Sterling K. Brown Makes Kelly Clarkson Tear Up Over Middle Name Revelation
This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown revealed the reason behind abandoning his middle name, Kelby, at age 16, during his recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. The story made host Clarkson tear up.
What did Sterling K. Brown say about middle name?
Primetime Emmy-winning actor Sterling K. Brown has a heartbreaking story behind why he stopped using his middle name, Kelby. The TV star revealed on The Kelly Clarkson Show that his father’s name is Sterling Brown Jr. and his grandfather was Sterling Brown Sr. So, growing up, he wanted to go by his middle name, Kelby, as he wanted his own identity and a new name.
Brown explained, “I wanted my own name, and it felt like Sterling was like an old man’s name.” However, his feelings regarding the name changed once he turned 16. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star shared that his father passed away when he was 10. So by the time he turned 16, he realized that it had been a while since he had heard the name Sterling.
An emotional Brown confessed, “By the time I turned 16 and I hadn’t heard his name for five-and-a-half years, I was like, I kind of just want to hear that name again, so I asked people to call me Sterling.” The special story behind his name change made Kelly Clarkson emotional; Brown also seemed teary-eyed.
Brown’s personal resonance with grief is also reflected in his portrayal of Randall Pearson in This is Us. Brown’s character initially learned that he was adopted. However, later he would know who his real father was. The father, William Hill (Ron Cephas Jones), passes away in the show’s 116th episode. In an interview with Entertainment Wekly, Brown said the episode “hits hard right, in the feels.”
Brown’s performance as Randall Pearson has earned him several awards and accolades, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards.
