The Red Carpet Hairstyle Kaley Cuoco Strongly Regrets

Ever thought your style was awesome in the moment, then looked back years later and cringed? With the wisdom of age, the power of hindsight, and the fluctuating standards of beauty, style regret is inevitable — and something that even affects A-list stars with whole glam squads at their disposal. Several celebrities admit that they regret certain red-carpet outfits from the past, including "The Big Bang Theory" leading lady Kaley Cuoco, who had something of a bangs mishap back in 2013.

Opting for a hairpiece to change up her look at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Kaley Cuoco certainly turned heads with the new look that was worlds away from her usual middle part. Upon reflection a decade later, the risk didn't pay off. "I still think this is the worst thing I've ever done," she shared with People in 2023. "I added a hairpiece, but it was bangs." The star added that the faux bangs "just did not work" and "looked so fake," and it seems that fans agree. "First time that I'm gonna say I don't like how she looks," one Reddit user commented, while others noted that she looked like a blond version of Elvira from "The Addams Family." 

According to fashion and red-carpet hair and makeup artist Luna Viola, hair regret usually comes down to three factors: "In my experience people often regret their hair choices when the outcome is unexpected and doesn't match the overall style, when they think they are ready for a change when in reality they are not, and when they have unrealistic expectations about a style that does not work with their hair texture or facial features." These may apply to Cuoco, whose foray into bangs territory was certainly unexpected. But in an exclusive conversation with Glam, Viola notes that there are a few steps you can take to avoid a similar fate, even if you do want to experiment with clip-in bangs.

Despite Kaley Cuoco's 2013 bangs not quite landing, the style actually isn't overly difficult to pull off, at least in Luna Viola's opinion. "Faux bangs are very easy to use as they are usually clip-in extensions that you clip to the real hair so it requires minimum styling," the hair artist explains exclusively to Glam. "However, they need to match the color perfectly to be undetectable and sometimes require some added layers to blend with the rest of the hair for a natural and seamless result." This may have been part of what went wrong for the "Charmed" actor; while the color was a perfect match to the rest of her blond hair, the clip-in bangs didn't flow naturally. 

"Any backcombing or teasing at the crown makes the whole look structured and unnatural, elongating Kaley's face shape," Viola adds, noting that if she had to style this look, she would position the hairpiece closer to where natural bangs would be, a shorter distance from the hairline, and opt for "less volume." As for what hairstyle would look best on Cuoco, Viola says, "She would suit the faux bangs paired with a soft high bun or sultry long straight hair for a youthful yet stylish look." We know this iteration would suit the star, as Kaley Cuoco's style transformation has included experimentation with updos and less-blunt fringes, all of which have looked stunning.

If working with a hairpiece still sounds overwhelming, there are other options, including the curling iron hack that will give you curtain bangs without actually cutting your hair. And if you're leaning more toward the real deal, there's a false bangs TikTok hack that lets you test drive a fringe before committing. Just clip your hair on top of your head and secure with a headband to decide if real bangs suit you or whether you're better off sticking to hairpieces.