Ginny & Georgia’s Scott Porter has hit back at critics of his bleached blonde hair.
“It was for work … but go ahead and keep being a total d*** on the internet,” he wrote via Instagram on Sunday, September 20, in response to a troll who wrote that his fresh dye job was the result of a “crisis.”
The social media user, who later apologized to Porter, 47, for sounding “meaner than I meant it to be,” had originally argued that the actor “feels young again. This is what men do when they get middle-aged. They have a crisis.”
Porter, who rose to fame as Jason Street on Friday Night Lights before starring as George Tucker in Hart of Dixie, in turn accepted the apology — but needed to get more off his chest. “I mean … take a peek back at what you wrote? Mid-life crisis? Not sure how folks are supposed to know that’s just a funny? All good tho, sorry about the d*** comment. We square?” he wrote.
The actor, who plays Mayor Paul Randolph on Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia, defended the styling decision amid further criticism on the post. “Why the hell did you go blonde? Change back,” demanded another Instagram user, to which Porter responded, “Make me.”
Another person commented, “No, no, no, bring back the brown hair,” which drew yet another humorous reaction from Porter: “No, no, no … that’s it … that’s the response.”
Additional comments from Porter shone a light on how his brunette locks transitioned to stark blonde. “It was super silver at first … but I almost like the yellow a bit more,” he explained.
Porter also confirmed the work that led to his sudden style switch-up. “Did it for a rock show with @raffiandtherippers. We sold out the Troubadour and I said … when am I gonna get to do this again in my life?” he wrote elsewhere. (Porter has a musical background, starring in 2009’s Bandslam and recording vocals for its soundtrack, and occasionally performs with rock bands.)
The multi-threat talent also commented on how his hair color had riled so many people up. “It’s kind of wild, isn’t it? Made me put my sassy pants on,” he wrote in response to a fan who labeled the criticism “judgemental.”
For some, Porter’s new ‘do was impressive. “The hair is so good, why [is] everybody hating?” wrote one person, while another noted, “It will look really good in, like, 3 weeks when you get some good grow out.”
