Alysa Liu Reveals You’ve Been Pronouncing Her Name Wrong

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Alysa Liuisn’t skating around this personal detail. 

Oh my gosh, you guys, I found out the most amazing thing! Our incredible Team USA skater finally addressed it – we’ve ALL been saying her name wrong! And she didn’t just correct us, she gave us a whole lesson on how it’s supposed to be said. I’m so excited to finally know the right way – I’ve been a fan for years and I feel so connected to her now!

Alyssa, 20, explained to Newsweek that her family pronounces her name as ‘Ah-lees-a Lee-oh.’ However, she says most people – including her friends – call her ‘Ah-lyss-a.’

She explained how people often mispronounce her last name, saying it’s commonly said as “Lew” or “Lu.” While the correct pronunciation is actually “Lee-oh,” she understands it’s a bit tricky and doesn’t mind if people don’t get it right.

As promised, everyone has been watching the Olympian’s famous spins ever since she competed in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games in February. She won a gold medal in the women’s figure skating competition that month – the first American woman to do so since 2006 – and also earned gold for her individual free skate performance.

Even though Alysa had a great performance in Italy, she won’t be competing in the World Figure Skating Championships this month. Sarah Everhardt will compete instead.

She shared on Instagram on March 8th that she’s been busy with exciting projects since getting back from Milan and is taking some time to focus on them. She’ll be supporting everyone from a distance and plans to return next season.

The athlete, who first competed in the Olympics at the 2022 Beijing Games, didn’t share her future plans, but she has said she wants to dedicate more time to her creative interests.

She shared with TopMob News in February that she’s eager to share her creative work. She’s passionate about fashion and loves expressing herself and her life experiences through storytelling, and also enjoys hearing the stories of others.

She feels the world would be better with more people embracing what makes them unique. She’s happy to inspire others to express themselves, believing that everyone defines success differently and has their own path.

Alysa isn’t alone in correcting how people say her name. Last month, Marvel actor Simu Liu shared that he often lets people pronounce his last name as “Lee-You,” explaining it’s not a difficult pronunciation.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve always found that effective communication, much like an Olympic athlete honing their message, often comes down to simplicity. People remember things much easier when you make them clear and concise – it’s about making your point stick!

He explained in an Instagram post that many people with the surname Liu grew up in places where it was uncommon, so they often went by the simpler pronunciation ‘Loo’ to make it easier for others. He jokingly added that people should still make an effort to pronounce his name correctly, using a playful but firm tone.

For more stars who’ve set the record straight on their names, keep reading…

In an August 2025 interview with Town & Country magazine, the Spider-Man actress revealed that people often mispronounce her name, saying it as “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 clarify his name, as he shares a name with his father. He also confirmed that people have been mispronouncing his name since 2025.

Denzel Washington corrected Jimmy Kimmel on his late-night show, explaining that his name isn’t pronounced “Den-zel.” He clarified that the correct pronunciation is “Den-zel,” emphasizing the first syllable.

On their podcast, New Heights, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason discussed how to pronounce their last name. Travis ultimately chose to say it as “Kels” rather than “Kel-see.”

Paul Mescal, known for his role in Normal People, jokingly told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that he might have to create his own drink company because people so often mispronounce his name – not like the Irish whiskey!

He explained that people often mispronounce his name, likely because of the alcoholic drink mezcal. He pronounces his own name ‘Mescal’ and jokingly wondered if he ever started a tequila brand, he’d name it ‘Mescal’s Mezcal,’ though he hasn’t decided if he would.

In a February 2022 interview with TopMob News, Taylor clarified how to pronounce his last name, stating the first syllable rhymes with “out” rather than “lot.”

Ayo doesn’t usually mind when people misspell or misgender her name, but she really dislikes hearing anyone’s name pronounced incorrectly. So, please say her name the way she introduced it, like she did at the 2022 Emmys.

During a 2022 episode of the Locked In podcast, Alex Warren playfully pointed out Tana’s unique way of pronouncing her last name. She responded with a lighthearted comment, saying the pronunciation was a matter for the French, not her.

The model recently cleared up confusion about how to pronounce her name in a TikTok video shared 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 isn’t the accurate way to say her name.

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

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

During a December 2022 interview for Variety’s Actors on Actors, Adam Sandler mistakenly said Oscar winner Brendan Fraser’s name incorrectly. Fraser playfully offered a helpful tip for remembering the correct pronunciation: his last name rhymes with “razor.”

The Haim sisters – Este, Alana, and Danielle – had to explain how to pronounce their last name back in 2013, and many people still say it incorrectly. It’s actually pronounced “Hi-Um,” with two syllables.

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.”

Though it doesn’t happen as often now, the actress from Challengers has sometimes had to correct people on how to say her unique name.

Zendaya shared that people often mispronounce her name, assuming it’s more complicated than it actually is. She explained that many say it like “papaya,” but it’s simply pronounced “day.”

In October 2022, the popular 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 accidentally clarified the correct pronunciation of her last name – it’s actually “Lo-wen.”

Alicia Silverstone, known for her role in Clueless, recently shared the correct way to say her name in a TikTok video. While she doesn’t mind if people mispronounce it, she explained that her mother prefers it to be said correctly: “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 shared. He jokingly added that his nephew sometimes pronounces his name with a French flair, saying, “He’ll call himself Justin tha-row [laughs]. It’s Theroux, a French name!”

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 radio, Ariana revealed that her last name is actually pronounced “gran-dee.”

Chrissy Teigen, author of the Cravings cookbook, recently revealed the correct pronunciation of her last name, surprising many fans. She explained on Live With Kelly and Ryan in 2018 that she feels responsible for the common mispronunciation and, after 25 years, is simply too tired to keep correcting people.

I was so fascinated to hear Gal Gadot talk about her name with Jimmy Kimmel! She explained how to really pronounce it – it’s “guh-dote,” which is adorable. But the best part? Her last name actually means “Riverbank” in Hebrew! She shared that her family used to be called Greenstein, but her parents thought Gadot just had a bit more…impact, and I totally agree! It’s a beautiful name with a beautiful meaning, and it really suits her.

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

It drives me crazy how often 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 just makes me love him even more, honestly!

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

During an appearance on the show Running Late with Scott Rogowsky in 2014, actor Nick Boseman (known from Fargo) clarified that his last name is pronounced boo-sem-ee. However, he admitted he doesn’t bother correcting people who say boo-shh-em-me, explaining that pronunciation isn’t incorrect.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE this! Back in 2014, she was on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and she was talking about how everyone mispronounces her last name! She was so frustrated, she joked she wanted to make a recording just to teach people how to say it right! It’s seriously a problem, and I just feel so bad for her! I’ve practiced saying it perfectly, of course, but it’s just ridiculous that people can’t get it right!

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

Actress Amanda Seyfried, known for her role in Mean Girls, jokingly reminded people of the character Karen by sharing that her last name is actually pronounced “sigh-frid.” She mentioned in a 2012 interview with Hollywood Streams that even her sister pronounces it a different way.

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2026-03-09 21:21