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Lionel Richie Performed Which Songs at Daughter Sofia's Wedding?
Lionel Richie’s name has a detail Keke Palmer wasn’t looking for.
But now, it’ll be difficult for her to overlook it. The Nope alum recently shared how she learned fans have been mispronouncing the “Hello” singer’s first name wrong for years.
“Lionel Richie and [I] were kicking back with our feet up sipping so much tea, I was hoping the mics weren’t catching what we were throwing down,” Keke, 32, recalled during her Jan. 3 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “He was talking about himself. He was like, ‘You know…’”
Before the 76-year-old—who shares kids Nicole Richie, 44, with ex-wife Brenda Harvey, as well as Miles Richie, 31, and Sofia Richie, 27, with Diane Alexander—could finish his sentence, someone interrupted him by saying his first name. Specifically, they pronounced it as lye-nell instead of lye-nol, and Keke was shocked to hear that inflection.
“I said, ‘Now, wait a minute. This whole time, you ain’t been Lye-nol Richie? You’ve been Lye-nell?’” she jokingly recalled. “So then I had to act like I knew. I was like, ‘Oh, Lye-nell!’ So me and Lionel are thick as thieves. That’s my new bestie, y’all!”
True to their new bond, the One of Them Days actor—mom to son Leodis, 2, with ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson—noted she’s supposed to hang out with him again soon, and she reassured Jimmy she’ll “let you know how it goes.”
While Lionel hasn’t publicly clarified the pronunciation of his name, he’s been open about embracing one important title in his personal life: Becoming a grandfather. Indeed, the “All Night Long” star marveled over his growing bond with his grandkids, including Sofia and husband Elliot Grainge’s eldest daughter, 20-month-old Eloise. (The couple are currently expecting their second baby together.)
“I have a problem,” he told E! News in October 2024. “I could just stick her in my pocket and take her around town. Amazing.”
In fact, Lionel described how he could metaphorically just eat her up.
“You know that stage of the baby part where the leg becomes a drumstick and you just can’t keep your mouth off of the little drumstick,” he enthused. “I’m so sorry. But you know, it’s that thing where you can just blow on the stomach and the little smile comes on the face.”
Keep reading to see more celebrity names you’ve probably been mispronouncing…
Reynaud Julien/APS-Medias/ABACA/Shutterstock
Kirsten Dunst (Pronounced: Keer-Sten)
The Spider-Man actress told Town & Country in August 2025 that people usually call her "kerr-sten" or "criss-ten."
However, the correct way to say her name is "keer-sten."
"I don't blame people," she said. "You just give up."
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Denzel Washington (Pronounced: Den-Zel)
While the Equalizer star admitted it was his mother Lennis Washington who evoked the change due to he and his father having the same name, he confirmed fans have been saying his name wrong in 2025.
“My name is not actually pronounced Denzel,” he told Jimmy Kimmel during an appearance on his eponymous late night show at the time, before going on to pronounce his name with emphasis on the first syllable. “My name is pronounced Denzel.”
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Travis Kelce (Pronounced: Kels)
Travis and brother Jason Kelce debated on their New Heights podcast whether to go by "Kel-see" or "Kels," with Travis deciding to do the latter.
Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
Paul Mescal (Pronounced: Mess-Cull)
No, not like the liquor. The Normal People alum admitted to The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that he may need to start his own beverage company with how often his name in mispronounced.
"People get confused with how to pronounce my name because of the drink Mezcal," he said. "Everybody does it. I pronounce it 'Mescal' and I wonder if I launched a tequila line I would have to, I would call it 'Mescal's Mezcal.' I'm on the fence."
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
Taylor Lautner (Pronounced: Lout-Ner)
Speaking with E! News in February 2022, Taylor revealed the first syllable of his last name rhymes with "out" instead of being pronounced as "lot."
Earl Gibson III/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images
Ayo Edebiri (Pronounced: Eye-Oh Eh-deb-bri)
Ayo has never complained about people getting her name wrong, but she has said that it's her "pet peeve" when people mispronounce anyone's name, so make sure you pronounce hers like she's introduced it herself, such as at the Emmys in 2022.
Todd Williamson/E! Entertainment/NBC via Getty Images
Tana Mongeau (Pronounced: Mo-Jo)
Alex Warren called out Tana for the unusual pronunciation of her last name during a 2022 episode of the Locked In podcast, to which she said, "Take it up with the French, I didn't create it."
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
Emily Ratajkowski (Pronounced: Rat-Ah-Kof-Sky or Rat-Ah-Cow-Skee)
After much speculation surrounding her moniker, the model set the record straight in a TikTok shared by Tory Burch, where she provided "the Polish way" to say it. She has also introduced herself by pronouncing her last name "Rat-Ah-Cow-Skee."
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Tove Lo (Pronounced: Toov-a-loo)
While the "Habits" singer has embraced the more common pronunciation of her name, "TUV-LOW," she clarified that's not actually correct in 2022.
"The Swedish way is 'Toovaloo,'" she explained in a TikTok at the time. "But I will still answer to 'TUV-LOW.'"
TikTok
Raven-Symoné (Pronounced: See-mon-ye)
While Raven-Symoné's character could see the future on That's So Raven, fans likely didn't see this coming. The actress revealed in a January 2023 TikTok that her name has been mispronounced for years and is actually pronounced See-mon-ye.
