25 Celebrities Whose Names You Have Been Mispronouncing All Along

You know and love these celebrities and likely think you’re saying their names correctly, but we are here to share some bad news: you are saying their names all wrong. Yes, some of the world’s most beloved and famed entertainers have names that can throw us for a loop. For instance, you might think there is only one way to say Adele and if you do think it, you’d be mistaken. Further, you’re also probably butchering Chrissy Tiegen, Rihanna, and Steve Buscemi‘s names as well. Who knew we could all be so, so wrong?

We decided to take a deep dive into the world of frequently mispronounced names of celebrities to bring you the correct phonetic pronunciations for each. And, you don’t have to take our word for it, we have also paired each star saying their names for you to hear it straight from the celebs’ mouths. Prepare to feel wholly inadequate about your pronunciation powers!

Adele

Buzzfeed points out that in a recent Happy Hour event hosted by Adele in concert with the release of her new music video for “I Drink Wine,” the superstar chanteuse revealed the completely surprising pronunciation of her name. The actual pronunciation: Huh-Dale.

Here’s Adele Saying Her Name:

Timothée Chalamet

Boy wonder Timothée Chalamet has French ancestry and thus, his name’s pronunciation might be foreign to you. While the actor will answer to a pronunciation similar to Timothy, it’s not exactly right. The actual pronunciation: Tee-mo-tay Shall-uh-may.

Here Is Timothée Chalamet Saying His Name:

Zendaya

Chalamet’s Dune co-star and one of the brightest stars of the moment, Zendaya has a gorgeous name of Shona origin that means “to give thanks.” I’m sure Zendaya would “give thanks” if we all said her name properly. The actual pronunciation: Zen-day-uh.

Here’s Zendaya Showing You How to Say Her Name:

Rihanna

It turns out we all need to “Work, work, work, work, work, work” on our pronunciation of Rihanna‘s name. The Barbados-born singer chose to go by the Arabic name Rihanna which means “sweet basil.” Despite being one of the most famed celebrities today, her name is often not properly said. The actual pronunciation: Ree-anne-uh.

Listen to Rihanna Say Her Name:

First look at @Rihanna's Fenty collection at her pop-up in Paris: https://t.co/KU0Uqg8Vlt pic.twitter.com/dseHhqadQu

— British Vogue (@BritishVogue) May 23, 2019

Saoirse Ronan

Irish actor Saoirse Ronan has become an international superstar thanks to her work in films like Lady Bird and Hanna. This is one of the celebrities whose name we are not all too surprised most of us are saying wrong as Irish appellations can be a real challenge for Americans. The actual pronunciation: Sur-shuh Row-nuhn.

There Was Actually a Whole Musical Number Devoted to Her Name’s Pronunciation on SNL:

Chrissy Teigen

Your favorite person to follow on social media and whose cookbooks you likely love has, what seems, like a straightforward name. Chrissy Teigen‘s name is unfortunately often mispronounced. The actual pronunciation: Kriss-ee Tie-gen.

With a Little Help From Her Mom, Teigen Told Us How to Say Her Last Name:

pic.twitter.com/5Dve9N2yZ1

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) September 17, 2018

Camila Cabello

Cuban-born American performer Camila Cabello has a stunning name that we are all screwing up. Apparently, Simon Cowell can’t pronounce her name either (see the video below). The actual pronunciation: Cam-ee-la Cab-ay-o.

Listen to Cabello Say Her Name:

Florence Pugh

English actor Florence Pugh has quickly become a household name but are we saying that name right? Florence is an extremely popular name across the UK and most people have gotten a hold of it but it’s her last name that has really given folks trouble. The actual pronunciation: Floor-ence Pew.

Pugh Shared Her Name’s Pronunciation on Twitter (with Good Humor):

Like if you were pretending to have a shoot out and you make all the noises yourself.."Pew PEW pew pew" *reloads gun* "pewpewpewpew"…Pugh. https://t.co/Aok1qlCTh3

— Florence Pugh (@Florence_Pugh) July 27, 2017

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal has been one of the steadfast celebrities working in film over the last few decades. How is it even possible that we have not known how to say his name this entire time? The actual pronunciation: Jay-k Yeel-en-hall.

Here’s Gyllenhaal Breaking Down How to Say His Name:

Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried began acting at the age of 15 and has been in the spotlight ever since. You know her from favorites like Mean Girls and Mamma Mia! but do you know how to properly say her name? The actual pronunciation: Ah-man-duh Sigh-fred.

