Leighton Meester's Natural Hair Color Makes Her Almost Unrecognizable

We love a good Hollywood mystery, but not necessarily the Alfred Hitchcock or David Fincher kind. We can't get enough of the classic game of "guess her true hair color." Okay, so it's not an actual game, but we still love looking at actors who have stumped us with their tresses, especially when said celebs are nearly unrecognizable with their natural hair color. Like, come on, Billie Eilish, whose actual color is so different from her signature style.

Another one who isn't what we all think? Leighton Meester. When she rose to fame as Blair Waldorf on "Gossip Girl," brunette hair suited the star as well as her headbands did, while also juxtaposing with blond good girl Serena van der Woodsen, played by Blake Lively. Fun fact: Meester originally tried out for the role of Serena, but when producers saw her as more of a Blair, she dyed her blond hair brown. That's right: She's naturally blond. She briefly sampled fair tresses again back in 2018 and, luckily, let us all see what she actually looks like.

Fans of Leighton Meester loved seeing the actor with blond hair when she posted a pic of herself wearing her natural hue. There were a lot of comments about how she looked like Gwen Stefani, and one fan wrote, "Blonde suits you. You should leave ur hair blonde." Unfortunately for that follower, she didn't.

Hair chameleon Meester went back to brunette later in 2018, and then in February 2025, she surprised fans again by joining husband Adam Brody at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, sporting copper locks. As her colorist, Amy Huson, wrote on Instagram: "Leighton can literally pull off any color, but I was thrilled when she wanted to become a red head! This was so much fun to create." It's not just about playing with hair colors, either. Research actually says that red hair can change your life.