Julianne Hough Hilariously Shaves Her Head After Brother Derek Hough Backs Out of His ‘Sexiest 40-Year-Old’ Promise
Sometimes, the best sibling moments happen when one takes the joke a little too far. This week, Julianne Hough proved exactly that when she turned her brother Derek Hough’s lighthearted “Sexiest Man Alive” bet into an unforgettable moment on live TV.
It all started when Derek promised fans he’d shave his head if he won PEOPLE’s “Sexiest 40-Year-Old” Reader’s Choice poll for 2025. At the time, it was a funny, throwaway line — the kind of thing you say assuming you’ll never actually win. But fans had other plans. When the results came in, Derek was named the winner, and suddenly, his hair was on the line.
The Dancing with the Stars judge took to Instagram with a poll asking fans whether he should follow through on his promise, captioning it with a nervous smile: “Should I shave it?” The poll options — “Yes” or “No” — were a playful way to delay the inevitable. When fans overwhelmingly voted yes, Derek hesitated. The buzzcut didn’t happen.
But leave it to Julianne, his sister, co-star, and all-around showstopper, to make things interesting. On the Halloween episode of Dancing with the Stars, she walked out backstage completely bald — or at least appearing so. “@derekhough wouldn’t shave his, so I did,” she captioned a photo on Instagram, proudly showing off her new look while holding a DWTS sign. She added a cheeky, “My head’s cold,” in the comments, sending fans into a frenzy.
Julianne’s transformation wasn’t permanent — she was likely wearing a professional bald cap created by the show’s talented makeup team — but the dedication was real. Her timing, her confidence, and her sense of humor made the stunt go viral almost instantly. Fans praised her for her boldness, joking that she “took one for the team” after her brother bailed.
What makes the moment even better is the relationship between the Hough siblings. Over the years, they’ve shared countless moments of laughter, pranks, and public support, from childhood dance competitions to sharing the stage on national television. This wasn’t just a gag — it was a classic Hough sibling move: full of love, humor, and family pride.
Derek couldn’t help but respond online, reposting photos of Julianne’s new look and laughing about it. “She did it! I can’t believe she actually did it,” he said in a video shared on his Instagram Stories. Fans flooded his comments section, daring him to finally keep his word.
The best part of the whole thing might be how Julianne owned the moment. Even without hair, she radiated confidence, elegance, and fun — reminding everyone that beauty isn’t tied to appearance, but to attitude. For someone known for her glamorous looks on Dancing with the Stars and red carpets, it was refreshing to see her completely embrace a fearless, comedic twist.
At its heart, this story isn’t about a silly bet or a viral TV moment — it’s about family. It’s about siblings who never stop making each other laugh, even in front of millions of people. It’s about turning small promises into shared memories and showing that humor, love, and humility always win.
Julianne Hough’s bald reveal might have started as a joke, but it became something more: a reminder that not taking yourself too seriously is its own kind of beauty. And somewhere out there, Derek Hough is probably double-checking his next bet before opening his mouth again.
