WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Denzel Washington Explains How His Name Should Be Pronounced

The “Highest 2 Lowest” star blamed his mother for creating the lifelong problem.

Denzel Washington’s first name has been mispronounced by seemingly everyone, including the movie star himself. In a Tuesday appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Washington, 70, explained how his name is supposed to be said aloud. “My name is not pronounced Denzel,” Washington said, pronouncing his name the way it’s known for. The Equalizer actor explained that instead of “DEN-zel,” the correct way to say it is “DEN-zuhl” — like the suffix of “Rapunzel.” But Washington explained it’s all thanks to his mother, Lennis Washington, that his name is pronounced how it is. “My father’s Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. I’m Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. My mother would say ‘Denzel,’ and we’d both show up,” he said. “So she said, ‘From now on, you’re ‘DEN-zuhl.’” The conversation followed Kimmel pointing out that there are currently four NFL players who bear the name “Denzel,” while zero had the name in 1987 when Washington starred in one of his first breakout roles in the film, Cry Freedom. “There are a lot of Denzels now,” the Training Day actor said. He explained that this now common mispronunciation is “how you know they named themselves after me.”