Janelle James From Abbott Elementary Is Nearly Unrecognizable With Short Hair

Plenty of actors have played school principals, but no one does it quite like Janelle James of "Abbot Elementary." Her role as Ava Coleman is played to perfection, delivering lines with such flair that you can't help but burst out laughing at her tone-deaf moments. Fans of the show may have picked up on the fact that James' hairstyle often changes, and that's done for a reason. "Okay, in the beginning of her character building, she always had her hair like, you know, a different wig every single episode, like that was her thing. That was her vibe," hair department head, Moira Frazier, told the New York Post. As Coleman matured throughout the years, viewers saw her with a more sensible lob in Season 4, which represented her growth.

James is no stranger to rocking different hairstyles, but her 2025 SAG Awards look had us doing a double-take. With her sophisticated red lip and cropped hair, she was the only inspo you needed for a punk pixie cut. It was quite a departure from her character's normally long and voluminous 'dos, but it was stunning nonetheless. That's not the first time James has gone super short, and a few months later, she even went several shades lighter.

Proving that she's not afraid to chop off all her locks, Janelle James wowed yet again with her new look in June at the Newport Beach TV Fest. The comedian went even shorter this time with a buzz cut that was dyed a cool platinum blond shade that bordered on silver. The transformative haircut brought youthful energy to James' face and highlighted her chiseled cheekbones. She kept her makeup simple with a touch of eyeliner and a berry-colored lip gloss, which showcased her dramatic cut even more.

James wore her hair in a similar fashion (minus the platinum color) for a Variety shoot in April 2023. The "Comedy Lineup" writer posed with a black netting over her head and sported a fierce winged liner. According to the publication, that was the first time James had ever gone for a buzz cut, and her take on beauty is refreshing. Not one to fall into societal norms, her hairstyle embodies how she feels about being thin. She said of losing weight before "Abbott Elementary" Season 2, "Now I'm seeing all these people like, 'Oh, Janelle is hot!' So now I've gotta maintain that! I really do. I was like, I should have never lost this weight. Now that's what people expect from me." James added, "I just want to be funny and do things! Being hot is work — that's another job." Prior to being known as Ava Coleman and having a rotation of wigs on set, James wore her hair in braids, and she revealed the reason for rocking that particular style.

Before her "Abbott Elementary" role, Janelle James made fans laugh with her stand-up comedy, and while on the "Another Round" podcast in 2017, she said of her preferred hairstyle at the time, "I've been in a braid phase for a minute." The comedian went on to joke, "As Black women get more and more famous, the straighter their hair gets." James added that she'd put on a wig every now and then, but had no idea how to make it look natural, and little did she know then that hairpieces would be a part of her daily life in a few years.

In August 2017, James shared a gorgeous selfie sporting a chic braided hairstyle you could wear every day. With her long hair in cornrows and a single braid going down her middle part, she looked oh-so ethereal. "Love love love my hair," James wrote. A fan hilariously replied, "So stunning you could throw a phone at me and I wouldn't even care." Another raved, "You look like a goddess!!" Short or long, it's safe to say James looks stunning no matter what hairstyle she goes for.