Netizens are cracking up over the 'Mr. Burns haircut' this mom gave her 12-year-old son

An Australian mother has left the internet in hysterics after sharing how she gave her young son a haircut that left him looking like C. Montgomery Burns—more commonly known as Mr. Burns—from "The Simpsons." Sharing a video of her 12-year-old son, Nathaniel, imitating the heartless billionaire saying the name of his sycophantic assistant, Mr. Smithers, to TikTok earlier last month, Johanna Clark asked fellow netizens if she's a "bad mum for letting" her son "cut his hair like Mr. Burns." Clark, who is from Bendigo, in Victoria, Australia, soon went viral on the platform, with the six-second video gaining over 6.4 million views.

Speaking to Mirror about the events leading to Nathaniel's unusual haircut, Clark revealed that although the original inspiration was Gargamel from "The Smurfs," the youngster ended up looking more like Mr. Burns when she was done with him. "He had this beautiful wavy blonde hair that he always wore swept to the side," she said. "I cut it myself because I felt weird going into the barber in our small country town and asking for such a crazy cut. They totally would have done it but I thought he would wear it for one day and then I could shave the rest—but he's still rocking it now!"

"Nathaniel is a quirky 12-year-old with autism and some pretty amazing self-confidence," Clark continued. "I was worried he might get picked on but he’s actually got a lot of street cred for the cut and has become a bit of a legend at school. His initial inspiration was Gargamel from 'The Smurfs' but he ended up looking more like Mr. Burns. We were out for tea and he asked for it and his siblings were pleading me to let him cut it like that so we went home and I got the clippers out. It really was hilarious—we all giggled for a good half an hour when we first cut it and he gets laughs from everyone who sees him now."

Clark added that although she wouldn't normally cut her child's hair like this, she considers her son's happiness to be more important than anything else. "I thought we would get so much negative feedback but everyone has been so supportive, thinking it’s great he can openly express himself without fear of judgment," she said. "He's so happy with the results and he wants to keep it like that ongoing, I'm praying he will let me shave it soon but if he's happy, I'm happy. He's only a kid for so long, let them be kids and have some fun."

Responding to Clark's concern regarding whether she was a bad mom for letting her son rock such a haircut, TikTok users were quick to assure her she had nothing to worry about. In fact, many praised her willingness to allow her son to explore and express himself. "He is happy and confident, it’s just hair, besides it’s a good learning experience for when he’s 50, so you're defo a great mom," commented Margaret Palermo. "Literally as long as he likes it, you're an amazing parent to allow him to have hair autonomy," wrote xadgetsit. "Nooo... using hair to express yourself is so innocent and a great way for kids to express themselves. He looks awesome," commented Disc Golf and Dog.