The annals of pop culture are littered with events, people and once incredibly popular things which eventually matter a lot less, but someone who has endured across 40-plus years is Tom Selleck. Currently preparing for his long-running hit, Blue Bloods, to end its run on the 2024 TV schedule, the actor is also still known for his now very iconic facial hair, and he recently revealed the groan-worthy joke about said mustache that he’s gotten a lot during his Hollywood career.
What Groan-Worthy Joke Has Tom Selleck Gotten A Lot About His Mustache?
We all love Tom Selleck, but let’s not beat around the bush here: the man is known for his mustache. Sure, he’s an amazing actor who brought private investigator Thomas Magnum, Dr. Richard Burke, NYC Police Commissioner Frank Reagan and more great characters into our lives, but one cannot undersell the importance of that ‘stache. It’s become so important (for his fans, anyway) to his overall Selleckness that CBS wouldn’t let him shave off his mustache for Blue Bloods in 2010.
As such, he’s spent much of his career getting questions about and attention for his famed facial follicles, even though he has worked without it at times. While speaking with The Telegraph recently, he opened up about a mustache-related joke that he’s gotten a lot during his time as a TV and movie star. When reminded that the roles he’s known most for have featured a proudly ‘stac hed Selleck, he replied:
Yeah, I know. It just got to the point where I’d go on a talk show and they’d say, ‘Now Tom, we have a surprise – act shocked but at a certain point, everybody in the audience is going to put on a mustache!’ And I’d have to say, ‘Look, I know you thought you had a good idea but I’ve done that five times…’
Oh, boy. I’ve seen the OG Magnum P.I. star (who refuses to call the show by its full name) on many talk shows, but I’ve never witnessed this particular gag-inducing gag. It does seem like a very “I’m producing a talk show in 1985 and a famous actor with a famous mustache is coming on” thing to do, though, doesn’t it?
Luckily, once the definitely not retiring actor got tired of playing along with this particular mustache joke, he clued people in on how many times it’s been done and was likely able to halt any more offenses. Now, other actors who boldly sport a ‘stache can do so unimpeded by bad jokes! Or, this particular bad joke, and at least that’s something!
While Selleck still hopes that those at CBS will change their minds about keeping Blue Bloods on the list of shows canceled and ending in 2024, right now, its last fall premiere is set to take place on October 18.