Seyfried Explains How to Say Her Often Mispronounced Last Name:

Taylor Lautner

The Twilight franchise made Taylor Lautner one of the most recognizable celebrities at the time. It turns out all of the exposure still did not teach us how to say this man’s last name correctly. The actual pronunciation: Tay-ler Lowt-ner.

Here’s Lautner Saying it Again and Again:

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan has had her ups and downs through the years but most of us have always been rooting for her. As with her Mean Girls co-star, Amanda Seyfried, Lohan’s name is also mispronounced more often than not. The actual pronunciation: Lind-zee Low-en.

Here’s Lohan Saying Her Own Name:

@lindsaylohan

I’m on Tiktok Now! ???? #imontiktoknow

♬ original sound – lindsaylohan

Daniel Kaluuya

Daniel Kaluuya is one of the celebrities whose star is shining ever so brightly today. You likely loved his performances in Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah, and most recently in Nope. But, are you saying his last name the right way? The right pronunciation: Dan-yell Kah-loo-ya.

Here’s Stephen Colbert Saying It Properly:

Gal Gadot

Israeli actor Gal Gadot AKA Wonder Woman has been in countless blockbusters these days but most of us are missing the mark when it comes to pronouncing her name. The actual pronunciation: Gal Gah-dote.

Here’s Gadot Saying Her Name:

Alicia Silverstone

One of the celebrities that many of us grew up loving (and still do!), Alicia Silverstone, rocked our world when she recently corrected the record on TikTok by revealing how to properly say her name. The actual pronunciation: Ah-lee-see-ah Sil-ver-stohn.

Here’s the TikTok Where She Pronounces Her Name:

@aliciasilverstone

#stitch with @kesha & @mahoganylox: Just an FYI… it’s Ali-SEE-yuh ????????

♬ original sound – Alicia Silverstone

Emily Ratajkowski

Model and actor, Emily Ratajkowski might be one of the celebrities whose name you feel a little guilty about not knowing how to pronounce. It’s okay! We live and we learn, right? The actual pronunciation: Em-uh-lee Rah-tuh-cow-ski.

Listen to Ratajkowski Say Her Name:

Steve Buscemi

National treasure, Steve Buscemi, has been a scene-stealer for decades. How is it possible we are just now learning to say his name right? The actual pronunciation: Steev Boo-sem-ee.

Listen to Buscemi Being Introduced Here:

Demi Moore

Well, okay. One of America’s most famed celebrities, Demi Moore, has more to her name than meets the eye. There’s a French twist that most of us are missing with her given name. The actual pronunciation: Dem-ee Mohr.

Of All the People, Here’s Jimmy Fallon Correctly Pronouncing Her Name:

Mahershala Ali

Mahershala Ali is one of the most decorated celebrities acting today. He’s dynamite in everything he’s in but it’s Moonlight for us! Despite this rising star being roundly beloved, some are mispronouncing his handsome name. The actual pronunciation: Mah-her-shuh-luh Ah-lee.

Jimmy Kimmel Got It Right:

Charlize Theron

South African actor Charlize Theron has been one of the highest-paid celebrities acting today. She was named after her father, Charles, and they went with the unique feminization of his name for Charlize. Some people still have not mastered this star’s name. The actual pronunciation: Shar-leez Ther-in.

Kimmel Got It Right Again:

Justin Theroux

Justin Theroux, an actor you may know from the critically acclaimed series The Leftovers, might not even be pronouncing his name right. No, we kid. He knows it but there’s a clip below of him being picked on by his uncle for mispronouncing his surname. The actual pronunciation: Just-in The-roo.

Here’s the Fun Clip We Mentioned:

Mariska Hargitay

Is it a right of passage to mispronounce Mariska Hargitay‘s name a few times before you get it right? Well, we suppose it shouldn’t be. The actual pronunciation: Mar-ish-kah Har-gih-tay.

Buzzfeed Unearthed This Amazon Clip of Hargitay Back in the Day:

Ralph Fiennes

In our opinion, the only way to say the name Ralph is with a British accent. So, we might have been one of the few to know how to pronounce the name Ralph Fiennes correctly. The actual pronunciation: Ray-f Fine-s.

