Aside from his beautiful ballads and resonating lyrics, Ed Sheeran has also claimed notability thanks to his vivid red hair. And while he was made fun of for his ginger 'do in the U.K. as a kid, his unique hair hue didn't present the same issue in the U.S. — that is, until a certain South Park episode aired.
The infamous 11th episode of Season 9, titled "Ginger Kids," finds Cartman antagonizing redheads by claiming they have no souls and suffer from a disease called "gingervitis." When his pals Stan and Kyle try to teach him a lesson by dyeing his hair red when he's asleep one night, Cartman ends up leading a violent "Ginger Separatist Movement."
Watch a clip from the classic 2005 episode, below:
“Having red hair in England was always a thing that people took the piss out of you for," Sheeran recently told Slam Radio via The Independent.
But according to the singer-songwriter, having red hair wasn't something people were made fun of for in the U.S. "People never knew what a ginger was in America," he claimed.
"I was going to America and everyone was like, 'I love your hair, dude.' And I was like, ‘Oh my God, people like my hair?' And then I remember that episode coming out and that was just it worldwide for the rest of my life.”
Sheeran added, "That episode of South Park f---ing ruined my life."
Despite his negative feelings about that one particular episode, Sheeran admitted that he still likes the show and would even be willing to voice a character one day — with or without a soul, no doubt.
Either way, something tells us the mega-wealthy, Grammy-winning artist's life wasn't literally ruined by South Park.
Iconic Celebrity Redheads
Whether dyed or natural, these stars are known for their fiery red locks.
ncG1vNJzZmion6Wws8HSoWWcp51ksqV50qGcnqqRo3q0u9Stn2aokae4brHPoqqonJViv7a1zZ6bZqSZm7Jw