Denzel Washington calls out people for mispronouncing his name -

Everyone has been mispronouncing Denzel Washington’s name — all thanks to his mom.

The actor spoke to Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday about the moniker’s correct pronunciation as they discussed all the NFL players with the same name.

“This is how you know they named themselves after me,” the Golden Globe winner, 70, said during the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” appearance . “My name is not pronounced Denzel.”

Instead of “DEN-zel,” Washington said his name correctly and clipped the second syllable to sound like “DEN-zuhl.”

He explained, “My father’s Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. I’m Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. My mother, [Pauletta Washington], would say ‘Denzel,’ and we’d both show up.

“So she said, ‘From now on, you’re Denzel,'” Denzel recalled, using the pronunciation he is known for. “That’s how we