Denzel Washington speaks on His Favourite Rappers, Being a Dallas Cowboys Fan & more in Jimmy Kimmel Interview

Denzel Washington might be a household name, but it turns out many people have been mispronouncing his name for decades.

The Oscar-winning actor reintroduced himself during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! At one point during the sit-down, Kimmel pointed out that there were four NFL players with the first name Denzel. However, this wasn’t a huge revelation for die-hard fans. He explained that the true pronunciation of his name rhymed with “pencil,” but his mother switched it up to avoid confusion within their home.

“I know. There’s a lot of Denzels now,” the 70-year-old responded. “And this is how you know they named themselves after me: Because my name is not pronounced Den-zelle. My name is pronounced Den-zuhl.”

The actor, who is currently promoting Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, shared the tidbit back in 2013 when he appeared on The Graham Norton Show.