Carrot Top Is Barely Recognizable Today
Carrot Top has built an entire career around his signature red hair, but as he told the Desert Sun in 2023, it's been both a blessing and a curse. Explaining the origins of his winning stage name and long-lasting persona, he shared, "In the beginning, I didn't want to be Scott Thompson because that's boring." Given his passion for marketing, he set out to create a brand for himself, and it sure worked. However, he admitted, "I regret it every day of my life." Although he didn't elaborate on what exactly he'd do differently, it seems he's had second thoughts about going all in on his red 'do — which might explain why he recently decided to ditch it.
When the comedian showed up at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas in February 2024, he was barely recognizable. While hanging out in Jimmy Kimmel's suite, the Vegas alum took to Instagram to document the crowd celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs' big win — and show off his new hair. His messy mop was now pink and even appeared to have an ombre effect, going from light to dark. Fans quickly took notice, with one viewer writing on X, formerly Twitter, "Watching some pregame Super Bowl and what the hell happened to Carrot Top?" Another quipped, "What series of events resulted in Johnny Depp and Carrot Top becoming indistinguishable[?]" Indeed, he looked completely different, but it's not the first time he got people talking about his looks.
Inside Carrot Top's hair transformation
Carrot Top's curly red hair has been a mainstay for much of his career, but recently, he's been doing a lot of experimenting. As early as 2018, he was rocking pink locks, then in 2021, he showed off a surprising 'do that featured every color of the pride flag. In justifying the bold choice, he said on Facebook, "It's my brand, so I can do what I wanna do!" While he told folks it was temporary, he seemed to really dig the rose hues, and in September 2023, he went all in on bright pink. He then added streaks of purple and blue and eventually mixed in green, red, and orange. "It's kind of what I am: It's just a mess," he told 105.3 The Fan ahead of the Super Bowl. Revealing what inspired the overhaul, he shared how his nephew was behind him one day and told him he had a lot of gray hair. As for why he ditched the curls for a messy, tangled look, he told Bill Maher in 2023 that it came down to laziness. As he explained, because his natural hair is so full, it knots if it's not combed daily. He also joked, "It's dreaded because I dread every f**king day of my life being Carrot Top!"
The comedian previously left fans speechless when he straightened his hair for a Las Vegas Magazine cover in 2011. It took four hours, but he gushed, "I'm pleasantly shocked — I look really good!"
Carrot Top's appearance has sparked a lot of rumors
Carrot Top is no stranger to people talking about his looks. In the 2000s, folks couldn't get over how buff he'd gotten, and they were convinced he was using steroids. However, the comedian was adamant he'd always been a fitness buff ever since he started wrestling in high school in the mid-1980s. Eventually, though, his passion for working out began bordering on unhealthy. As he told Penn Jillette in 2014, "It was almost an addiction." He was in the gym for three hours daily and became obsessed with getting ripped. "I just worked out like a crazy man," he shared. "I also did all the supplements, all the creatines, glutamines, all that stuff." Even so, he said he never touched steroids. Then, one day in 2010, he spotted himself on a magazine cover and didn't like what he saw. "I decided I'd worked out enough," he told Esquire in 2015. "I quit cold turkey." Since then, he's taken up running and basic weight training.
Carrot Top has also sparked rumors of plastic surgery but has denied those whispers, too. He assured Florida Today in 2015 that he'd never gone under the knife and joked, "If I was going to have plastic surgery, I would look better than this!"
Despite all the talk about his appearance, Carrot Top is doing just fine for himself. In 2023, right after he celebrated 18 years of performing at the Luxor in Vegas, his contract was extended through 2030.