“I’m Asking For Basic Respect”: 9 Celebrities Who’ve Stopped To Explain How To Actually Pronounce Their Names During Interviews

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“I’m Asking For Basic Respect”: 9 Celebrities Who’ve Stopped To Explain How To Actually Pronounce Their Names During Interviews

If you have a long, complicated, and/or non-English name (speaking from personal experience), you might find yourself letting it go or even expecting it when people completely butcher your name. You might even feel awkward trying to correct people. However, as many celebrities have come to assert, it’s common decency to properly pronounce people’s names.

So here are nine times celebrities have stopped to explain how to actually pronounce their names during interviews:

1. Steven Yeun

Kayla Oaddams / WireImage

In 2016, while interviewing Steven Yeun on his late-night talk show Conan, Conan O’Brien revealed he was horrified when Steven told him — after several years of friendship — that he had been mispronouncing Steven’s last name.

Team Coco / Conaco / TBS / Via youtube.com

Conan explained that while the two were flying home from a trip to South Korea, Steven revealed that Conan had been saying his last name wrong for years — to Conan’s absolute horror. Turns out, Conan had been pronouncing Steven’s last name as Yoon when it’s actually pronounced Yun.

Team Coco / Conaco / TBS / Via youtube.com

During the segment, Conan joked that Steven had “hundreds of hours” to have corrected him during their friendship, but Steven admitted that he felt bad and said, “You can’t stop someone from mispronouncing your name—” to which Conan cut him off, arguing, “Yes, you can!”

Team Coco / Conaco / TBS / Via youtube.com

Steven then explained that he didn’t want to come across as pretentious and embarrass both himself and Conan by correcting him. “So you thought it was better to wait four years and then tell me on television,” Conan joked.

Team Coco / Conaco / TBS / Via youtube.com

So, folks, if you, like Conan, have been saying Steven Yoon instead of Steven Yun, now you know. Watch the full conversation — and hear the proper pronunciation — here:

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

In 2019, Hasan Minhaj went viral for making it a point to correct Ellen’s pronunciation of his name while on The Ellen DeGeneres Show after she incorrectly said, “And it’s Ha-saan Min-aaj.”

TheEllenShow / Telepictures / Warner Bros. Television / Via youtube.com

After correcting Ellen, Hasan told her and the audience that he wanted to take this moment on national television to explain how to properly say his name.

TheEllenShow / Telepictures / Warner Bros. Television / Via youtube.com

He explained it was important for him to address the mispronunciation because his parents — who had driven six hours from Sacramento to Los Angeles to see him on Ellen — were in the audience.

TheEllenShow / Telepictures / Warner Bros. Television / Via youtube.com

The camera then panned to Hasan’s parents in the audience.

TheEllenShow / Telepictures / Warner Bros. Television / Via youtube.comLater, the comedian elaborated on what was going through his head at that moment: “Mom and Dad are sitting there … And Ellen’s just like, ‘Hey, Ha-SAN!’ I looked in the audience … and my mom, who gave me that name, is just like, ‘Eugh.’ And I’m like, ‘Dude, what am I doing?'” 

“And so I was like, ‘Alright, Ellen, just let’s do this right now,'” he continued. “‘Cause we can pronounce Timothée Chalamet, so we’re gonna do this right now.”

Nevertheless, after the interview, Hasan’s father chided him for wasting time on-air to correct Ellen. While Hasan understood where his father was coming from, he disagreed with him, noting that his parents’ generation fought to survive while his generation is here to live and thrive.

Emphasizing his point, Hasan revealed the different pronunciations of his name he’s gotten over the years while pointing out that English names can be just as complex or multisyllabic. “I’m so sorry, I can’t pronounce it. Meet my son, Higsby Witherthrottle III!” he joked.

TheEllenShow / Telepictures / Warner Bros. Television / Via youtube.com

After Hasan encouraged Ellen to try and pronounce his name again, she sheepishly said, “Hasan Min-ijsh.” Though wrong, Hasan said he appreciates people making the effort. Ellen then asked him to say his name again and then correctly repeated Hasan’s name.

TheEllenShow / Telepictures / Warner Bros. Television / Via youtube.com

Hasan then shared that people urged him to change his name when he first began doing comedy. However, he argued if people can properly pronounce Ansel Elgort, they should have no problem saying Hasan Minhaj.

TheEllenShow / Telepictures / Warner Bros. Television / Via youtube.com

In the end, Ellen related to his struggle, sharing that people originally had a hard time saying her last name correctly, mispronouncing it as “Dee-ge-neriss” or “Degenerate.” She then said Hasan’s full name properly once more as they continue the interview.

The bottom line: Even if you don’t quite get it on the first try, it’s Ha-san Min-haj — not Ha-saan Min-aaj or Ha-seen Min-aja. Watch the whole moment and listen to the correct pronunciation here:

Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

In 2022, Simu Liu attended a basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and LA Clippers. During the game, an announcer spotted him in the crowd and shouted him out but butchered Simu’s name in the process.

