Ariana Grande, Emma Stone. Getty Pictures (2)
What’s in a reputation? Apparently rather a lot for these Hollywood stars, who’ve been bidding adieu to their well-known monikers.
For so long as most can bear in mind, stage names have been a standard follow in Hollywood. Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm) modified her moniker to seem extra theatrical. Elton John (a.okay.a. Reginald Kenneth Dwight) ditched his authorized title in his 20s in hopes of standing out from the gang. Katy Perry tweaked her surname (Katheryn Hudson) to keep away from being confused with actress Kate Hudson. Even Reese Witherspoon opted to drop her first title, Laura Jeanne, in favor of her mom’s maiden title earlier than she broke onto the scene.
However currently, we’ve seen an increase in mega-successful stars ditching the names that made them well-known. On January 31, The Weeknd (a.okay.a. Abel Tesfaye) launched his album Hurry Up Tomorrow, which marked the top of his After Hours trilogy — and his pseudonym. “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I simply don’t have any extra want for,” Tesfaye instructed Variety of ditching The Weeknd persona. “It turns into this rat race: extra accolades, extra success, extra reveals, extra albums, extra awards and extra No. 1s. It by no means ends till you finish it.”
In November 2024, Ariana Grande made headlines when her title appeared totally different within the credit of her Oscar-nominated movie, Depraved: Ariana Grande-Butera. “You already know, that was my title once I went to see the present once I was 10 years outdated,” she defined in February 2025 of her determination to go by her beginning title to The Hollywood Reporter. “It felt like a extremely beautiful method of honoring that.”
In response to Gail Saltz, a scientific affiliate professor of psychiatry on the New York Presbyterian Hospital, a star’s determination to vary their title can have deep which means. “[It can] harken again to the time that they had all these desires and needs to be who they [later] turned,” Saltz instructed Us Weekly, including that “on this age of quite a lot of misinformation, there’s a want for fact for a lot of. Therefore, I believe some celebrities, notably already having made it, wish to be their true selves and recoup their beginning title.”
That appears to ring true with Emma Stone. Whereas attending the 2024 Cannes Movie Pageant, Stone — who started going by Emma (a nod to her fave Spice Lady!) early on in her profession as a result of there was already an “Emily Stone” in SAG-AFTRA — thanked a reporter who referred to her by her authorized title, later explaining that she prefers to be known as that. “I freaked out a few years in the past. For some purpose, I used to be like, ‘I can’t do it anymore. Simply name me Emily,’” she recalled. “I want to be Emily. … That will be so good.”
Michael Keaton feels equally. Within the ’70s, Keaton was compelled to decide on his now-famous final title as a result of his precise surname, Douglas, was taken by the Michael Douglas everyone knows and love. (“I used to be trying by way of — I can’t bear in mind if it was a telephone ebook… And I went, ‘Oh, that sounds cheap,’” Keaton just lately recalled of selecting his stage title.) Nonetheless, in September, Keaton introduced that he plans to begin utilizing a hybrid model of his authorized title — Michael Keaton Douglas — on future initiatives.
Is that this title sport only a passing development, or is it right here to remain? Laura Burkemper, brand-building skilled and CEO of Scaleblazer, believes that is only the start. “In an period of social media and larger accessibility, the necessity for manufactured identities has diminished,” she instructed Us. “Celebrities are more and more utilizing their actual names to honor their roots, simplify their legacy and mirror trendy values of transparency.”
Michael Keaton is probably not identified by his well-known moniker for for much longer. The actor, 73, just lately revealed that he hopes to revert to his beginning title, Michael John Douglas, after opting to not use it in Hollywood for nearly 50 years. He famous he was unable to make use of his precise surname as a result of […]
After all, we’ll all the time be followers of stars with (typically kooky!) stage names — how will you not love Girl Gaga and Vin Diesel? However in a time the place the world is changing into extra genuine, there’s something refreshing about being merely your self — and we’re completely right here for it.
