Sorry, But You’ve Been Mispronouncing All of These Celebrity Names

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Most people love hearing their own name, but surprisingly, celebrities often don’t get to hear it very often.

Some celebrities, like Emma Stone and Warren Beatty, intentionally use slightly different professional names. However, other stars have become so accustomed to being mispronounced that many people don’t even realize the pronunciation is wrong.

Denzel Washington recently corrected a common mispronunciation of his name. While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September, he explained that it’s actually pronounced Denzel, not Denzel*.

Denzel Washington actually likes that people mispronounce his name. It started with his mother, Lennis Washington, who used the unusual pronunciation to tell him apart from his father, Denzel Washington Sr.

He remembered his mother calling out, “Denzel?” and both he and another Denzel would respond. To avoid confusion, she decided, “From now on, you’re Denzel,” and that’s how his name became consistently pronounced that way.

Like many in their family, Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce pronounce their last name slightly off – as “Kel-see” – a habit they picked up from their father, Ed Kelce. The correct pronunciation is actually just “Kels.”

During a 2023 episode of New Heights, Ed explained to his sons that he adopted a nickname at work because everyone else did. He said, ‘Everyone did it, so I figured, why not?’

Ed doesn’t mind how his NFL player sons say the family name. He says they can pronounce it however they like, just as he did himself.

Many celebrities dislike when fans mispronounce their names. Paul Mescal, for example, wants people to stop associating him with the drink tequila, as it sounds similar to his last name.

The actor from Normal People told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that people often mispronounce his name, likely because of the spirit mezcal. He explained that while others say it incorrectly, he pronounces it “mess-cull.”

As he put it, “If I launched a tequila line, I’d call it Mescal’s Mezcal.”

Other celebrities, like Zendaya, have even created detailed guides to make sure people pronounce their names correctly, emphasizing the right parts of each syllable.

In a 2016 video for Allure, Zendaya clarified how to pronounce her name: “It’s Zen-day-uh,” spelling it out as Z-E-N, then “Zen,” D-A-Y, “Day,” and finally, “uh, A.”

For every star whose name you might be getting wrong, keep reading…

The Spider-Man actress told Town & Country in August 2025 that people usually call her “kerr-sten” or “criss-ten.”

However, the correct way to say her name is “keer-sten.” 

“I don’t blame people,” she said. “You just give up.”

Denzel Washington revealed his mother, Lennis Washington, inspired him to start correcting how people pronounce his name, especially because he shares a name with his father. He’s noticed fans have been mispronouncing it since 2025.

I’ve been a fan of Denzel Washington for years, and I always thought everyone said his name wrong! He actually corrected Jimmy Kimmel on his show – it’s not ‘Den-zel’ like a lot of people say. He explained that it’s ‘Den-zel,’ with the emphasis on the first syllable. It was great to hear him set the record straight!

On their podcast, New Heights, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason discussed how to pronounce their last name. Travis chose to go with “Kels” instead of “Kel-see.”

Paul Mescal, known for his role in Normal People, jokingly told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that he might need to create his own drink brand because people so frequently mispronounce his name.

He explained that people often mispronounce his name, confusing it with the alcoholic drink Mezcal. He said it happens all the time and jokingly wondered if he ever started a tequila brand, he’d name it ‘Mescal’s Mezcal’ – though he wasn’t quite sure if he’d actually do it.

In a February 2022 interview with TopMob News, Taylor clarified how to pronounce his last name. He explained that the first part rhymes with “out,” not “lot.”

Ayo doesn’t usually mind if people misspell or get her name wrong, but she really dislikes hearing anyone’s name pronounced incorrectly. So, please say her name the way she says it – for example, the way she pronounced it at the 2022 Emmys.

During a 2022 episode of the podcast Locked In, Alex Warren pointed out that Tana pronounces her last name in an unconventional way. She responded by saying the pronunciation comes from its French origins and isn’t her fault.

The model recently clarified how to pronounce her name in a TikTok video posted by Tory Burch. She explained the correct Polish pronunciation and also shared that she says her last name as “Rat-Ah-Cow-Skee.”

Although the singer of “Habits” now goes by the widely used pronunciation “TOO-LOW,” she explained in 2022 that this isn’t how her name is actually pronounced.

She shared on TikTok that the Swedish pronunciation of her name is ‘Toovaloo,’ but she’s happy to respond to ‘TUV-LOW’ as well.