@LAClippers / Via Twitter: @LAClippers

“He played Shang-Chi in the 2021 film Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings and is Marvel’s first-ever Asian superhero,” the announcer began, as Simu smiled and pointed to his Clippers hat.

@LAClippers / Via Twitter: @LAClippers

As the announcer got to Simu’s name, he completely butchered it, saying, “Let’s hear it for Simi-oo Loo!” Immediately, Simu’s face dropped before he mouthed, “Close enough.” FYI: His name is pronounced See-moo Lee-you.

@LAClippers / Via Twitter: @LAClippers

After the game, the LA Clippers posted a video of the shout-out to their official Twitter account, prompting Simu to retweet it with the response “…Close enough!” and reply, “SUMYOO LOO?!”

SUMYOO LOO?!

— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) October 30, 2022@SimuLiu / @LAClippers / Via Twitter: @SimuLiu

Six months prior to the basketball game, Simu actually tweeted about teleprompters displaying the phonetic spelling of his name to prevent hosts from mispronouncing it during award shows. (Ironically, Timothée Chalamet’s name doesn’t require a phonetic breakdown.)

Every talk show host, every awards show, anytime someone has to read my name off a prompter LOL pic.twitter.com/I2u6qwnO1T

— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) April 14, 2022@SimuLiu / Via Twitter: @SimuLiu

So please, the next time you mention Simu, make sure you’re saying See-moo Lee-you, not Simioo Loo. Check out the full clip of the announcement here.

.@SimuLiu in the buildin’! ? pic.twitter.com/pxZ0CTQsdL

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 30, 2022@LAClippers

4. Auli’i Cravalho

Steve Granitz / FilmMagic

In 2016, during an interview with USA Today, Auli’i broke down the correct pronunciation of both her first and last name. And it turned out, even her Moana costar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had been mispronouncing her last name.

USA Today / Via usatoday.com

She first began by pronouncing each syllable of her first name, Auli’i: Ow (like you stubbed your toe, she noted), Lee (as in Bruce Lee), Ee (like the letter E).

USA Today / Via usatoday.com

She then acknowledged people also struggle to properly pronounce her last name, Cravalho — which is actually a misspelling of the Portuguese surname, Carvalho.

USA Today / Via usatoday.com

This caught the attention of The Rock, who turned to Auli’i and asked, “Cra-vah-li-oo?” After she corrected him, The Rock tried again and pronounced it properly.

USA Today / Via usatoday.com

The two started laughing as The Rock realized he’d been confidently mispronouncing her name up until that point, and he thanked Auli’i for correcting him. She then jokingly butchered his name, calling him, “D’wan-ye” (like Kanye).

USA Today / Via usatoday.com

So for future reference, Auli’i Cravalho’s name is actually pronounced Ow-lee-e Cra-vah-lio. Please and thanks. Check out the full clip here.

5. Tzuyu

The Chosunilbo Jns / ImaZins via Getty Images

In 2023, Tzuyu appeared as part of the K-pop girl group Twice on The Kelly Clarkson Show. During the segment, Kelly stopped to ask Tzuyu how to properly say her name after noticing their on-stage interpreter pronounce it differently.

The Kelly Clarkson Show / NBC / Via youtube.com

“Tzoo-yoo,” Kelly originally said before turning to their interpreter to confirm her pronunciation. Their interpreter then pronounced Tzuyu’s name both ways — phonetically based on the English romanization, as Kelly had, “Tzoo-yoo,” and properly in Korean, “Jjeu-Wee.”

The Kelly Clarkson Show / NBC / Via youtube.com

Surprised at how far off she was and in spite of their interpreter telling Kelly “Tzoo-yoo is good,” Kelly asked their interpreter how she pronounces Tzuyu’s name. “In Korean, it’s Jjeu-wee,” the interpreter explained.

The Kelly Clarkson Show / NBC / Via youtube.com

For context, Tzuyu is the only Taiwanese member of Twice, and in Chinese, her name is written 子瑜. In Korean (which doesn’t have the same phonology as Chinese), her name is translated to 쯔위, which is pronounced Jjeu-Wee — or, as Twice fans affectionately romanize it in English, Chewy.

Kelly then turned to Tzuyu herself and asked how she preferred Kelly to say her name. Once the interpreter asked in Korean, Tzuyu responded, “Jjeu-Wee.” Kelly then attempted to pronounce her name properly, complimenting the actual pronunciation, as she continued the interview.

The Kelly Clarkson Show / NBC / Via youtube.com

We can all learn from Kelly’s respect and grace, and the next time you find yourself talking about Twice, remember Tzuyu’s name is pronounced Jjeu-wee. Watch their whole interaction here.

Monica Schipper / Getty Images

In 2021, after Season 2 of Never Have I Ever dropped and interviewers and fans alike continuously mispronounced her name, Maitreyi took to Twitter to post a voice memo in which she discussed the importance of properly saying people’s names and shared how to correctly say her own.

had to take this voice memo 18490174 times because there’s a lot to say?✨ pic.twitter.com/sZ867oMJO4

— Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (@ramakrishnannn) July 22, 2021@ramakrishnannn / Via Twitter: @ramakrishnannn

She began by stating that names are not only important but a big part of one’s identity. However, many people have actually accused her of not saying her own name — which she loves — correctly. “I do know how to say my own name right,” she asserted.

