The Wiggles' Sam Moran unrecognisable following transformation

He spent five years as a member of The Wiggles when he replaced Greg Page in 2006, but Sam Moran now looks barely recognisable to his time wearing a yellow skivvy.

In a recent Instagram post, the 43-year-old children’s entertainer still has a similar hairstyle to his time in the band but currently sports a dark goatee.

A number of fans took to the comments across his social media to express their surprise at his new look.

“Wow you look a lot different,” one person wrote, while another added, “You look amazing”.

“Barely recognised you, Sam!” a third shared.

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Sam first began performing with The Wiggles in 1998 at just 20 years old, hosting and touring the Dorothy the Dinosaur Show in small venues and playing Professor Singalottasonga and Dapper Dave on TV.

In 2002, he became Greg Page’s understudy and later performed in his place on the group’s 2006 US tour when Greg was advised by doctors not to travel.

Sam ended up permanently joining The Wiggles upon Greg’s retirement in November 2006, winning five ARIA awards during his time with the group before leaving in January 2012 when Greg returned.

‘I’m looking forward to the future’

Speaking about the changeover, The Wiggles’ manager Paul Field said at the time that there were “no Machiavellian schemes” to get rid of Sam.

“If the Stones lost Mick Jagger at one time due to illness and he came back a few years later, there wouldn't be a question. You'd understand creatively that of course you'd do that,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Greg also shut down rumours that there was any ill will between Sam and himself when the skivvy was handed over.

“For him to hand it back to me is a very big moment,” he explained. “I said, ‘Sam, how are you with all of this?’. He said, ‘Greg, I'm really happy and I'm looking forward to the future’.”

‘The last few years have been very hard’

Following his departure, Sam hosted a brand new preschool series Play Along with Sam on Nick Jr. and won his first solo ARIA Award for Best Children’s Album in 2015.

“The last few years have been very hard, and I will confess I’ve probably fantasised a few times about what I might say, should I ever be up here,” he said in his acceptance speech after beating The Wiggles.

“But standing up here now with this, I realise I don’t need to say those things and I don’t need to feel those things anymore, so that’s good.”

He also later admitted in 2019 that he hadn’t stayed in contact with his former bandmates following his controversial exit.

“I did get a message from Murray [Cook] when I won the ARIA, congratulating me, which was nice. But we don't really keep in touch beyond that,” he told Stellar magazine.

Sam currently lives in Sydney with his two daughters, Eloise and Alma, and recently had a cameo appearance in the Hallmark film, Sister Swap.

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