10 Real Names of Famous Comedians

Would you believe Carrot Top is not his Christian name?

October 25, 2021

Welcome to ComedyNerd, Cracked's new deep dive series on funny business. Today's topic: comedy noms de plume. (Also, the ComedyNerd newsletter launches September 30. Sign up here.)

Stage names are hardly uncommon in show biz, but here are 10 with the most interesting origin stories:

Carrot Top was not born Carrot Top. His real name is Scott Thompson. CRACKED.COM — source: Carrot Top

Caryn Elaine Johnson's stage name, Whoopi Goldberg, has real life origins. In 2006, she told The New York Times Here's the thing. When you're performing on stage, you never really have time to go into the bathroom... if you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to say to me, You are like a whoopee cushion. CRACKED.COM — source: The New York Times

Larry the Cable Guy

Kevin George Knipfing thought it best to shorten his name to Kevin James. TE UNIVERSAL DE UNIVERSAL DICKS DICKSTE FREU FREUND UNIVE It is believed he chose James to honor a beloved teacher. CRACKED.COM — source: The Things

Leslie Townes Hope first changed his name to Bill before settling on Bob. According to The New Yorker Bob Hope chose the name because it had more 'Hiya Fellas' to it. CRACKED.COM — source: The New Yorker

Chevy Chase

Tim Alan Dick was forced to change his name to Tim Allen. Before he was famous, Allen was offered a position on a local talk show and the producer refused to put his original name on screen. CRACKED.COM — source: Detroit Historical Society

Ned Holness was 21 when he changed his name to Carlos Mencia. The name change was suggested by Mitzi Shore, the owner of The Comedy Store: She said, 'You can't be an angry Mexican named Ned.' And I said, 'Well, first of all, I'm not Mexican, I'm from Honduras,' And she said, Everybody's going to think you're Mexican, so deal with it.' CRACKED.COM — source: The Fayetteville Observer

Eric Marlon Bishop is the real name of Jamie Foxx. The stage name came from Foxx's open mic days whenhe realized a unisex name would guarantee him more stage time as comedians running the show would often call female names first. CRACKED.COM — source: Youtube

Joan Rivers was born Joan Molinsky. In 1986, she told the Evening News Joan Rivers was like a party dress I put on, so in those early days, she was only the tiniest part of me and Joan Molinsky was still frightened and confused and bewildered in her life. CRACKED.COM — source: Evening News

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