It turns out even living in the public eye doesn’t guarantee everyone will pronounce your name correctly.
Just ask the likes of Travis Kelce, Kamala Harris, Paul Mescal, Chrissy Teigen, Zendaya and Raven-Symoné, who are more than used to having to remind people.
Of course, some A-listers don’t even bother setting the record straight, knowing others will likely stick to whatever they’re used to, being total creatures of habit.
However, Kaley Cuoco, 38, decided to speak up when a radio show got her surname all wrong, phoning in to explain it’s something that happens all the time.
Presenters were discussing the The Big Bang Theory star on On Air with Ryan Seacrest a few years back, with co-host Tanya Rad talking about an ‘amazing’ spread the actor had done with Women’s Health.
Kaley Cuoco (Mike Tran/Variety via Getty Images)
But there was one detail she openly struggled with, admitting she found it tricky to pronounce Cuoco’s last name.
“I can’t say it for the life of me!” she told Seacrest as they revisited the topic later in the show.
“Well she happened to hear you say her name – half of it – and she’s on the phone now,” he said.
Cuoco then piped up: “I’m so mad that you couldn’t say my last name I had to call in!”
Cuoco called in to correct Tanya Rad. (On Air with Ryan Secrest)
She was clearly only joking, though, adding that it was actually ‘okay’.
“What’s really funny is […] ‘Cuoco’ means ‘cook’ and I’ve gone by Kaley Cook for 20 years – my whole family is – and then I married Kyle Cook, and it was like, so meant to be!” Cuoco said.
“You’re not wrong for getting my last name wrong, it’s been going on my whole life!”
As for how her surname’s supposed to be pronounced, it’s probably simpler than you’re thinking.
Indeed, rather than KYU-OH-CO, which can feel like a bit of a mouthful, it’s actually the two-syllable KWOH-CO.
Cuoco married Cook – her second husband after Ryan Sweeting – in June 2018, but the couple divorced four years later.
She is now with actor Tom Pelphrey, having welcomed their first daughter together last year.
Revealing her child's name on Instagram, Cuoco said: "3-30-23 Introducing, Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey, the new light of our lives!
"We are overjoyed and grateful for this little miracle. Thank you to the doctors, nurses, family and friends who have helped us immensely over the last few days. We are blessed beyond belief."
She added: "@tommypelphrey didn’t think I could fall even more in love with you, but I did."
