“It Was So Embarrassing”: Will Ferrell Opens Up About His Childhood Name Confusion At School

Will Ferrell had a serious bone to pick with his own name as a kid.

In a candid chat on Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s MeSsy podcast, the 56-year-old actor revealed that he would feel “so embarrassed” to tell people his real name: John William Ferrell.

The comedy king spilled the beans on his childhood name drama and recalled having to constantly correct people to call him “Will.”

He also said it was “excruciating” to wait for teachers to finally remember how he preferred to be called.

Will Ferrell would feel “so embarrassed” dealing with a lot of drama surrounding his real name: John William Ferrell

Image credits: Image Credits: Presley Ann/Getty Images for SeeHer

“This is a minor thing in terms of — it’s not really even trauma — but I remember feeling so embarrassed because my real name is John, John William Ferrell, so [on the] first day of school, I’d be John,” he shared in the Tuesday episode. “The teacher would be like ‘John Ferrell?’ and it was so embarrassing to me to have to say, ‘Here, but I go by Will. I don’t go by John.’”

The Saturday Night Live veteran made it clear to the podcast hosts that the name mix-up wasn’t his doing.

It “wasn’t my choice,” he said, explaining his parents’ role in it.

On an episode of the MeSsy podcast, the actor spoke about being called “John” in school as well as his dream job of being on Saturday Night Live

This pal of mine is our special guest on MeSsy today. As it is the 20 year anniversary of our little film called Anchorman was released. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Now fun game. Favorite quote? Mine is the bears can smell their menstruation pic.twitter.com/XMw4pqoKEW

— christina applegate (@1capplegate) July 9, 2024

“My parents named [me] John, but they called me Will. I grew up as Will, but on a roll sheet, my legal name is John Ferrell,” he went on to say.

“I don’t know why that was so embarrassing to me to have to explain, ‘I’m actually Will,’” he added. “I think maybe for that reason, other kids, new kids, [on the] first day of school [were] like, ‘Why don’t you go by John?’ It’s a long story.”

He then joked, “People are probably going to be listening to this going, ‘That is the lamest thing ever.’”

The Elf star explained, “My parents named [me] John, but they called me Will. I grew up as Will, but on a roll sheet, my legal name is John Ferrell”

 

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“We just lost anyone named John,” said Christina, who shared the screen with him for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Will shares three sons—Magnus, Mattias, and Axel—with his wife of more than two decades, Viveca Paulin. His own parents, Roy Lee Ferrell and Betty Kay Overman, got divorced when he was 8 years old.

The Elf star was raised in California with his younger brother, Patrick, and was known as the “conscientious class clown” in school.

Christina Applegate and the comedy king shared the screen for the 2004 movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Christina Applegate and Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) pic.twitter.com/mTF4EOloGX

— Frame Found (@framefound) June 29, 2020

“Ten-year-old Will, fourth grade Will, would have been like really into sports, very conscientious student,” he said on the podcast. “But at an early age, [I] still liked trying to make my friends laugh. I was like a conscientious class clown.”

He continued, “I would goof around to a point [that] if the teacher said, ‘Please stop,’ I’m like, ‘You got it.’”

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