24 Celebrities I Never Realized Use Stage Names
Does anyone in Hollywood use their real name???
Look, there are some celebrity stage names that are pretty obvious. Lady Gaga? Yes. Meg Thee Stallion? Of course. But recently, I started doing some digging into other stage names, and the results left me shook! Here are some celebs that I had absolutely no idea use stage names instead of their real names.
1. Lucy Hale
Real name: Karen Lucille Hale
Who would've thought Lucy Hale is actually a Karen???
2. Travis Scott
Real name: Jacques Berman Webster II
Travis Scott totally sounds like it could be someone's actual name, so I'm letting myself off the hook on this one.
3. Nina Dobrev
Real name: Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva
A simple shortening I personally never expected.
4. John Legend
Real name: John Roger Stephen
I guess this one's on me for thinking his last name was actually Legend.
5. Natalie Portman
Real name: Neta-Lee Hershlag
Neta-Lee = Natalie. Makes sense!
6. Bruno Mars
Real name: Peter Gene Hernandez
Huh, who knew? Certainly not me.
7. Gigi Hadid
Real name: Jelena Noura Hadid
A small but significant change!
8. Meryl Streep
Real name: Mary Louise Streep
She'll always be Meryl to me, but Mary Louise is still a nice name.
9. Elton John
Real name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight
Just like his stage name, his real name is regal as hell.
10. Tina Fey
Real name: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey
This one really threw me for some reason.
11. Meghan Markle
Real name: Rachel Meghan Markle
But I guess her NEW new name is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
12. Jamie Foxx
Real name: Eric Marlon Bishop
Not at all what I was expecting.
13. Mila Kunis
Real name: Milena Markovna Kunis
I actually love the name Milena, TBH.
14. Alicia Keys
Real name: Alicia Augello-Cook Dean
Because she's amazing at playing the piano! Ahhh, I get it.
15. Courtney Love
Real name: Courtney Michelle Harrison
This one's not too far off, but still.
16. Olivia Wilde
Real name: Olivia Jane Cockburn
Wow.
17. Rihanna
Real name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty
Robyn...Rihanna...she's still the queen of Fenty so whatevs.
18. Halsey
Real name: Ashley Nicolette Frangipane
Raise your hand if you were today years old when you realized "Halsey" is an anagram for "Ashley."
19. Whoopi Goldberg
Real name: Caryn Elaine Johnson
Whoopi is so iconic, she can call herself whatever she wants.
20. Calvin Harris
Real name: Adam Richard Wiles
Yes, I know, Taylor Swift called him Adam at that awards show one time, but I completely forgot about that.
21. Spike Lee
Real name: Shelton Lee
Apparently, Lee's mom nicknamed him Spike when he was younger.
22. Kit Harington
Real name: Christopher Catesby Harington
Love how he changed it to Kit. Like a Kit Kar bar!
23. Frank Ocean
Real name: Christopher Edwin Cooksey
Again, this one's on me for thinking his last name was Ocean.
24. And Mindy Kaling
Real name: Vera Mindy Chokalingam
Vera's a lovely name, but she'll always be Queen Mindy to me.