Conan O'Brien once convinced Tom Selleck to shave off half his mustache in wild TV moment
It’s nearly impossible to picture Tom Selleck without his iconic mustache, yet the actor dared to do exactly that. During his appearance on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien,' Selleck stunned fans with an unexpected move. In a playful twist, the Emmy Award winner didn’t just shave his mustache; he only took off half, making for a truly unforgettable TV moment.
During his interview with Conan O'Brien, Selleck found himself in a hilarious predicament while promoting two projects, the show 'Reversible Errors'—where he had his signature mustache—and 'Ike,' the film—where he was missing his signature stache—as per The Things. To "properly" promote both projects, O’Brien jokingly suggested Selleck shave off half his mustache, saying, "Would you be willing to shave off half your mustache?" Selleck, initially hesitant, responded, "Well, I could just explain it." However, O'Brien persisted, insisting, "I think it'd be better if he shaved half his mustache."
With the audience cheering him on, Selleck gave in to the idea, though he remained skeptical, saying, "This is a good idea; it's not going to work." As the clippers buzzed away, Conan joked about their poor quality, and Selleck replied, "They're not very good." Once the impromptu grooming session was complete, Selleck humorously acknowledged his new look, saying, "I don’t know, I need a Band-Aid." Conan, still amused, encouraged him, "Please, can you wear it like that for a day and walk around?" to which Selleck quipped, "I got shows to promote—people are going to think I've lost my mind!"
Just like O'Brien, fans were also impressed with Selleck's bold move and shared their opinions under the YouTube post by Conan O'Brien. A comment said, "They're both laughing at the irony of promoting 'Reversible Errors' after you shave off half your iconic mustache on the air," while another reads, "Without the mustache he looks a lot like George Clooney." Another remarked, "Tom shaves off half of his mustache, and the mustache is still on his face." A comment stated, "Selleck is the ONLY man who can rock a mustache and NOT look creepy. ONLY SELLECK!!!!!"
In addition, Selleck revealed that his iconic mustache almost didn't make it onto 'Blue Bloods.'. In an interview with People, the actor shared that he initially considered shaving it off for his role as police commissioner, Frank Reagan. "At the time, they had him as the New York City police chief," Selleck explained. "That’s not the boss in New York, the way it’s structured."
Selleck recalled nearly shaving off his mustache for 'Blue Bloods,' but CBS ultimately rejected the idea. "And I said, 'Well, I don't think they can have mustaches, so I'll shave off my mustache,'" Selleck shared. “And [executive producer] Leonard [Goldberg] said, ‘Let me check with CBS.’ And they said no." He also reflected on past experiences of being asked to remove his mustache early in his career. Selleck shared that he became accustomed to shaving off his mustache for early roles but eventually grew comfortable with it over time.