Jennifer Aniston Hilariously Learns Reese Witherspoon’s Real Name

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Jennifer Aniston has uncovered a big little lie about Reese Witherspoon.

After being friends for over 20 years, the 56-year-old actress recently discovered that her *The Morning Show* co-star, known professionally as Reese, is actually named Laura.

And her reaction? A hilariously baffled response of: “Who the hell’s Laura?”

Reese, 49, shared during a recent interview with LADbible that her name is actually Laura Jean. She told the former *Friends* star, ‘That’s my real name.’

Jennifer, still curious, asked her friend, “Why did you choose Reese as your stage name?”

Reese Witherspoon clarified that she didn’t actually *change* her name, but rather went back to using “Reese,” which was originally her mother Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Witherspoon’s family name.

“It’s my middle name,” she added. “I’m Laura Jean Reese.”

Likewise, Reese didn’t know Jennifer’s middle name is Joanna.

“I was today years old,” she quipped, before asking her castmate if anyone calls her “J.J.”

Reese jokingly added, “Well, I do now!”

Reese Witherspoon isn’t the only one of her friends who’s been confused about names. Actress Nicole Kidman was surprised to discover that Reese and their *Big Little Lies* co-star, Laura Dern, actually share the same legal first name.

“I hate how you call her Dern,” Nicole told Reese in Vanity Fair video in 2024. “It sounds so weird.”

But for Reese, it’s “confusing” to call someone else by her own name.

“I get confused, so I just call her Dern,” the Cruel Intentions alum explained. “Because we can’t both be Laura.”

Reese has used her name – Reese – ever since she was a child. She first appeared as ‘Reese’ in a commercial for a flower shop when she was seven years old, and continued to be credited as Reese seven years later in the 1991 film, *The Man on the Moon*.

Looking back on her start in filmmaking, she shared in a 2021 Instagram post that she didn’t know what she was getting into, but she’s thankful for every challenge and success along the way that led her to where she is today.

Reese expressed her gratitude for her fans, saying she feels lucky to be able to perform for them and is thankful for everything that’s happened so far.

For more stars who has opted to use a stage name, keep reading…

Congratulations to Post Malone! He actually added his family name to his stage name. But, he prefers his close friends to use his given name when they talk to him.

At the 2024 MTV VMAs, Taylor Swift called Post Malone “Austin” after they won the award for Best Collaboration for their song “Fortnight.”

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, known for playing Lilly on *Modern Family*, now goes by Frances Anderson as she pursues a career in music.

In a 2025 interview with TopMob News, Aubrey explained that ‘Frances’ is actually her middle name, a tribute to a close friend of her mother. She also admitted she preferred it because it was shorter than her full, hyphenated last name, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.

The Summer House star shocked Bravo fans by revealing his legally given first name isn’t actually Carl.

In an August 2025 interview with PopViewers, nine-season reality show veteran Carl explained, ‘My ID and passport both say William, but I’ve always gone by Carl – ever since the beginning.’

Sterling K. Brown went by his middle name Kelby until he was a teenager.

During an April 2025 interview on *The Kelly Clarkson Show*, he explained that his father is Sterling Brown Jr. and his grandfather is Sterling Brown Sr. He decided he wanted a name of his own because ‘Sterling’ felt like a name for an older man.

Years after his father passed away from a heart attack, the actor – known for his role in *This Is Us* – chose to go back to using his original first name to pay tribute to him.

My father died when I was ten years old, and by the time I was sixteen, it had been five or six years since anyone had said his name. I just wanted to hear it again, so I started asking people to call me Sterling, which was his name.

Andrew, Matthew, and Joey Lawrence all decided to change their last names professionally. Joey, whose middle name is Lawrence, was the first to do this after a talent agent pointed out the family surname wasn’t ideal.

Kat Dennings began using a professional name when she was just nine years old, long before she appeared on an episode of *Sex and the City* in 2000 and started her acting career.

Kat Dennings, known from *2 Broke Girls*, shared on Kylie Kelce’s podcast *Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce* on March 13, 2025, that she prefers not to have her full birth name publicly displayed, like on a poster.

The actress chose her stage name by combining inspiration from two sources: Kat, the character Christina Ricci played in the movie *Casper*, and the last name of Janine Denni, the French wife of Lloyd Alexander, the author of *The Black Cauldron*. She explained that Alexander was a close friend of her mother’s.

