Entertainment

Chrissy Teigen’s Reason For Keeping Her Maiden Name Is Hilarious AND Practical

by Nicole Pomarico
Christopher Polk/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Chrissy Teigen's Twitter is basically an encyclopedia of sassy comebacks, but her latest is one of her best for sure. On Thursday, Teigen explained why she didn't take husband John Legend's last name, and her tweet couldn't have been more perfect. Of course, it's nothing less than what we've come to expect from Teigen, but she still made a very, very good point.

Basically, it all started when someone tweeted saying that she was curious about the reasons women don't take their husband's last name. It's hard to say whether or not she meant anything malicious by it; judging by her timeline, it seems like she might have just been curious. But Teigen answered with the most perfect response, which is not only funny but also true.

Why didn't Legend take Teigen's last name? In her words: "My husband didn't even take his last name."

According to Teigen's replies, it seems like this may come as a shock to some people, but if you didn't know already, "Legend" isn't his actual last name. John Legend is a stage name; his real name is John Stephens, and obviously, he didn't want to keep that last name for his career so he took on a new one.

According to what Legend told MTV in 2008, his stage name is actually a nickname that friends started calling him back when he was first starting out as a musician — and surprisingly enough, he didn't choose it and was a little hesitant about using it professionally. He said:

"John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name. 'Legend' is something that I never would have chosen for myself originally. It grew to the point where more people in my circle would know me by that name than by my real name. I had to make a decision. I was just like, 'You know what? Let's just go for it. People are going to pay attention and I'm going to either live up to my name or I'm not.' My bet was on me trying to live up to the name."

At this point, with 10 Grammy wins under his belt, it's probably safe to say that he lived up to his nickname — but that doesn't mean that his wife was ever required to take his last name — real or stage. For Teigen, she probably had a lot to consider, like the fact that she was building an impressive career as her own under her maiden name, and it's honestly none of fans' business why she made the decision that she did. Still, it's funny and makes a lot of sense.

In fact, if you think about it, all three members of her family currently have different last names, as far as the public knows them. John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, and Luna Stephens. Seriously, such a power family. (Luna's future baby brother, presumably will go by the last name Stephens, as well.)

What's also interesting? The fact that Teigen's tweet inspired other women to come forward and share their stories on why they decided to keep their original last name when they got married.

Deciding whether to take your spouse's last name or keep your own — or one of the other many of options that are available to you when you get married — is a personal choice, and it's up to each person to decide what's best for them. As far as Teigen's concerned, it seems like she's happy with her choice. And knowing her as the killer mom, chef, and model that she is, it's hard to imagine her with any other name.