Hear His Name in the Introduction Here from Whoopi Goldberg:

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Milo Ventimiglia

Milo Ventimiglia, star of This Is Us, has a name that we will admit is a bit of a mouthful. But, we have faith in you. The actual pronunciation: Mai-low Ven-tee-mee-lee-aa.

See the Actor Say His Name Below:

There you go! Now you know about all of the celebrities whose names you have been mispronouncing. If you would like to read about even more celebrities, meet the ones who decided to marry “normals” instead of fellow famous people.

Discover the Celebrities Who Got Hitched to Normals Below:

Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley

Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley were high school sweethearts before they got married. The couple has been together 40 years and married for 31 of those years. In a 2020 interview with People, Bon Jovi named “mutual respect” as the key factor in their successful relationship. And it’s been a fruitful one! The pair have four children together.

When Hurley was asked about the early days of their relationship she had a gut feeling about the fame that her husband would find. ″I always said I was good at spotting potential too,” she explained to People. “I have a gift.” 

Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery

If you have ever needed a reason to put a little effort into getting ready before making a run to the grocery store, let Ellen Pompeo inspire you. She met her future husband, Chris Ivery while shopping for groceries. The Grey’s Anatomy star and music producer struck up a conversation that would later bloom into a relationship and finally romance. Fun fact: both are from Boston but their paths did not cross until they were both living in Los Angeles.

Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso

While filming 2003’s Stuck on You in Miami, Matt Damon first caught glimpse of Luciana Barroso who was working at a bar where he and cast members were hanging out. He later told Ellen Degeneres about the encounter saying that he “literally saw her across a crowded room.” He also described their meeting as one of fate.

The couple has four children and celebrated their 15th anniversary in 2020. One of the secrets to their relationship, Damon shared with Vogue, is that he and Barroso have a pact to never be apart for more than two weeks. We’re not sure how that’s even possible with his grueling filming schedules but if it’s working, it’s working!

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth

Reese Witherspoon shared with Elle that she met her current husband, talent agent Jim Toth, when he rushed in to rescue her from a drunk admirer at a house party. In fact, it was Toth’s friend who was embarrassing himself by talking to Witherspoon. That’s such a normal meet-cute. Withing the same year that they met, in 2011, Toth proposed to Reese. Her kids from a previous marriage to Ryan Phillipe even participated in the wedding. The couple welcomed their son, Tennessee James, in 2012

Witherspoon is known today not just as an actor but as a powerhouse producer with her own production company, Hello Sunshine. She credits her husband for believing in her vision and helping her find the confidence to branch out from acting.

Julianna Margulies and Keith Lieberthal

Julianna Margulies married a “normal” but, in all fairness, her normal looks like a movie star. Her partner Keith Lieberhal looks like he plays a lawyer on TV but he’s actually a practicing attorney. Margulies explained to Ellen DeGeneres in 2011 that the connection was “immediate.” And, they met by chance!

“I met my husband at a dinner party that I wasn’t going to go to through an agent I didn’t sign with,” The Good Wife actor shared. “I just started a Broadway show so I didn’t want to stay out late. Famous last words. I went, and there was Keith.”

The couple got married in 2007 and have one son, Kieran, who they welcomed in 2008.

Julia Roberts and Danny Moder

Superstar Julia Roberts also married a normal, sort of. He’s also in the entertainment industry, so a little less normal than most folks. Roberts met a cinematographer, Danny Moder when he was a camera operator on The Mexican. The rest is history! After 20 years of marriage and three kids, the couple is still going strong. However, they’re extremely hush-hush about their private life so not a ton is known about their romance.

George Lucas and Mellody Hobson

Star Wars creator George Lucas married “an investment guru,” which may be an understatement. Mellody Hobson is the president of Ariel Investments, a Chicago-based financial firm, and sits on the board of a plethora of companies and charities. She has a stellar reputation in Chicago and is not seen as a normal there. She’s also the mother to their daughter, Everest, who was born in 2013, the same year that the couple got married.

Jon and Tracey Stewart

While making the 1997 film, Wishful Thinking, a production assistant for the film arranged for a blind date between Jon Stewart and Tracey McShane. For those of you out there that don’t think blind dates are worth it, think again! The couple hit it off and were married by 2000. The couple are proud parents to two children. Tracey (now Stewart) is an animal activist and she runs a preserve in upstate New York.

