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Denzel Washington just let the world know that they\u2019ve been pronouncing his name wrong for decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n For nearly 50 years, Washington has evoked a range of emotions from viewers, and now he\u2019s sticking true to form and bringing shock to the masses. The veteran actor moseyed his way down to the \u201cJimmy Kimmel Show\u201d on Wednesday<\/a> and discussed how his name has been pronounced wrong all these years. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cDo you know there are currently four players named Denzel in the NFL,\u201d Kimmel revealed to Washington. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n This prompted the late-night host to inform Washington that there were \u201czero\u201d players with the name in 1987, which made the \u201cFences\u201d actor note that the players\u2019 parents \u201cnamed\u201d their kids after him. This led Washington to share a memory from his childhood about his moniker. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMy name\u2019s not pronounced Denzel. My name\u2019s pronounced Den-zel,\u201d he revealed, emphasizing the clipped \u201ce\u201d vowel in his name.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n This pronunciation came to light thanks to his father. You see, Washington himself is a Jr. His father\u2019s name is Denzel H. Washington Sr. But this nomenclature caused confusion in the actor\u2019s household, and so his mother made an executive decision. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMy mother would say Den-zel, and we both show up. So she said, \u2018From now on, you\u2019re Denzel,\u2019\u201d he said, emphasizing the longer \u201ce\u201d that we have all grown accustomed to. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kimmel responded, \u201cOh, that\u2019s smart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 20 Years Of<\/span>Free<\/span>Journalism<\/span><\/p>\n Your Support<\/span>Fuels<\/span>Our Mission<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Your Support<\/span>Fuels<\/span>Our Mission<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n