Sofia Vergara's Natural Hair Color Isn't Brunette And We're Stunned

Though most of us know Sofia Vergara best as brunette bombshell Gloria Pritchett on "Modern Family," her natural hair color couldn't be more different to her character's. Surprisingly, the actor and former model is a natural blond, who dyed her locks in her early 30s to further her career. "The way that I looked was not the way that Hollywood really saw Latina women. They were expecting a more dark-haired woman," the "America's Got Talent" judge told People. "I made the decision to change my hair color to dark, and that's how I started working." 

Vergara shared a similar story with Self, explaining that casting directors expected her to look more like Salma Hayek, who thankfully isn't playing by society's beauty rules as she ages. "I would go to auditions and they didn't know where to put me because I was voluptuous and had the accent — but I had blond hair. It was ignorance," she said. Thankfully, she found darker locks suited her inside and out. "I loved it. I'd always felt a little 'too much' as a blond, like a big-mouth version of Pamela Anderson. Being brunette toned me down a bit," the Colombia native said.

In a throwback modeling photo from 2000 posted to Instagram, we saw what she looked like before going to the dark side. Vergara, who's been very open about aging and plastic surgery, wowed with long, highlighted locks in a warm blond shade that worked with her tan skin. Some fans were so enamored they urged her to try it again. "Personally, I would like you to get back to that blond again," one Instagram user commented.

There are several more throwback images of Vergara showing her blond hair. In the '90s, she rocked her natural hue during an appearance on the Spanish language show "Viva el Lunes." The "Hot Pursuit" star stunned with dirty blond tresses that stretched down past her chest. She also sported a sleeker style with poker-straight hair, unlike the glam waves that became part of her trademark look.

Though brown later became her signature, Vergara has returned to lighter locks a few times, including in 2011 amid her stint on "Modern Family." "After the third season, I thought, 'Maybe now that everybody knows Gloria is Latin and they know me, I could go back to my more natural hair color.' So I did little by little and it was fine," she told People. 

Vergara also lightened her locks in 2022 before a taping of "America's Got Talent." The talent show judge shared an Instagram selfie from her bathroom, captioned, "Blond again[.] thank u @kellybkline [love] u #readyforAGT." Her mane wasn't quite as blond as it was pre-"Modern Family," as she still had brown roots, but her toffee highlights gave us Scandi Hairline vibes, which is when blond strands are added in select places to frame the face. Her new look lightened her locks in a way that was incredibly flattering and made her look years younger than her age. As for whether she'll ever go fully blond again, though? We'll just have to wait and see.