Kevin and Danielle Jonas

Joe Jonas married Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner, and Nick Jonas calls international star Priyanka Chopra his wife, which makes Kevin Jonas a bit different from his younger brothers. He was the first Jonas brother to marry and he wed hairdresser Danielle Deleasa in 2009. The Jersey girl did not stay a normal for long. She would soon become very recognizable thanks to the reality series, Married to Jonas.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita

Modern Family‘s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband, lawyer Justin Mikita, have two different first meeting stories. Ferguson shared that, though they’ve used the answer “through mutual friends,” the pair actually hit it off at the gym. They’ve been married since 2013, in a ceremony officiated by none other than playwright Tony Kushner (very much not a normal). The couple has a son named Beckett who was born in 2020.

Terry Crews and Rebecca King-Crews

Nine-Nine star Terry Crews has been with his wife Rebecca King-Crews throughout his rise to fame. The pair got married in 1989 and have five kids. King-Crews is a musician by trade, so she knows exactly what the entertainment industry is like. Their shared experience as well as their commitment to marriage maintenance, including a 90-day “no sex” pact to reconnect in other ways, have kept their bond rock solid for over 30 years. We should all be so lucky!

Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied

An Academy Award isn’t all Natalie Portman got from her time starring in the 2010 drama Black Swan. Portman also got a husband out of the experience. She and dancer Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed her routines, hit it off on set (so he’s normal-adjacent). In 2011, she dedicated her Oscar to her “beautiful love” and their then-newborn son, Aleph.

They married in 2012 and welcomed their daughter Amalia in 2018. Millepied continues to direct the LA Dance Project, a company that he founded.

Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni

Cynthia Nixon has no doubt been inspired in her public advocacy work by her wife, Christine Marinoni. Marinoni is an education activist and the previous director of New York City’s Alliance for Quality Education, an organization with a mission to ensure that public schools have the resources they need. What a great cause!

Marinoni gave birth to the couple’s son, Max, in 2011 and has been outspoken about the miscarriages she endured prior to that. The pair married in 2012.

Lisa Kudrow and Michel Stern

Many of the cast of Friends went on to marry other celebrities in the entertainment industry but Lisa Kudrow chose another path. In fact, she fell in love with someone out of the business entirely, French advertising executive Michel Stern. That’s not exactly normal but who couldn’t love an ad exec?

They wed in 1995, and when she became pregnant with their only son Julian Murray, it was written into the show (Phoebe was a surrogate for her brother). The secret to the couple’s long run, Kudrow told Glamour, is that they don’t make promises they can’t keep, like feeling the same way about each other forever. “But we are promising to work on whatever problems come up,” she explained. “We’re committed to our marriage working.”

Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego-Saldana

An injury prevented Marco Perego-Saldana from having a professional soccer career (he’s almost normal, oka?). But, thankfully, it allowed him to find his other passion: art and probably the other love of his life. It’s unclear exactly when he met Guardians of the Galaxy hero Zoë Saldana, but the world found out that they had married in secret in 2013, Oprah Magazine reported, and that Perego-Saldana had progressively taken his wife’s last name. They now have three boys, including a set of twins, who they’re striving to raise in a gender-neutral environment, according to Us, which includes parents sharing housework and other stereotypically gendered domestic tasks.

Seth Meyers and Alexi Ashe

Once upon a time… In 2008, human rights lawyer Alexi Ashe went with her sister, who worked in set design on Saturday Night Live, to former cast member Chris Kattan‘s wedding. That’s where the show’s head writer, Seth Meyers, another guest, first saw her. The late-night host got hitched in 2013, and the pair balance their hectic schedules while raising three children: Adelaide, Ashe, and Axel.

Alexi Ashe fights human trafficking as a Brooklyn district attorney. She might be a normal but she is a superhero to many, no doubt.

Paul Rudd and Julie Yaeger

It never hurts to be kind!  In 1995, an on-the-rise Paul Rudd traveled to New York and went straight to the office of his new publicist. Julie Yaeger, who worked in the same firm, was there to give a helping hand. She offered to store his luggage so he wouldn’t be late for an audition. Eight years after that, they got married, and 26 years and two kids later, they’re still together. She left her normal status behind and branched out by writing the screenplay for the 2017 film, Fun Mom Dinner.

