Everyone has been mispronouncing Denzel Washington\u2019s name \u2014 all thanks to his mom.<\/p>\n
The actor spoke to Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday about the moniker\u2019s correct pronunciation as they discussed all the NFL players with the same name.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is how you know they named themselves after me,\u201d the Golden Globe winner, 70, said during the \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d appearance<\/a>. \u201cMy name is not pronounced Denzel.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone has been pronouncing Denzel Washington\u2019s name incorrectly, the actor revealed.<\/p>\n The actor told \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d viewers Tuesday that his mom, Pauletta, started the mispronunciation. Xavier Collin\/Image Press Agency\/MEGA<\/p>\n Instead of \u201cDEN-zel,\u201d Washington said his name correctly and clipped the second syllable to sound like \u201cDEN-zuhl.\u201d<\/p>\n He explained, \u201cMy father\u2019s Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. I\u2019m Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. My mother, [Pauletta Washington], would say \u2018Denzel,\u2019 and we\u2019d both show up.<\/p>\n \u201cSo she said, \u2018From now on, you\u2019re Denzel,’\u201d Denzel recalled, using the pronunciation he is known for. \u201cThat\u2019s how we got Denzel.\u201d<\/p>\n The actor and his father share the same name, which should be said as \u201cDEN-zuhl.\u201d Getty Images<\/p>\n However, his mom changed the way she pronounced her son\u2019s moniker to reduce confusion. @NIKOTYLER \/ BACKGRID<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Kimmel, 57, replied, \u201cThat\u2019s smart.\u201d<\/p>\n There are, currently, \u201cfour players named Denzel in the NFL,\u201d which the talk show host said increased after Washington won his first Oscar in 1990.<\/p>\n \u201cThere [were] zero in 1987,\u201d Kimmel pointed out.<\/p>\n Before that, the \u201cHighest 2 Lowest\u201d star and his dad would \u201cboth show up\u201d when Pauletta called. Marion Curtis \/ StarPix for AppleTV+<\/p>\n Jimmy Kimmel applauded Pauletta\u2019s \u201csmart\u201d decision during Tuesday\u2019s interview. Ouzounova\/Splash News<\/p>\n Denzel agreed, \u201cI know. There are a lot of Denzels now.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cHighest 2 Lowest\u201d star previously shared his mother\u2019s strategy while on the \u201cGraham Norton Show\u201d<\/a> in 2013.<\/p>\n He trolled Graham Norton at the time, repeating his moniker both ways as the 62-year-old inquired which was the right way to say Denzel.<\/p>\n The host noted the name\u2019s increase in popularity since Denzel\u2019s fame, judging by how many NFL players now have it. MediaPunch via Getty Images<\/p>\n Because they pronounce it \u201cDEN-zel,\u201d he knows \u201cthey named themselves after\u201d him.<\/p>\n