Overview

• Washington made the clarification during a Sept. 2 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live while discussing the rise in people sharing his name.
• He explained that both he and his father are named Denzel Hayes Washington, and his mother, Lennis, used different pronunciations to tell them apart.
• The actor emphasized the clipped second syllable—often summarized as rhyming with “pencil”—contrary to the widely used “DEN-zel.”
• Kimmel noted there are currently four NFL players named Denzel, prompting Washington to joke about deserving compensation and a cut of jersey sales.
• The anecdote echoes a story he told on The Graham Norton Show in 2013 and arrives as Highest 2 Lowest reaches Apple TV+ on Sept. 5.