Man With ‘Grizzly Adams’ Beard Gets Huge Makeover on TV From Fashion Legend Tim Gunn

Illustration - Chid87/Shutterstock

When a then-38-year-old man named Josh came on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” his wife, Heidi, was insistent that he get a serious makeover. The military veteran husband hadn’t been clean-shaven or had short hair since his days in the Army and needed a change.

As Oprah described his predicament, “His girlfriend Heidi says he’s gone from clean-cut to caveman. It’s been so long she’s seen his face, she can’t remember what he looks like.”

So, Oprah called in Tim Gunn, fashion consultant and mentor for designers on “Project Runway” to help transform Josh into a brand-new version of himself.

Josh’s wild, thick beard and hair had been his signature feature ever since he and Heidi met. She explained, “I remember being kind of afraid to kiss him for the first time because I didn’t know where his mouth was.” Despite her regular requests to take a little bit off and make things more manageable, Josh would usually only let her snip “half an inch” at a time.

It wasn’t just Josh’s bushy and unkempt facial hair that was the problem. As Heidi pointed out, “Josh dresses like the Fonz. He wears a white T-shirt, jeans, and work boots every day.” While Josh didn’t seem to be aware of the fact that his outfit never changed, Heidi was set on improving it.

Of course, Gunn and his team had their work cut out for them, as Josh was very satisfied with the look he had for so many years. “I dare you to make me look better than I do right now,” he told the camera only half jokingly.

Oprah and Tim Gunn were both slightly shocked by Josh’s massive volume of hair, which she aptly described as “biblical.” As for Gunn, he likened Josh to the legendary 1970s TV hero. “Grizzly Adams as a prophet,” he said.

When the time came for the big reveal, Josh strode out onto the stage looking unrecognizable in brand-new jeans, a red shirt, a classic-tailored brown leather jacket, and stylish leather boots. More importantly, the beard was ... still there—but trimmed and looking sharp, with a close-cropped haircut to match, the man himself smiling widely, eyes sparkling.

The crowd went wild; his wife Heidi was in shock.

“What do you think of how you look?” Oprah asked Josh after the crowd settled down.

“I feel like a new man,” Josh answered. “Yeah, absolutely.”

Even more impressed was his wife, who said, “He looks great, and this is exactly what I’ve been trying to get him to do. He still has beard and hair, but he looks great.”

Gunn took a huge amount of hair off but had the good sense not to wipe away the man at his essence. “It’s all about respecting who they are at their core, but making them better, enhancing them,” he said. “And frankly, I didn’t want to take Josh’s beard completely off.”

Gunn added, “The easiest thing in the world would be to just strip them all clean and put them all in a tux, they'll look fabulous. But how do you make them really resonate who they are?” Josh’s new look was still Josh, only more “polished and sophisticated, and belongs to this century.”

Heidi was perhaps the most excited of all. “I can’t get over it,” she said. “Thank you, Tim!”