Olivia Modling and Will Forte attend the World Premiere of Apple TV+’s Series “The Studio” at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 24, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Will Forte is promoting season two of Netflix’s The Four Seasons, which partially films on location in New York. Will lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Olivia Modling, and their two daughters, Zoe, five, and Cecilia, three. His family wasn’t able to join him on set, so they would FaceTime. During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Will told a story about an awkward call. Olivia had just gotten bangs. Will didn’t know she was getting a new hairdo and saw it for the first time over FaceTime. He did not give her the reaction she was looking for. Here’s Will’s story:
Will Forte: She picks up the FaceTime and she has freshly cut bangs. She has never had bangs before, since I’ve known her.
Seth Meyers: You didn’t know she was getting bangs?
Will: I did not know she was getting bangs. No words were spoken until I said, “What happened to you?” Not a great start. She said, “What?” Then, I said, “Is that a wig?”
In fairness to me, the way the bangs were presented, she was like hunched over a little bit. So it wasn’t like Brigitte Bardot bangs. It was more like Spock. It was also right around Halloween. So, I think, “Maybe she was going to dress as Spock for Halloween.”
Seth: And it was a wig?
Will: No words were spoken, but it didn’t take long to figure out that it was not a wig. I’m like, “How do I turn this around and make it seem like I think they’re beautiful?” Then, I kind of realized we were in the middle of rehearsal and everyone was like, “What are you doing on your phone?” So I said, “Oh, I got to go.” That was how it was left. “Is that a wig?” was the final thing I said. It was not good for like a half hour. I couldn’t call her back for a half hour.
These are the texts I got. She said, “Is that a wig? The. Worst. Possible. Thing. To. Hear. After. Cutting. BANGS.” I was like, “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.” Then, she said, “Divorce.”
Seth: Going pretty good at the ol’ Forte house.
Will: We got past it.
[From YouTube Transcript, edited for clarity]
“What happened to you? Is that a wig?” Yikes. It may have been an honest mistake, but it’s so cringe. I’m on Team Olivia here. That is definitely not what anyone wants to hear when they change hairdos. Will should have asked, “Did you do something different with your hair?” At least he was self-aware enough to realize he said something wrong. The text messages are hilarious, though. Olivia is a good sport to let him share those on national TV.
Mr. Rosie is usually pretty good about these kinds of things, but he had one memorable slip up over a decade ago. After seeing a picture of me around six months old, he exclaimed, “Woah, you look like Bat Boy!” He wasn’t wrong, but he knew right away that he shouldn’t have said that out loud. I still give him a hard time about it.
Note by CB: Olivia seems to have grown her bangs out! Here are Will and Olivia at the premiere of season two of The Four Seasons on 5-19-26.
Photos credit: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon, Juan Rico/Backgrid, Getty Images
Bat boy…yikes. I’m surprised Mr.Rosie still walks this earth!
I made a Facebook post shaming him at the time and I share it to his page every year when it comes up in my memories lol.
When in doubt do a Sir Anthony Strallan and say, “Did you do something jolly with your hair?”👌🏻
Wowzers she is absolutely stunning. Didn’t know Will had that in him- go Will!!
More like Spock. I’m dying. LOL
She’s so pretty! I bet she looked great in bangs too. It is confusing when someone you’ve known to look a certain way quite suddenly doesn’t. I think it’s human nature for anyone to react without thinking sometimes. She obviously has a healthy sense of humor. I would have done the exact same thing as her. And I bet his comment didn’t have anything to do with her growing the bangs out. I’m wracking my brains trying to think of anyone in my female circle who has bangs. We all have experimented with our hair to be fun, including bangs, and it seems those are the look that never sticks for US personally. I find them to be too fussy. She’s adorable and sounds so cool.
And I’m excited for season two of Four Seasons. Yeay!
I cut quite a bit off my hair and did a gloss treatment with a reddish undertone in my 20’s and my boyfriend at the time walked in, looked at me, and said “oops.” I kicked him out. Shortly after that, I threw away the whole man. Don’t say dumb stuff about our hair, guys!!
It sounds like Will made it up to her, and I can understand being caught off-guard if you didn’t know your long-time partner or spouse was making a big change. It also seems like the “loveable but goofy” aspects to many of the characters Will plays might be slightly autobiographical, lol.