SBF Shows Up in Court With Very Different Hair

Sam Bankman-Fried's wild mane of hair has earned almost as much notice as his alleged crimes, but we'll now have to get used to seeing him without it. The Guardian reports that the FTX founder, accused of fraud and money laundering, showed up for the first day of his trial Tuesday in New York looking "unusually well kempt," with his "characteristically unruly hair ... tamed by a recent haircut." A source tells Jacob Gallagher at the Wall Street Journal that a fellow inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn trimmed SBF's "overfed Chia Pet shag," swapping in a "by-the-book crew" cut instead.

Gallagher notes that Bankman-Fried's "personal vibe shift" also involved him sporting a dark-colored suit, which the source said had been picked up at Macy's for 40% off. The look is a departure for the onetime-billionaire, who'd taken to showing up at events "while dressed like a hungover freshman shuffling out for a slice of pizza." The reporter adds that SBF's new presentation is "like seeing an elephant in sneakers" or "a penguin wearing a swimsuit," though for now, only courtroom sketches have circulated. CNBC reports that, unlike his last court appearance, Bankman-Fried, who's been behind bars over alleged witness tampering, also showed up without shackles on Tuesday. The trial enters its second day Wednesday in New York. (More Sam Bankman-Fried stories.)