Jamie Laing transformed into the Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort in Los Angeles this weekend to kick off Halloween week and promote his podcast.
The 37-year-old former Made In Chelsea star wore full facial prosthetics and a black cape for the makeover, which he revealed in a video shared on social media.
Laing used the costume to tease an upcoming episode of Newly Parents, the podcast he co-hosts with his wife, Sophie Habboo. In the caption accompanying the clip, he wrote: "Lord Voldemort has come to play… @newlyparentspodcast episode out tomorrow is a WILD one."
Lord Voldemort is the chief antagonist in British author J.K. Rowling's seven-book Harry Potter fantasy series. In the Warner Bros. film adaptations, the character was portrayed by actor Ralph Fiennes, whose bald, noseless appearance was created through a combination of make-up and digital visual effects.
Fan reactions and the Harry Potter chess remix
In the video, Laing showed off his prosthetics to the sound of a viral tech house remix featuring audio from the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The track samples the dialogue from the scene in which Ron Weasley, played by Rupert Grint, sacrifices himself during a giant game of wizard chess so that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger can move forward.
Followers quickly filled the comments section with praise and disbelief over the accuracy of the prosthetics, branding the transformation both "brilliant" and "terrifying". One viewer wrote: "how do you look more like voldemort than voldemort did."
Another follower commented: "This is the best thing I've seen on the internet in a while." Others added "Omg you look brilliant." and "Terrifying", while one fan joked: "Sophie must def have the ick now." A sixth commenter wrote: "Unbelievable scenes. Can't cope."
Podcast filming in Los Angeles
Laing and Habboo, 32, are ordinarily based in London but have spent the past few weeks in Los Angeles for work. The couple traveled to the United States to record a new run of episodes for the Newly Parents podcast.
Both television personalities first gained public recognition on Made In Chelsea, the E4 structured-reality series that chronicles the lives of affluent young residents in West London. Laing joined the programme in its second series in 2011 and later founded the plant-based confectionery company Candy Kittens, before going on to reach the final of the BBC dance competition Strictly Come Dancing in 2020 and present on BBC Radio 1.
Habboo joined the cast of Made In Chelsea in 2017. After beginning their relationship in 2019 and marrying in 2023, the pair launched their podcast under the title NearlyWeds, later renaming it NewlyWeds and then Newly Parents following the birth of their first child.
Mistaken identity on Dancing With The Stars
The Halloween costume comes just a week after Laing left fans in hysterics during a trip to watch an episode of Dancing With The Stars, the United States adaptation of Strictly Come Dancing, as the couples took to the dancefloor again.
During the broadcast, Laing fell victim to an unfortunate crowd cameo when he was caught on camera looking petrified while applauding the contestants. Viewers in the United States soon mistook him for the psycho stalker character known as "Derek" from the American teen drama series One Tree Hill.
One Tree Hill aired for nine seasons between 2003 and 2012 on The WB and The CW. During its fourth season, actor Matt Barr portrayed Ian Banks, an impostor who posed as the half-brother of main character Peyton Sawyer, played by Hilarie Burton, earning the nickname "Psycho Derek" from viewers of the show.
Addressing the mix-up on Instagram, Laing shared a side-by-side comparison photograph of himself with Barr as Ian Banks. He wrote: "Not the US audience thinking I was Peyton Sawyer's Stalker from One Tree Hill... Apparently his name is Derek."
Fans flooded the comments section with laughing emojis as they reacted to the resemblance. One viewer joked "I am deadddd.", while another wrote: "Watched this the other day and I can confirm (from the uk) i still thought it was you at first glance!"
A third follower added: "LMFAO I'm from Canada. Very confused when I saw the caption. I know very well you are not psycho Derek."
Family life and Sophie Habboo's birthday
Alongside his comedic posts from Los Angeles, Laing recently took to Instagram to celebrate Habboo's birthday with a dedicated post. Sharing photographs of his wife holding balloons, he wrote: "Happy Birthday to my absolute G.O.A.T! The best friend, wife and mum Ziggy and I could ask for. We wouldn't be able to do life without you."
The tribute followed candid reflections from the presenter earlier this year about the impact that fatherhood has had on him since welcoming their son, Ziggy. Laing has previously admitted that he felt "in the trenches" adjusting to life as a parent.
Back in June, when Ziggy was seven months old, Laing detailed the struggle of managing his business while looking after his young son, noting that he had previously lived a "selfish life" before becoming a father.
