There’s plenty to be excited about right now if you’re a Jennifer Love Hewitt fan — particularly the fact that she’s returning to one of her most beloved roles for the new I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel that’s set to hit the 2025 movie calendar in July. Ahead of the upcoming horror movie’s release, however, the actress debuted a new hair color, and it’s actually kind of scary that I almost didn’t recognize her.
Jennifer Love Hewitt took to Instagram on Mother’s Day to share some words from her book Inheriting Magic with others who might be without their mom for the holiday. As she read from “My Journey Through Grief, Joy, Celebration, and Making Every Day Magical,” I was taken aback not only by her compassion for her fans but by her transformed look, which you can see below:
Am I the only one having just a tad bit of trouble believing that’s even Jennifer Love Hewitt? Even though she rocks a lighter shade of brown these days on 9-1-1 — whose Season 8 finale is set to air on the 2025 TV schedule on May 15 — than she did back when she first became a horror movie “Final Girl” in 1997, I’ve never seen her cross this far into red.
When she debuted the look last week, she said it’s something she’s been wanting to do for a long time:
I have to say, the color — dubbed Sunset Lover by her hair stylist — looks fabulous, and her fans and celebrity friends alike were in full agreement, posting comments that included:
- Yessssss 😍😍😍😍😍 … And that’s exactly what you are! 😍😍😍 Sunset Lover 🌹🌹🌹 – Riawna Capri
- Such a beauty… in any color. 😍🔥 – Gio Benitez
- Stop!!🔥🔥🔥🔥 – Marla Sokoloff
- Oh wow!! I love it! – Amanda Kloots
- This is a yes for me. 😍 – Alyssa Milano
- Ravishing in red! 😍 Should I go red to match??? – Tommy DiDario
We’ve already gotten to see Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie in the first images from I Know What You Did Last Summer, so we know she was still rocking her classic brunette look for the film. She and Freddie Prinze Jr. are set to reprise their roles, which is great news for fans of the ‘90s horror flick but also possibly a bit confusing.
Spoilers ahead for the 1998 sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, but it is suggested that both Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr.’s characters are killed in the end. The new movie’s director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson disputed claims that she’s ignoring the sequel but said she thinks the movies’ final scenes happen outside the canon and therefore Julie and Ray are still alive.
Justify it however you want, because I’m just happy we’ll see our newly ginger queen back in that universe. I Know What You Did Last Summer premieres Friday, July 18, and you can also catch Jennifer Love Hewitt on 9-1-1 as it wraps up its current season at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, May 15, on ABC and streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.