Taylor Hill/WireImage
Brendan Fraser (Pronounced: Fray-zer)
After Adam Sandler accidentally mispronounced the Oscar winner's last name during a December 2022 interview for Variety's Actors on Actors series, the George of the Jungle star swung in with a trick that can help fans remember how to say the moniker correctly: Fraser rhymes with razor.
Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Haim (Pronounced: Hi-Um)
Yes, the sister duo Este Haim, Alana Haim and Danielle Haim have also had to share the proper pronunciation back in 2013—and you might still be getting it wrong. The four-letter word is actually two syllables—Hi-Um.
But hey, no sweat if you have—even Alana has messed it up.
"That was one, you're wrong," Danielle told her in a 2013 tutorial video.
To which Alana jokingly replied, "I'm not a sister, just so everyone knows. I'm an actress."
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Zendaya (Pronounced: Zen-DAY-uh)
While not as common later in her career, the Challengers actress has had to explain how to properly pronounce her singular moniker.
"I think a lot of people see my name and think it's more fancy than it is," Zendaya explained in a video posted to her website in 2016. "They think Zendaya like papaya. It's just day."
Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images
Adele (Pronounced: Uh-Dale)
During a Q&A in October 2022, the powerhouse singer praised a fan for "perfectly" pronouncing her name as "uh-dale" when asking a question.
Lindsay Lohan (Pronounced: Lo-Wen)
For her introductory video shared to TikTok in February 2022, Lindsay Lohan inadvertently set the record straight on how to correctly pronounce her last name, which is "Lo-wen."
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
Alicia Silverstone (Pronounced: Uh-Lee-See-Uh)
The Clueless actress set the record straight on how to pronounce her name on TikTok. Alicia said she's not bothered if fans don't get it right, noting, "But my sweet mama didn't like it... so for her... get it right! Ali-SEE-yuh."
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Kesha (Pronounced: Keh-Sha)
"My name is Kesha. Keh-sha," the singer said on TikTok. "Not Keisha. Not Ketchup. Kesha."
Peter Kramer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Justin Theroux (Pronounced: Tha-Roo)
The Leftovers actor's uncle revealed in an interview with Apple TV+ that we've all been pronouncing "Theroux" incorrectly, including Justin himself!
"The main character is played by Justin Theroux, my nephew," Paul Theroux explained of the actor starring in his novel's television adaptation. The novelist later poked fun at his nephew, saying, "Sometimes he calls himself Justin tha-row [laughs]. It's a French name, it's Theroux."
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Ariana Grande (Pronounced: Gran-Dee)
The pop star dropped jaws in 2018 after she explained the correct way to say her last name. When speaking about her engagement to Pete Davidson at the time, Ariana discussed whether or not she'd take his last name in an interview with Beats 1's Ebro Darden. That's when she blurted out the "gran-dee" pronunciation when describing her own last name.
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Chrissy Teigen (Pronounced: Tie-Ghen)
The Cravings cookbook author blew everyone's mind when she shared the real way to say her last name. During an appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan in 2018, the model admitted it was her "fault" for the mispronunciation. "It's been 25 years, I'm tired of correcting people," she expressed.
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Gucci Fragrance
Gal Gadot (Pronounced: Guh-Dote)
The lasso of truth! The Wonder Woman actress chatted with Jimmy Kimmel about the pronunciation (guh-dote) and the meaning of her last name, which is "Riverbank" in Hebrew. "The Gadot used to be Greenstein," she confessed of her original last name, but her parents "felt" it had more oomph.
Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
Jake Gyllenhaal (Pronounced: Yee-Len-Hey-Lo)
Prepare to be mind blown. During an appearance on Conan in 2012, the actor shared the "only two places that that is pronounced correctly, my last name, is in Sweden and in Ikea."
Kurt Krieger/Corbis via Getty Images
Ralph Fiennes (Pronounced: Ray-F Fines)
The star has openly discussed just how frequently people screw up his name. However, in 2011, he told The Hollywood Reporter he'd never change it because he was named after his step-grandfather, who pronounced it in the same way.
Brill/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Sade Adu (Pronounced Shar-Day)
According to the legendary singer's IMDb page, her stage name is pronounced shar-day.
Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Steve Buscemi (Pronounced: Boo-Sem-Ee)
In 2014, the Fargo alum confirmed his last name is pronounced boo-sem-ee during a panel for Running Late with Scott Rogowsky. However, he said he doesn't "correct people" if they say boo-shh-em-me because "it's not wrong."
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Charlize Theron (Pronounced: There-In)
In 2014, the Oscar winner told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that her last name is always botched. "They screw it up," she quipped. "I almost want to make an audiotape on how to pronounce my name."
Julien De Rosa/AFP via Getty Images
Anya Taylor Joy (Pronounced: Anne-Ya)
Check(mate) your pronounciation of the Queen's Gambit star, who says her name like anne-ya—and not awn-ya.
Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images
Amanda Seyfried (Pronounced: Sigh-Frid)
The Mean Girls alum has us all feeling like Karen because she revealed in 2012 during an interview with Hollywood Streams that the correct pronunciation of her last name is sigh-frid. Although, she admitted that her "sister says it differently" than she does.
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