Eddie Redmayne and Hannah Bagshawe

Eddie Redmayne and his wife Hannah Bagshawe were friends for over a decade before taking their normal friendship to a whole new level. The couple met while attending a charity event while in boarding school (how British!). Their friendship finally blossomed into a romance after Bagshawe visited Redmayne on set while he was filming Les Misérables. Those sweet vocals must have done the trick! The couple eventually wed in 2015 and they are parents to two children: Luke and Iris.

Aaron and Lauren Paul

Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul and his wife Lauren (née Parsekian) have a pretty magical first kiss story. The actor told Jimmy Kimmel that it happened on a Ferris wheel at Coachella, the California music festival where they first met. In 2018, they welcomed their daughter, Story Annabelle, ET reported. In March 2022, they welcomed their second child, Ryden Caspian. In her professional life, Lauren co-founded the Kind Campaign, a non-profit organization that combats bullying among young girls. She might be a normal but she’s fostering needed change as bullying is a terrible blight.

Wanda Sykes and Alex Niedbalski

Comedy legend, Wanda Sykes first spotted her future wife, Alex Niedbalski, while taking a ferry. You can’t get much more normal than that, right? Soon after, a friend introduced Sykes to a French woman who could help Sykes find the right granite countertops for her kitchen remodel. That French woman was none other than Niedbalski. The pair got married in 2008, and Sykes came out to the public just one month later. Together, they have 11-year-old twins: Olivia and Lucas.

Ken Jeong and Tran Ho

Before Ken Jeong was famous for his roles in Community and Dr. Ken, he was an actual doctor, a general physician, and that’s how he met his wife, also a physician, Tran Ho. The couple met at a singles mixer for doctors. You know just normals doing normals’ stuff. Speaking to NPR, Jeong said that he was offered his role in The Hangover while Ho was being treated for Stage 3 breast cancer and that she encouraged him to take the role and not feel guilty about it. She’s been cancer-free for a decade, and the couple share two children: Zooey and Alexa.

Gal Gadot and Yaron Varsano

Wonder Woman‘s Gal Gadot has been married to normal, Yaron Varsano, a real estate developer, for 14 years. In an interview with Glamour, she shared that they met “at this very strange party in the Israeli desert”—all about wellness and holistic healing. They weren’t into the overall vibe, but it turned out they were into each other. On their second date, Varsano told Gadot that he knew he wanted to marry her eventually. His wish came true and the couple have had three kids together through the years: Daniella, Alma, and Maya.

Meryl Streep and Don Gummer

American treasure, Meryl Streep, has something in common with her spouse, Don Gummer, they are both artists (not exactly normal, but you know). The three-time Academy Award-winning actress married the sculptor in 1978. They met when Streep was grieving her boyfriend, John Cazale, who died of lung cancer.

According to Michael Schulman’s Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, as reported by People, Streep had to leave the apartment she and Cazale shared, which led to a romance that would end up spanning decades. To help her move, Streep’s brother brought along a friend: Gummer. Though her family worried that she’d moved on too quickly, Streep and Gummer have been married for 43 years and have four children. Each of the children has chosen a life of not normalcy and all have careers in entertainment.

Christian Bale and Sibi Blažić

Oscar-winner Christian Bale met his future wife, Sibi Blažić, through his friend, Winona Ryder (totally normal). The circumstances weren’t all that glamorous on Blažić’s part. At the time, she was working as Ryder’s personal assistant, Marie Claire reported. In addition to being an assistant, she was also trying to launch a career in modeling. She and Bale have been married since 2000 and have two children, but don’t expect to hear many more details about how they fell in love or much else. They are incredibly private about their personal lives and the lives of their kids.

Patrick Dempsey and Jillian Fink

Another Grey’s Anatomy actor to grace this list, Patrick Dempsey, and his makeup artist wife Jillian Fink met when Dempsey came into Fink’s salon for a haircut. However, they very nearly called it quits a few years ago. Before they decided to end things for good, they called off their divorce and made another go of it. “I didn’t feel like we had done all the work. And we both wanted to do that work,” Dempsey told People in 2016.

He credited counseling for helping their family, which includes three children, get through the rough patch, and in 2019, the pair celebrated their 20th anniversary.

There you have them! The celebrity folks who married normal ones. There aren’t many who choose to go this route but we’re always happy to learn about these sorts of relationships as they truly feel genuine. Further, they give us all the excuse to think that we might one day find love with our celebrity crushes!