For over thirty years, Cher thought her full legal name was Cherilyn. However, when she requested her birth certificate in the late 1970s to legally change her name to simply Cher, she found out she was originally registered as Cheryl.

In her 2024 memoir, *Cher: The Memoir, Part One*, the singer Cher wrote about how her mother, Georgia Holt, reacted when she found out.

When she told her mother – who had her at 19 – about the situation, her mother exclaimed, “Let me see!” She then remembered her own experience after giving birth, saying, “I was just a teenager myself, and I was really hurting. Cut me some slack.”

The country artist, known as Shaboozey, got his nickname – and later his stage name – from a simple mistake: his high school in Virginia misspelled his last name, and it stuck.

The singer first released music under her real name in 2001, but she adopted the stage name Katy Perry-taken from her mother’s family name-believing it would appeal more to pop music listeners.

Cardi B got the nickname “Bacardi” because her sister was playfully called “Hennessy” by those close to them. She later decided “Cardi” was a better fit for her.

Before she became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was briefly known as Rachel. 

I’ve been a fan of Shania Twain for years, and I recently heard the story behind her name! It’s fascinating. She was actually born Eilleen Regina Edwards, and later became Eilleen Regina Twain after being adopted. When she started singing professionally, she realized her stage name sounded a lot like her grandmothers’ names – both were named Eilleen and Regina! She just didn’t want to be called after them onstage, so she decided to create something new. She met someone named Shania and loved the sound of it, and that’s how Shania Twain was born! It’s amazing to learn the story behind such an iconic name.

Chappell Roan, the singer behind “Good Luck, Babe!”, has always approached performing as a distinct artistic persona – a ‘drag project’ – which helps her maintain clear boundaries between her stage life and her personal life, and protects her from the pressures of the music industry.

Interestingly, Gigi Hadid didn’t choose her stage name – it came about in school! Her teacher kept mixing her up with a classmate named Helena. Because her mom always called her “gigi” as a nickname, she asked the teacher to just call her Gigi, and the name ended up sticking.

If you’re looking for an explosive action-star name, how about Vin Diesel instead?

Miley Cyrus got her childhood nickname, Smiley, because she was always smiling. Over time, people started calling her Miley instead, and that’s the name she’s known by today.

The singer resembled a Bruno more than a Peter, so his father began calling him Bruno. He’s been known as Bruno Mars ever since.

Before the meat dresses and chart-topping music, Lady Gaga was just an everyday girl from New York.

Jason Sudeikis revealed on the Today show that his father’s name was Daniel, and he was originally named after him. However, to avoid confusion with another Daniel in the family, his mother began calling him by his middle name, Jason.

Emma Stone chose her stage name because another actor was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild under her real name.

Interestingly, Reese Witherspoon’s first name isn’t actually her middle name! She adopted ‘Reese’ as a first name to pay tribute to her mother’s family name.

Every artist has a different side to their public image, and for Lana Del Rey, that persona is the one she presents to the world.

In 2014, Frank Ocean legally changed his name because, why not? 

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I always find it fascinating to learn little-known details about the people we admire. Did you know that Tina Fey, the brilliant mind behind *30 Rock*, was actually born Elizabeth? It’s so clever how she subtly honored her birth name by naming her iconic character, Liz Lemon! It’s a sweet little nod to her roots that many fans might not even realize.

This pioneer of West Coast rap would later go on to be known as Snoop Dogg.

It seems the singer known for “Royals” has a strong interest in nobility, which is why she chose the name Lorde, adding a feminine ‘e’ to the traditional spelling.

Before becoming a world-famous singer, Ricky Martin was known by a different, more common name.

It’s hard to believe that Iggy Azalea was born Amethyst Kelly!

As a lifestyle observer, I remember when Taylor Swift thanked a then-boyfriend named Adam in a speech, and it sparked a bit of a discovery! People quickly realized that Calvin Harris wasn’t his birth name. He actually explained to *Shortlist* magazine that he chose the name because his first song had a soulful vibe and he wanted a moniker that didn’t immediately reveal his background – something a little more open to interpretation.

Before she became a household name, this was what erstwhile Friend Jennifer Aniston answered to.

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2025-09-18 00:48