Hair today, gone tomorrow! John and Edward Grimes — aka Irish pop twins Jedward — have said goodbye to their iconic sky-high quiff hairstyles. The twins shaved their heads on Friday night as part of a fundraising special edition of Ireland’s The Late Late Show.
The de-quiffing took place live in the Late Late studio, with host Ryan Tubridy watching on from a Covid-safe distance. First John took to Edward’s hair with the trimmers, removing the blonde locks atop his head.
As Edward was shorn, he told Ryan, “We’ve had this hair for over ten years. It’s part of our identity. I don’t think we’d be here today if we didn’t have the hair.”
But he was in for a shock as he caught a glimpse of himself in a studio monitor, explaining, “Jaysus! Who am I?! Who is this person?” Edward then urged viewers to donate in support of the Irish Cancer Society.
Edward compared himself to Sinead O’Connor, the acclaimed Irish singer known for her close-cropped hair. The brothers also sang a bit of her 1992 hit “Nothing Compares to You”.
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It was then John’s turn, with Edward at the trimmers. John gave a shout-out to people affected by cancer. He also paid tribute to family members who had battled cancer, including the twin’s mother who died from cancer in 2019.
Earlier in the show, Jedward gave a heartfelt performance of Cyndi Lauper’s ballad “True Colours”, in tribute to those affected by cancer.
The de-quiffing took place on Daffodil Day, the Irish Cancer Society’s annual fundraising day. The shaving of hair is a common activity for cancer fundraising, whether it’s for donating hair to be used for wigs, an empathic gesture for cancer patients who have lost their own hair, or simply as a way of drawing attention to a good cause.
The special edition of The Late Late Show raised €2.5m for the Irish Cancer Society.
Jedward’s jepic hair at Eurovision
While the Grimes brothers developed their iconic hairstyle during their time on The X Factor UK in 2009, it was at Eurovision 2011 one decade ago that their quiffs gained infamy.
Jedward turned up on stage in Düsseldorf with red military-style jackets and sky-high quiffs. Their hairstyles were even immortalised on the giant LED wall, which saw the twins win the Marcel Bezençon Artistic Award for the staging.
While Jedward returned to Eurovision 2012, their quiffs didn’t make it to the Baku stage. The twins chose to wear their hair in a flatter style for the “Waterline” performance.
In 2014, Jedward were awarded “Highest Hair” as part of the Eurovision Book of Records skits played during the Eurovision 2014 ad break slots. The segment claimed that Jedward’s quiffs had measured a record 18.2cm tall — even higher than the highest hairdos sported in the 1980s, the decade of mouse and perms.
What do you think of Jedward’s new hair? Should they return to their iconic quiffs or stick with the short style? Tell us your thoughts there!
how very butch …. LOL
The look like Children of the Corn.
Well done to them raising awareness and money this Jedward way. Somehow, this new style also suits them! But omaga, that bleach colour was so light…
Fair play to jedward!
It’s a shame they never grew up, meanwhile their fandom (which was massive) did and moved on. They would be extremely famous if they made the right moves.
You mean, they stayed true to themselves and who they are?
no they didn’t move on haha my friend booked tickets to go on a zoom call with them on St Patrick’s day. they chatted with her and gave some private performances. she said they were really nice but it sounds kinda awks to me…
You’re joking right? Their fandom is still there and haven’t “moved on”, in fact we’ve moved along and grown up with them (check @planetjedward on Twitter if you want to see how grown up they are). As for being extremely famous –
They literally can’t go anywhere in the world without being recognised now – so I can’t imagine what you’d consider to “be extremely famous”. Finally, maybe you should consider that the “moves” they make are the ones they’ve decided on, so they’re right for them. You Do You.
Great, now say goodbye to those duck lips pose.