@ramakrishnannn / Via Twitter: @ramakrishnannn

Maitreyi then pointed out that you are the authority when it comes to your name. Nobody knows how to say your name but you, and there’s no room for discussion beyond that.

@ramakrishnannn / Via Twitter: @ramakrishnannn

Reflecting on her own experience, Maitreyi revealed she used to accept people mispronouncing her name because she felt like she was inconveniencing them by correcting them. “I used to tell people, ‘Yeah, you can call me My-tree, like, whatever. I don’t care,'” she said. However, she’s since realized it’s basic respect to properly pronounce people’s names.

@ramakrishnannn / Via Twitter: @ramakrishnannn

Now, whenever she meets new people, Maitreyi makes an “active effort” to ensure they’re correctly saying her name — whether it’s during an interview or in general.

@ramakrishnannn / Via Twitter: @ramakrishnannn

At the end of the 72-second voice memo, Maitreyi said her name with the correct pronunciation: My-tray-yee Ra-ma-krish-nin. She even said her name in a Tamil accent before adding, “Not expecting people to switch up their accents on me — just asking for basic respect.”

@ramakrishnannn / Via Twitter: @ramakrishnannn

After posting the voice memo, Maitreyi replied to her tweet, adding that many people — before the premiere of Never Have I Ever — expected her to change her name to “make it easier.” “Cute,” she commented.

yk it’s actually crazy how many people (before NHIE came out) thought I was gonna change my name to make it easier. cute?

— Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (@ramakrishnannn) July 22, 2021@ramakrishnannn / Via Twitter: @ramakrishnannn

Not only does Maitreyi make a great point about giving others the basic respect of saying their name right, but now you can be sure you and others around you are saying hers right: My-tray-yee Ra-ma-krish-nin. Listen to her entire voice memo here.

7. Ke Huy Quan

Dominik Bindl / Getty Images

In 2023, while being interviewed on the Unforgettable Gala Red Carpet, Ke Huy Quan answered interviewer Steven Lim’s question about how to properly pronounce his name after noting that there are many different pronunciations of his name on the internet.

Character Media / Via youtube.com

Ke said the second part of his name is pronounced Hoo-ee — though he said it quickly enough that it almost sounds like one syllable, like Hoy. After Steven shared some common mispronunciations of Ke’s name, Ke joked, “As long as they say my name, it’s fine.”

Character Media / Via youtube.com

Steven also asked if Ke preferred to go by Ke for short as opposed to Ke Huy. “Yes,” he replied before explaining it’s pronounced the same as a key to the door.

Character Media / Via youtube.com

Though Ke is super gracious about people mispronouncing his name, you heard it straight from him: It’s Ke Huy Quan, as in Key Hoo-ee Kwon. Listen for yourself here at the 4:00 mark.

Rob Kim / Getty Images for BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)

In 2020, while reading thirst tweets on BuzzFeed Celeb, Avan read a tweet that said, “I just need a video of @AvanJogia saying his name over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and.”

BuzzFeed Celeb / Via youtube.com

After, Avan turned to the camera and revealed he actually already made a video repeating his name over and over again — but not as a thirst trap. He created the video because nobody pronounces his name correctly.

BuzzFeed Celeb / Via youtube.com

Avan then repeated his name — pronounced A-vuhn Joe-ghee-uh — 11 times before confirming, “That’s how you say that,” and moving on to the next tweet.

BuzzFeed Celeb / Via youtube.com

Next time you’re talking about Avan, remember, it’s not Ay-von. It’s A-vuhn Joe-ghee-uh. Check out the full video here, and listen to him properly pronounce his name.

David M. Benett / Alan Chapman/Dave Benett / Getty Images

In 2011, George took to Twitter to clarify that his last name — commonly mispronounced as Ta-kai — is actually pronounced Ta-KAY. A few years later, while chatting with Jeff Glor during an interview with CBS Mornings, George again explained how to say his name and gave his take on why it’s often mispronounced.

It’s pronounced Ta-KAY, not Ta-KAI. But I don’t mind Ta-KAI because that means “expensive.”

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) January 20, 2011@GeorgeTakei / Via Twitter: @GeorgeTakei

Upon introducing himself, Jeff asked if he was pronouncing George’s last name correctly and wondered, “Why did I always say Ta-kai?” George then explained that it’s the Germanic pronunciation of E-I, as in Einstein.

CBS Mornings / Via youtube.com

However, George joked he doesn’t mind the mispronunciation since, in Japanese, ta-kai actually means expensive, prompting the cast to laugh.

CBS Mornings / Via youtube.com

Now, after (potentially decades of) calling him George Ta-kai, we all know how to say his name properly: George Ta-kay. Check out the full clip from CBS Mornings here.

BuzzFeed / Kathy Hoang, Brooke Greeneberg