Originally appeared on E! Online
Rob McElhenney is breaking free from the mispronunciations.
The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star has officially filed to change his name to Rob Mac, his representative confirmed to Entertainment Weekly June 27. Why? Well, he just wants to make it easier to say his name.
“As our business and our storytelling is expanding into other regions of the world and other languages in which my name is even harder to pronounce,” Rob told Variety in a joint interview with his wife Kaitlin Olson last month. “I’m just going by Rob Mac.”
Expanding is putting it lightly. Back in 2020, the 48-year-old partnered with Ryan Reynolds to purchase the Wrexham AFC football club, the oldest professional football club in Wales. Plus, his company More Better Productions has expanded its reach and invested in South American soccer clubs, where the conversational challenges became even more prevalent.
The mispronunciation of his last name became so severe that Reynolds penned a song in 2023 to teach people how to properly pronounce it.
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“Sure, he’s got a pretty face that people know they know,” the Welcome to Wrexham star sang in the clip. “They think they recognize him from his big-time TV show. But despite the accolades, despite the load of fame, one thing they do not know is how to spell their name.”
“Pronouncing all those Ns and Es and Hs can perplex ’em,” the Deadpool actor continued. “So, here’s a little birthday gift from all your mates in Wrexham.”
“First, it’s Mack-le like a tackle when we take ’em to the ground,” Reynolds crooned. “Then Henney, like the penny that he’s in for with the pound.”
As for how Kaitlin—who shares kids Axel, 14, and Leo, 13, with the actor—felt about the change? Well, she admitted it would take some getting used to.
“The kids are really not happy about it, because they have that last name,” she said. “And so do I, legally!”
