Carthage child in national mullet contest

Every day is a good hair day for 7-year-old USA Mullet Championship finalist Emmett Miller. When this local Carthage boy first started growing his hair out two years ago, he never dreamed how far his now-iconic hairstyle would take him. It wasn’t long before Emmett was stealing achy breaky hearts across not just Moore County, but the entire country.

Initially, Emmett began growing his hair out during COVID lockdowns when barbershops were inaccessible. When he was finally able to get a haircut after growing it out for months, Emmett described his ideal hairstyle to his parents: short on the top, long in the back.

“My husband and I told Emmett that was a mullet,” explained Emmett’s mother, Abby Miller. “We showed him pictures of Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, and Toby Keith with mullets. Emmett said that was exactly what he wanted!”

What was originally a post-COVID cut for Emmett ended up landing him in the top 25 finalists in the country. “I was looking at pictures to give to his barber to show kids’ mullets, and I came across the winner of last year’s kids contest,” explained Abby. This year, it was obvious that Emmett’s signature style has what it takes to join in the contest.

All it took was one look at his entry, and the internet fell in love with Emmett. He has been referred to as “miniature Joe Dirt” and dubbed “the Tiger King,” with fans flocking to his Facebook photos to support him. He’s been continually compared to a myriad of fellow mullet-sporting celebrities, including younger versions of professional golfer John Daly and American country singer Billy Ray Cyrus.

Fans from as far away as Germany have been submitting their votes for Emmett, who has set himself apart from the competition with his straight-edge bangs and iconic all-American shirt, which bears both an American flag and a bald eagle. Emmett himself picked his shirt and brooked no argument on how intensely patriotic his new threads needed to be.

Recently, Emmett’s claim to fame has seen him featured on both ABC 11 and the Big D & Bubba radio show. He’s received dozens of endorsements from radio stations and Facebook groups alike, and even country music group Tigirlily publicly cast their votes in his favor.   

“I like my hair,” said Emmett, plain and simple. “I like it, and I like growing it.”

As of July 25, Emmett has moved onto the finals and is now in the top 25 contenders for the youth division of the USA Mullet Championships. He will be entering the final round of voting in August, competing against 24 other children ages 12 and under to see who sported the best youth mullet of 2022.

To show your support and cast a vote for Emmett, visit www.mulletchamp.com between August 15 and 19. Voters will be allowed one vote per email address per day.

Feature photo: Emmitt Miller rocking his mullet. Photo by Subzero Siren Photography.

~Article by Sandhills Sentinel Reporter Abegail Murphy.

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