Most people remember Raven-Symoné as the star of the Disney Channel show That’s So Raven, but she recently shared a surprising reveal. In a TikTok video from January 2023, she explained that her name has been said incorrectly for years – it’s actually pronounced See-mon-ye.

During a December 2022 interview with Variety, Adam Sandler mistakenly said the last name of the Oscar winner. Brendan Fraser, known for his role in George of the Jungle, playfully offered a helpful tip for remembering the correct pronunciation: his name rhymes with ‘razor’.

The Haim sisters – Este, Alana, and Danielle – had to explain how to pronounce their last name way back in 2013, and many people still say it incorrectly. It’s actually pronounced ‘Hi-Um’ – two syllables, not one.

But hey, no sweat if you have—even Alana has messed it up. 

“That was one, you’re wrong,” Danielle told her in a 2013 tutorial video.

To which Alana jokingly replied, “I’m not a sister, just so everyone knows. I’m an actress.”

As someone who keeps a close eye on all things celebrity and style, I’ve noticed that early on in her career, Zendaya often had to gently correct people on how to say her name. It’s surprisingly common for stars with unique names to face that, and while it doesn’t happen as much now, it was definitely something she dealt with!

Zendaya shared that people often mispronounce her name, assuming it’s more complicated than it is. She explained in a 2016 video that they tend to say it like ‘papaya,’ but it’s actually just pronounced ‘day.’

In an October 2022 Q&A session, the singer complimented a fan for pronouncing her name correctly – as “uh-dale” – while asking a question.

In a TikTok video from February 2022, Lindsay Lohan unintentionally clarified the correct pronunciation of her last name: “Lo-wen.”

Alicia Silverstone, known for her role in Clueless, recently shared the correct way to say her name on TikTok. While she doesn’t mind if fans mispronounce it, she explained that her mother always insisted on the correct pronunciation: “Ali-SEE-yuh.”

“My name is Kesha. Keh-sha,” the singer said on TikTok. “Not Keisha. Not Ketchup. Kesha.”

According to an interview with Apple TV+, the uncle of actor Justin Theroux shared that everyone – including Justin himself – has been mispronouncing his last name!

Justin Theroux, who is my nephew, plays the lead role in the TV series based on my book,” Paul Theroux said. He jokingly added that Justin sometimes pronounces his last name with a French flair – “Justin tha-row” – reminding everyone it’s actually Theroux.

In 2018, the pop star surprised everyone when she clarified how to pronounce her last name. While discussing her engagement to Pete Davidson with Ebro Darden on Beats 1, Ariana revealed that her last name is actually pronounced “gran-dee.”

Chrissy Teigen, author of the cookbook Cravings, recently revealed the correct pronunciation of her last name, surprising many. During a 2018 appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan, the model took responsibility for the common mispronunciation, admitting she’s been correcting people for 25 years and is now ready to let it go.

Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot recently shared the story behind her name with Jimmy Kimmel. She explained that “Gadot” means “Riverbank” in Hebrew and showed him how to pronounce it (guh-dote). She also revealed that her family’s original last name was Greenstein, but her parents decided Gadot sounded stronger and more impactful.

The actor once joked on Conan that the only places people pronounce his last name correctly are Sweden and Ikea.

It drives me crazy how many people mispronounce his name! He’s talked about it a lot, and honestly, it’s so disrespectful. But you know what? He’s never going to change it, and I totally get why. He told The Hollywood Reporter years ago that it’s a tribute to his step-grandfather, and his step-grandfather said it exactly the same way. It’s family history, and he’s right to keep it that way. It makes him, him!

According to the legendary singer’s IMDb page, her stage name is pronounced shar-day.

During an appearance on Running Late with Scott Rogowsky in 2014, the actor best known for Fargo revealed that his last name is actually pronounced boo-sem-ee. However, he admits he doesn’t bother correcting people who say boo-shh-em-me, explaining that pronunciation isn’t technically incorrect.

The Academy Award-winning actress told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in 2014 that people consistently mispronounce her last name. She joked that she was tempted to record an audio guide on how to say it correctly.

Make sure you’re pronouncing the name of the Queen’s Gambit star correctly – she says it like “ahn-yah,” not “awn-yah.”

Actress Amanda Seyfried, known from Mean Girls, recently shared that the correct way to say her last name is actually “sigh-frid.” She revealed this in a 2012 interview with Hollywood Streams, but also mentioned that even her sister pronounces it a little differently.

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2025-12-23 11:19