Ariana Grande, Emma Stone. Getty Pictures (2)
What’s in a reputation? Apparently rather a lot for these Hollywood stars, who’ve been bidding adieu to their well-known monikers.
For so long as most can bear in mind, stage names have been a standard follow in Hollywood. Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm) modified her moniker to seem extra theatrical. Elton John (a.okay.a. Reginald Kenneth Dwight) ditched his authorized title in his 20s in hopes of standing out from the gang. Katy Perry tweaked her surname (Katheryn Hudson) to keep away from being confused with actress Kate Hudson. Even Reese Witherspoon opted to drop her first title, Laura Jeanne, in favor of her mom’s maiden title earlier than she broke onto the scene.
However currently, we’ve seen an increase in mega-successful stars ditching the names that made them well-known. On January 31, The Weeknd (a.okay.a. Abel Tesfaye) launched his album Hurry Up Tomorrow, which marked the top of his After Hours trilogy — and his pseudonym. “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I simply don’t have any extra want for,” Tesfaye instructed Variety of ditching The Weeknd persona. “It turns into this rat race: extra accolades, extra success, extra reveals, extra albums, extra awards and extra No. 1s. It by no means ends till you finish it.”
In November 2024, Ariana Grande made headlines when her title appeared totally different within the credit of her Oscar-nominated movie, Depraved: Ariana Grande-Butera. “You already know, that was my title once I went to see the present once I was 10 years outdated,” she defined in February 2025 of her determination to go by her beginning title to The Hollywood Reporter. “It felt like a extremely beautiful method of honoring that.”
In response to Gail Saltz, a scientific affiliate professor of psychiatry on the New York Presbyterian Hospital, a star’s determination to vary their title can have deep which means. “[It can] harken again to the time that they had all these desires and needs to be who they [later] turned,” Saltz instructed Us Weekly, including that “on this age of quite a lot of misinformation, there’s a want for fact for a lot of. Therefore, I believe some celebrities, notably already having made it, wish to be their true selves and recoup their beginning title.”
That appears to ring true with Emma Stone. Whereas attending the 2024 Cannes Movie Pageant, Stone — who started going by Emma (a nod to her fave Spice Lady!) early on in her profession as a result of there was already an “Emily Stone” in SAG-AFTRA — thanked a reporter who referred to her by her authorized title, later explaining that she prefers to be known as that. “I freaked out a few years in the past. For some purpose, I used to be like, ‘I can’t do it anymore. Simply name me Emily,’” she recalled. “I want to be Emily. … That will be so good.”
Michael Keaton feels equally. Within the ’70s, Keaton was compelled to decide on his now-famous final title as a result of his precise surname, Douglas, was taken by the Michael Douglas everyone knows and love. (“I used to be trying by way of — I can’t bear in mind if it was a telephone ebook… And I went, ‘Oh, that sounds cheap,’” Keaton just lately recalled of selecting his stage title.) Nonetheless, in September, Keaton introduced that he plans to begin utilizing a hybrid model of his authorized title — Michael Keaton Douglas — on future initiatives.
Is that this title sport only a passing development, or is it right here to remain? Laura Burkemper, brand-building skilled and CEO of Scaleblazer, believes that is only the start. “In an period of social media and larger accessibility, the necessity for manufactured identities has diminished,” she instructed Us. “Celebrities are more and more utilizing their actual names to honor their roots, simplify their legacy and mirror trendy values of transparency.”
Michael Keaton is probably not identified by his well-known moniker for for much longer. The actor, 73, just lately revealed that he hopes to revert to his beginning title, Michael John Douglas, after opting to not use it in Hollywood for nearly 50 years. He famous he was unable to make use of his precise surname as a result of […]
After all, we’ll all the time be followers of stars with (typically kooky!) stage names — how will you not love Girl Gaga and Vin Diesel? However in a time the place the world is changing into extra genuine, there’s something refreshing about being merely your self — and we’re completely right here for it.
