A heart shaped lock drawn in pink and purple lines

Bravo Insider Exclusive

To read this article, you must have a Bravo subscription.

The Daily Dish How to Holiday

Emily Simpson Debuts Dramatic New Haircut: “Who Cuts Their Hair Off on Christmas Eve?"

The Real Housewives of Orange County's Emily Simpson made a major change to her look over the holidays.

By Casey Suglia

Emily Simpson got a brand new look for Christmas this year. Weeks after The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member dyed her brunette hair just a little darker (more on that later), she debuted a brand new, much shorter chop to her tresses, just in time to impress Santa himself.

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of Orange County on Peacock and the Bravo App.

The mom of three took to her Instagram Story on Dec. 25, Christmas day, where she showed off her much shorter hair than before. She first posted a selfie, standing in front of her Orange County house alongside her 9-year-old twins, Luke and Keller Simpson, and 11-year-old daughter, Annabelle Simpson. In the photo, Emily's darker hair can be seen teased and curled to perfection, hitting just at her shoulders.

She then confirmed, in the following photo, that this cut isn't an illusion — it's a permanent change, for now. "Who cuts their hair off on Christmas Eve?" she asked, over the selfie showing off her new chop. "Me," she answered, tagging her Orange County hair stylist.

Emily Simpson of RHOC shows off her new haircut on Instagram.

Reactions to Emily Simpson's short haircut

Emily also took to her Instagram feed, where she posted the sweetest photo of her and her three kids (sans husband, Shane Simpson, who was taking the photo), standing outside of their home. In the photo, Emily's dark brown hair practically blends in with her black sweater and pants, sticking out amongst the bright colors of the holidays.

"Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Friends!" she wrote in the caption of the post. "I hope your day with your family is magical."

Bravolebrities and Emily's RHOC cast members took to the comments of the post, where they fawned over her new hair transformation. "The hair!!!!!!!" Gina Kirschenheiter wrote. "Love!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Wow love your hair," The Real Housewives of Miami's Guerdy Abraira, added.

Details on Emily Simpson's new hair transformation

Emily had previously transformed her chestnut brown colored locks into a much darker hue in late November. The former lawyer and current podcast host took to her Instagram Story on Nov. 21, where she posted several hair color samples in a range from lighter to darker colors.

"New hair! Should I go lighter or darker?" she asked her Instagram followers, before making her final decision.

Emily Simpson's new hair look.

Emily and her hair stylist ended up deciding on "coffee colors," opting for an "espresso" and "americano" inspired hair color. She also got hair extensions put in at the time, but it appears that she has since taken them out for this much shorter look.

The history of Emily Simpson's hair

The last time Emily had hair this short was when she chopped it off in May 2023. At the time, Emily noted that she needed to "simplify" her life. But, she took to her Instagram Story two months later, where she revealed that she had made the drastic cut, following the passing of her late dog, Fisker.

"Two days later I had a hair appointment and couldn't stop crying," Emily wrote in a July 2023 Instagram Q&A. "I asked her to remove all my extensions and cut my hair. I felt so heavy with grief that for some reason cutting off my hair felt therapeutic."

Want the latest Bravo updates? Text us for breaking news and more!