Will Forte's Bangs Disaster Nearly Cost Him His Marriage

When Will Forte decided to FaceTime his wife Olivia Modling during rehearsals, he had no idea he was about to stumble into one of marriage’s most treacherous landmines: the unsolicited reaction to a new hairstyle.

The Saturday Night Live alum and star of The Last Man on Earth recounted the awkward exchange during a June 2026 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, and it’s a masterclass in how quickly a husband can talk himself into the doghouse. Modling had gotten bangs for the first time since they’d known each other—a bold move that deserved at least basic enthusiasm. Instead, Forte opened with perhaps the worst possible greeting:“What happened to you?”Things only escalated from there. His follow-up question,“Is that a wig?!”was so catastrophically misguided that even he recognized the error in real time.

To his credit, Forte attempted damage control with what he thought was charitable reasoning. The bangs, he explained, were positioned at an angle that made them resemble Spock rather than Brigitte Bardot, and since it was Halloween season, maybe she was testing out a costume? These mental gymnastics might’ve worked if he’d had time to finish the sentence—but rehearsal called, and Forte had to bail. He hung up mid-apology, leaving Modling’s disappointment hanging in the digital void.

The message came through moments later, and it was blistering.“Is that a wig? The. Worst. Possible. Thing. To. Hear. After. Cutting. BANGS!”she texted, before dropping the word that strikes fear into every married man:“Divorce.”

It’s the kind of story that lands perfectly because Forte owns every misstep. He didn’t blame Modling, didn’t make excuses—he just admitted he fumbled spectacularly. The couple, who met at a mutual friend’s party in 2018 and married in 2021 during an impromptu ceremony in Albuquerque while Forte was filming MacGruber, has navigated far bigger challenges than bad hair commentary. They’ve welcomed two daughters, Zoe and Cecilia, and Forte has repeatedly praised Modling’s patience and understanding. But as this story proves, even a patient wife has her limits when her husband questions whether her new look is synthetic.

The takeaway? If your partner tries something new with their appearance, enthusiasm first, analysis never.