Kerry Washington's Latest Haircut Shows Off Her Curls In All Their Glory

There’s no question that Kerry Washington can do it all: acting, activism, and, of course, serving endless looks. The star is constantly delivering fresh new styles, proving that she can, indeed, pull off anything she tries. Lately, she’s been loving braided looks, but just in time for her birthday, (which is the last day of January), Washington successfully surprised fans with a short hairstyle that puts her gorgeous natural curls in the spotlight. A series of Instagram photos shared yesterday show off Kerry Washington’s curly cut as well as a glowy, natural makeup look punctuated by a bright red lip color and dainty gold hoop earrings.

The star revealed her new look saying, “Fresh cut. Curls and coils 💯. Thank to the artist that is @villalobos_linda ✂️.” As per her caption, the fresh chop is courtesy of hairstylist Linda Villalobos, who previously worked with Washington on the set of the hit Shonda Rhimes series Scandal and led the hair department for the Amazon Original movie Sylvie’s Love starring Tessa Thompson. Unsurprisingly, Washington’s new curly cut is drawing quite a positive response from friends and fans alike. Fellow actors have shared their support, with Teyonah Parris leaving three heart-eyes emojis on the post and Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi commenting an enthusiastic “LOVE.”

The last time fans saw Washington’s natural coils was in November of 2021 when she debuted an adorable pigtail puff hairstyle. Previous to her recent chop, she’s been loving braided looks of all kinds — but seemed to have a particular love for beaded braids. In October, the actor appeared with box braids with beaded bangs that made her look like actual royalty, and this past summer, she debuted extra-long braids with beaded ends.

For her official birthday celebration, Washington opted for straight hair, posing with a handful of yellow balloons. She shared the stunning look via Instagram looking as radiant as ever. “My heart is soooooooooo full from all of your beautiful birthday messages. THANK YOU,” she wrote in the caption. “I’m so excited to spend this next year with you all sharing projects, art, people, causes, & moments that inspire me.”

Here’s to hoping Washington will show off her curls more often this year, in-between her go-to protective styles, and the myriad of red carpet hairstyles in her arsenal.