlemen out there whose names I won’t mention — and none of them have embraced the real them, have they,” Jon shared with The Telegraph, jokingly adding, “I’ll embrace the gray hair — but I won’t become fat Elvis.”

Helen Mirren has been embracing her natural hair color for years and jokingly says she decided to go gray out of laziness. She explained that she got tired of sitting around hair salons while getting her hair dyed.

“I did it because I’m lazy. Honestly, I’m so lazy about my hair!” she shared with PEOPLE. “It’s a lot of work and as wonderful as many hairdressers are, I don’t want to sit in a salon for hours. I just can’t be bothered with that.”

She added, “I think women were just so terrified of having white or gray hair because it immediately put them into a different category. And of course, you are in that age group. I’m sorry, but you are! So, why not just embrace it, go along with it and welcome it? Make it a positive thing as opposed to a negative thing.”

Tan France went gray as a young man and has chosen to embrace his natural locks — and feels like it makes him stand out in Hollywood. He also hopes that by rocking his gray, he can help other men embrace exactly who they are.

“I do feel like I’ve carved out a little niche for myself where I’m brown, I very much embrace my hair, and even how I’m going gray early, which is very typical for South Asian men. I embrace all of these things and I hope it empowers other kids who aren’t Caucasian to feel like they should be empowered to be who they are,” he told Refinery29.

Jeff Goldblum’s hair color has changed through the years but it doesn’t bother him. He’s been rocking his salt-and-pepper locks for years and believes it’s exactly how he’s supposed to look at this point in his life.

“My hair used to be dark, and now it’s salt-and-pepper. I like the way it looks. Luckily it’s still mostly there, so this is easy for me to say, but I would hope that if I lose my hair, I’ll just roll with it,” he told GQ in 2016.

He continued, “I’ve also never used Botox, never had plastic surgery. I think when nature changes your face — especially if you live a clean life — your body is designed so it all looks right together. When you try to be youthful, it only makes you look older.”

Diane Keaton has fully embraced her gray locks, which she debuted over a decade ago. When asked about how she’s been able to age so gracefully, Diane shared her best tips, including the fact that she believes older people look better with lighter hair.

“My hair is now white. It’s better to have light around your face — I think it looks better on older people. Darker hair is not as softening,” she told PEOPLE.

George Clooney has been considered the ultimate silver fox in Hollywood for decades — in fact, he started going gray when he was just 25. His hair has become his signature look and George says he wouldn’t have it any other way. When he had to dye his hair for a Broadway performance, he couldn’t wait to get back to gray.

“Oh, it’s not good. It’s not good,” he said on CBS Mornings. “I’m not used to it. You never get used to it. I started getting gray when I was 25. So I’ve been gray most of my life. So it’s not my favorite look, and my wife? She thinks it’s funny. [My kids] laugh at it, because nothing makes you look older than being 63 and dyeing your hair.”