Well damn. We have been butchering Denzel Washington’s name all this time.
Still out promoting his latest flick, Highest 2 Lowest, Washington stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday.
When the late-night talk show host brought up NFL players with his name, the legendary actor revealed that we have been mispronouncing his name, and we can thank his mom for that.
“This is how you know they named themselves after me,” the 70-year-old Academy Award-winning actor told Kimmel. “My name is not pronounced Denzel.”
Breaking it all down, the Training Day star explained to Kimmel and his audience that his name is not pronounced “DEN-zel,” but it’s actually “DEN-zuhl.”
Wait…. what?
“My father’s Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. I’m Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. My mother [Lennis Washington] would say ‘Denzel,’ and we’d both show up.
“So she said, ‘From now on, you’re Denzel,’” Denzel, he continued.”
Now, we know everyone might be stunned at these developments, but this is not the first time Washington has shared this story.
He also told Graham Norton about the correct pronunciation of his name during a visit to The Graham Norton Show in 2013.
Well, in this case, your momma called you “DEN-zel,” we’re gonna call you “DEN-zel” forever.
Highest 2 Lowest is currently in theaters for a limited run before heading to Apple TV+ on September 5.
