Katharine McPhee Chops Hair: ‘Smash’ Star Shows Off Shorter ‘Do

Katharine McPhee has chopped her hair short, sparking fresh rumors that the future of NBC’s Smash, in which McPhee plays the long-locked Karen Cartwright, could be on the way out.

The 29-year-old actress tweeted a picture of herself at co-star Krysta Rodriguez’s birthday party on March 25, complete with a choppy chin-length ‘do. She was later papped while out and about in Los Angeles.

As well as her new Calista Flockhart-esque cut, McPhee’s hair colour also appeared a couple of shades lighter in the latter photos. Her new ‘do was almost golden brown, compared to her former chocolate brown tresses.

McPhee was in L.A. to appear on American Idol, the same show on which she was a finalist in 2006.

While on Idol, McPhee and OneRepublic joined forces to bellow out her song “If I Lose Myself.” You can see McPhee and OR frontman Ryan Tedder performing in the video below.

The future of Smash is still up in the air, by all accounts. The musical drama series about the lives of those involved in a Broadway drama has suffered falling ratings throughout its second season. NBC responded by moving the show to Saturday nights, though a third season is reportedly not likely. McPhee’s Smash co-star Debra Messing hinted at a cancelation when she recently told Parade:

“It’s sad. I think that everyone involved in Smash has loved the concept and the world that we’ve been playing in, and we all wish that it performed better than it has. But it’s the business of television. It’s erratic and it’s something you can’t control at all. We still don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re all really proud of it.”