Everyone has actually been pronouncing Lionel Richie’s name wrong

You might have spent your whole life believing you knew how to correctly pronounce Lionel Richie's name.

But unfortunately, it's likely you've been getting it completely wrong - and you wouldn't be the only one.

Keke Palmer has explained that she only recently learned that she, too, had been pronouncing Richie's name incorrectly. She explained that she was recently hanging out with Richie when she learned the correct way to say 'Lionel'.

Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 3 February, the Nope star explained: “Lionel Richie and [I] were kicking back with our feet up sipping so much tea, I was hoping the mics weren’t catching what we were throwing down.

“He was talking about himself. He was like, ‘You know…’”

Palmer indicated that Lionel then referred to himself as 'Lye-nell' instead of 'Lye-nol'.

We've all been pronouncing Lionel's name incorrectly, according to Keke Palmer (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Lionel Richie)

She continued: “I said, ‘Now, wait a minute. This whole time, you ain’t been Lye-nol Richie? You’ve been Lye-nell?’

“So then I had to act like I knew. I was like, ‘Oh, Lye-nell!’ So me and Lionel are thick as thieves. That’s my new bestie, y’all!”

However, we've only got Palmer's word for it, as Lionel hasn't confirmed this pronunciation himself.

People were shaken by the news, with a video of Palmer's chat shared online.

One person commented on the clip: "Thank you for correcting us all Keke!"

Another said: "I always thought it was Lion-el," while a third added: "This is like when I found out everyone pronounces Rihanna wrong."

Back in 2024, Jenna Ortega shocked audiences at the Golden Globes when she revealed how to pronounce Rihanna's name.

Palmer appeared on Jimmy Fallon, where she revealed this new bit of information (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)

Speaking at the 2023 Golden Globes about Rihanna's - real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty - nomination for Best Song with her track 'Lift Me Up' from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, she explained: "I’m gonna get to original song in a minute, we got artists like Taylor Swift and Rihanna competing for that award."

Only when she said Rihanna's name did it dawn on fans that they've been making the same mistake for decades.

Whilst most didn’t notice the difference in pronunciation, there is a subtle change in the way Ortega said the moniker.

Surprisingly, instead of Ree-awh-nah it should be pronounced Ree-an-nah - leaving fans of the Umbrella singer in shock.

One wrote online: "Don't tell me it took jenna ortega for everyone to realize.”

While another said: "Dang...so I've been saying her name wrong my whole life?!! I feel embarrassed now. I had NO idea that was how you correctly pronounce her name!"

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