Denzel Washington Reveals The CORRECT Way To Say His Name — Plus, More Celebrities We've Been Mispronouncing All Along

Denzel Washington sheds light on the true pronunciation of his name, (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

During a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the US on 2 September 2025, the two-time Oscar winner shared the story behind the long-standing mispronunciation. While host Jimmy Kimmel joked about there now being four NFL players named Denzel — compared with none before Washington's first Oscar in 1987 — the actor jumped in with a surprising correction.

'This is how you know they named themselves after me', he said, before adding, 'because my name's not pronounced Den-zuhl, my name is Den-zil'.