Kim Zolciak Shows Off Her 'Real Hair' & We're So Stunned

Bravoleberty Kim Zolciak has sported wigs for 99.9 % of the time she's been on reality television. This includes her time on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and her own solo endeavor, "Don't Be Tardy," which was recently cancelled. And while Zolciak — who's naturally a brunette — has occasionally experimented with darker shades of hair, she usually sticks with long, honey-blonde layers with subtle bleach-blonde highlights. Well, Zolciak just shocked fans (and surprisingly, it has nothing to do with her super messy and confusing divorce from Kroy Biermann). Instead, Zolciak has shown off her rarely-seen real hair after proudly flaunting her use of wigs over the years.

Taking to her Instagram stories for a February 2024 Q&A session, Zolciak flaunted her natural locks to her 3.3 million followers. In the since-expired post, Zolciak showed off her gorgeous blond hair, styled in long layers with a side part — similar to how she wears her wigs. "So many questions! YES this is all my real hair!!" Zolciak wrote on top of the photo (via Bravo). However, the bright blonde shade is certainly not natural, as Zolciak has already admitted that she's gone gray. "I've been 100 percent gray since I was 35," Zolciak shared with People in 2020. The reality star blamed her graying locks on her Italian ancestry. She also bragged about Biermann learning how to color it for her during quarantine.

Despite Zolciak's gorgeous natural strands, she'll probably always be closely associated with her iconic collection of wigs.

Seeing Kim Zolciak's real hair in 2024 is certainly a rarity, but it's not the first time she's shown it to fans. Zolciak debuted her natural hair in 2013 during the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" Season 5 reunion. Although Zolciak wasn't a main peach holder this season, she made a surprise appearance at the reunion and shockingly revealed that her towering updo was made up of all her natural hair. Later, Zolciak appeared on "Watch What Happens" and confirmed as much. "My guest, known wig-wearer Kim Zolciak, showed up with a hair that was naked except for her own hair," said Cohen (via Bravo). "Here you are letting me pull it a little bit, which was very exciting that you let me do that," he added.

Zolciak also showed off her real hair and bare face on Instagram in 2018 (via E! News). Alongside a photo of Zolciak in her most natural state, the reality star wrote, "I feel beautiful with no makeup and no wig and I feel beautiful with makeup and a wig. I love being a woman ... dressing up and I also love running around in my La Perla pajamas bottoms (that are old as s*** I wear them everyday) and my bathrobe..." 

Zolciak went on to add, "I have gone to bed maybe twice in my entire life with makeup on (yes even if I'm swaying at the sink hunni I still scrub that face) ... I think it's REALLY important to do YOU! Do what makes YOU happy! Love the skin you're in!"

Kim Zolciak clearly has gorgeous natural hair underneath her extensions, but it'll probably never inspire as much chit-chat as her wig use. That's partially because Zolciak's former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" co-star and friend, Nene Leakes, infamously dubbed her with the nickname "wig" early in the show's run, and the name has surprisingly stuck over the years. 

Leakes also repeatedly insulted Zolciak's use of wigs during the show. During a special taping of "Watch What Happens Live" in 2018, Leakes jabbed Zolciak by implying she bought her wigs from Party City, the beloved costume shop that's also known for its low-quality, synthetic hair extensions.

During an early season of "RHOA," Kim and Sheree Whitfield got into one of the franchise's most memorable fights during Season 2, which resulted in Whitfield tugging Zolciak's wig as Nene Leakes attempted to mediate. Needless to say, the move didn't go over well with Zolciak. Meanwhile, Andy Cohen actually referenced Zolciak and her wigs when he spoke on her decision to depart the franchise in 2018. "I think she's done, yeah," Cohen confirmed during an interview with E! News (via People). "[Kim] walked out of that reunion and I said, 'Yeah, I've seen the last of that wig at these reunions.'"