Gabourey Sidibe Reveals Correct Pronunciation of Her Name

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Gabourey Sidibe is offering a history lesson.

The actress Precious recently clarified the correct pronunciation of her last name, revealing that fans have been mispronouncing it for years.

During a February 4th interview, Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner asked Gabourey, 42, to clarify how to pronounce her name. “Is it ‘Sidi-bay’ or ‘Sid-uh-bay’?” she asked.

The actor, known from American Horror Story, chuckled and explained that the name is actually pronounced “Si-dee-bay.” It’s Senegalese, and has accents that aren’t part of their usual speech, but they often say “Sidi-bay” because it’s easier for Americans to remember – they like things to rhyme. They often explain it by saying, “It’s ‘Sidi-bay’ like city by the bay.”

Gabourey Sidibe continued her talk by clarifying something many people mispronounce: her name. She explained it’s not said ‘Gab-uh-ray.’ She also shared that she and her husband, Brandon Frankel, are parents to 21-month-old twins, Cooper and Maya.

She playfully explained that Americans often prefer names to rhyme, so she usually tells people her name is pronounced ‘Gab-uh-ray,’ like ‘cabaret.’ However, the correct pronunciation is actually ‘Gah-boo-ray.’ She’d much prefer people call her Gabby, or even the rhyming ‘Gab-uh-ray,’ than mispronounce it badly.

She shared more than just her nickname. The director was also charmed by her children and how she and her husband, Brandon (who married in March 2021), are adjusting to their outgoing personalities.

She was completely smitten with her children, describing them as both fun and surprisingly advanced for their age. While she enjoys having a bright child, she admits it’s challenging when they start talking back! At just 22 months old, they’re already very talkative. The doctor even noted at 15 months that their speech was on par with a typical two-year-old, and they’ve learned even more words since then.

Gabourey says her twins, while both communicative, have distinct personalities that mirror the way she and Brandon interact with each other.

She said Maya is a lot like her in personality. Her son takes after his father – he’s very loving and always wants to cuddle. Her daughter, on the other hand, is more reserved and doesn’t show affection as much.

Gabourey shared that her husband is very loving and caring towards their family, and this has made their relationship stronger.

She described him as her soulmate, explaining that he’s a devoted father. She recalled him once saying he wished he could raise a child ‘the right way,’ and now, with their child together, she feels like his wish came true.

Gabourey isn’t alone – many celebrities have had their names mispronounced. Here’s a look at how others’ names are actually said…

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 inspired him to start going by Denzel, as he shares the same name as his father. He also confirmed that people have been mispronouncing his name for years, and it will continue into 2025.

Denzel Washington corrected Jimmy Kimmel on his late-night show, explaining that people often mispronounce his name. He clarified that it’s pronounced ‘Den-zel,’ with the emphasis on the first syllable, not ‘Den-zel.’

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” instead of “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 brand because people so often mispronounce his name.

He explained that people often mispronounce his name, likely because of the alcoholic drink Mezcal. He says it happens all the time and jokingly wonders if he were to start a tequila brand, he’d name it ‘Mescal’s Mezcal,’ though he’s still unsure 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 says it herself—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 by saying the pronunciation was a matter of French origin and not her own doing.

The model recently clarified how to pronounce her name in a TikTok video shared by Tory Burch. She explained the correct Polish pronunciation and also introduced herself saying her last name is pronounced “Rat-Ah-Cow-Skee.”

Although many people—and even the singer herself—now say her name as “TOO-LOW,” she explained in 2022 that this isn’t the accurate pronunciation.

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

Everyone remembers Raven-Symoné as the psychic Raven from the Disney Channel show That’s So Raven, but many fans were surprised to learn something new in January 2023. The actress shared on TikTok that people have been saying her name wrong for years – it’s actually pronounced See-mon-ye.

Okay, so you will NOT believe this! Adam Sandler, my absolute hero, was talking to Brendan Fraser – yes, the Brendan Fraser, who deserves ALL the awards – and he totally messed up saying his last name! It was hilarious, but then Brendan, being the coolest dude ever, dropped this amazing little trick to help us all remember how to say it right. He said ‘Fraser rhymes with razor!’ Seriously, it’s genius! Now I’ll never mess it up, and I’m forever grateful to both of them. It’s just… perfect.

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 frequently had to explain the correct way to say her unique name.

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

In October 2022, the singer publicly 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: “Lo-wen.”

Alicia Silverstone, known for her role in Clueless, recently shared the correct pronunciation of her name on TikTok. While she doesn’t mind if people mispronounce it, she explained that her mother does, so she’s asking fans to say it 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 – even Justin himself – has been mispronouncing his last name!

Justin Theroux, who is my nephew, is playing the lead role in the TV series based on my book,” Paul Theroux shared. He jokingly added, “He sometimes pronounces his name with a French flair – ‘Justin tha-row’ [laughs]. It’s just Theroux, and it’s a French name!”

In 2018, the singer 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 cookbook Cravings, recently revealed the correct pronunciation of her last name, surprising many. During a 2018 appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan, she explained that she feels responsible for the common mispronunciation and admitted she’s simply tired of correcting people after 25 years.

As a bit of a language and culture enthusiast, I always love learning the stories behind names! I recently heard Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, chatting with Jimmy Kimmel about her surname. It’s actually pronounced ‘guh-dote,’ and it beautifully means ‘Riverbank’ in Hebrew. She shared that her family’s original last name was Greenstein, but her parents felt Gadot just had a little more…impact, a bit more energy to it. Isn’t that a lovely story? It just goes to show how much meaning and personality can be wrapped up in a single name!

The actor once mentioned on Conan that the only places his last name is pronounced correctly are in Sweden and at Ikea.

The celebrity has often talked about people mispronouncing his name. But he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2011 that he wouldn’t correct them, as he was named after his step-grandfather, who said it the same way.

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 Offerman, known for Fargo, revealed that his last name, Boesemeyer, 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 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 messes up her last name! She was so funny about it, saying people ‘screw it up’ all the time. She even joked that she wanted to make a recording just to teach people how to say it right! It’s seriously a problem, and I feel so bad for her! I’ve practiced saying it perfectly, of course. You just HAVE to get it right!

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

Actress Amanda Seyfried, known from Mean Girls, recently shared that her last name is actually pronounced “sigh-frid.” She revealed this in a 2012 interview with Hollywood Streams, though she jokingly added that even her sister pronounces it a different way.

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2026-02-06 20:18