(CNN) – Things looked a little different at the White House Monday.
The formerly clean-shaven Press Secretary Jay Carney returned from vacation, unveiling new stubble at the press briefing, much to the delight of the White House press corps who teased the spokesman for his more trendy look.
One reporter yelled, "What happened?" to which Carney laughed and explained that his wife, Claire Shipman, a correspondent for ABC, likes his new look.
"This is actually an homage to Mark Knoller," Carney said, referring to the longtime CBS News White House Correspondent who sports a much fuller beard.
Knoller tweeted in response, "Finally, I'm a fashion trendsetter."
CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta spoke to host Wolf Blitzer about the briefing, noting Carney's now striking similarity to "The Situation Room" host.
"I used to have a beard that color but that was a while ago," Blitzer said, questioning how long Carney would keep up the look.
Twitter also lit up, weighing in on the press secretary's new style, which quickly earned its own Twitter handle: @JayCarneyBeard.
CNN's Dana Davidsen contributed to this report.