“The people in my life love me no matter what color my hair is,” she said.

Everybody Loves Raymond’s Patricia Heaton fires back at critics of her gray hair

"The people in my life love me no matter what color my hair is," she said.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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May 28, 2026 3:32 p.m. ET

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Patricia Heaton. Credit:

Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty

- Patricia Heaton responded to social media users criticizing her gray hair.

- The actress said that she no longer has the patience for boxed hair dye.

- "The people in my life love me no matter what color my hair is," she added.

Patricia Heaton has no regrets about going gray.

The *Everybody Loves Raymond* star posted a video on Instagram on Wednesday responding to critics of her silver locks.

"Regarding that," Heaton, 68, began as she pointed to a screenshot of a comment opining that she is "too young for grey old lady hair."

Patricia Heaton on Instagram.

Patricia Heaton/Instagram

"Some of you seem very concerned about the silver in my hair," Heaton said. "But let me just say: there's some things that come along in life that I've just decided to embrace, and that doesn't include boxed hair dye."

Heaton continued, "The people in my life love me no matter what color my hair is, and maybe we could all use a little more of just accepting what is and being grateful."

The *Middle* star previously celebrated National Mature Women's Day on April 9. "A little reminder that getting older has its perks, and today we celebrate every single one of them!" she wrote on Instagram.

Last year, Heaton reunited with her *Everybody Loves Raymond* costars to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the beloved sitcom. In the *Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion* special, she shared how naturally her character, Debra, came to her.

"I didn't really have to do research, and I didn't really have to do acting," she explained, "because it was what we were all dealing with in our marriages. And so, fortunately, we got to monetize that."

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Heaton went on to explain how desperate she was to land a steady TV job. "I was going through — and I think why the show worked, we were all going through — what the Barone family was going through in our lives," the actress said. "I had a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old in my life. I had a babysitting issue when I was coming to the audition, I needed to get back. I was cutting out coupons for 50 cents off two packs of Ball Park Franks, so I needed the gig."

Patricia Heaton in 2025.

Michael Loccisano/WireImage

The show's co-creator and star, Ray Romano, noted that there was "one little key element" in Heaton's audition that "really sold" him on the actress, who won two Emmys for her performance on the comedy.

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"There was a part [in the script] where it says, 'She kisses her husband,'" he explained. "And every other actress [auditioning for the role] just kind of mimed it. For some reason, she did it."

Heaton didn't realize she was alone in her decision to commit to the kiss. "Nobody else?" she asked.

"And when she walked out, I go, 'That's the one!" Romano recalled, laughing.

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