Hannah Waddingham winning 2024’s Golden Globes and Emmys won’t make a dent unless one crucial detail is fixed

Hannah Waddingham just might take home the Outstanding Supporting Actress award at both ceremonies — her Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso is that good. I am not even going to invite debates on this universal fact, but I am ready to join campaigns and fight for her after she wins.

So, 2024 marks Waddingham’s second Golden Globe nom and third Emmy nom. And like every Ted Lasso loyalist, I am hoping for her to win both awards like she won her first Emmy for the role back in 2021. But, for obvious reasons, I am not too eager for history to repeat itself.

This year, when Golden Globes 2024 finally begins its star-studded evening, actor and stand-up comedian Jo Koy will be there for the hosting duties, with the likes of Matt Damon and Jodie Foster joining him as award presenters. Then we will have game show host, Anthony Anderson, stepping into hosting shoes for the Emmys on Jan. 15, 2024. Hopefully, no one is planning to step into Seth Rogen’s shoes, even by accident.

I might be the only one — or one of the rare ones — who is infuriated when someone’s name is not pronounced right. As an individual who has spent her life responding to wrongly pronounced and spelled iterations of her name, hearing Rogen say “Waddington” instead of “Waddingham” while announcing the actress as the winner during the 2021 Emmys… well, let’s just say I am not looking forward to a replay.

Yes, difficult names are hard to say out loud but Rogen had only one job, say one name which was written on the card, and it was to honor a fellow actor whose name has been on everyone’s lips. If there is space for error here, then I should probably bury the hatchet about the gazillion people who love to utter every incorrect version of my name they can think of.

Now, Waddingham still won, and when questioned about it, she addressed the mishap with her usual brand of humor before putting forward the real problem — “They don’t listen, my friend.”

Sadly — and rather relatably — this was not the first time it had happened to her. There is nothing about it that does not rub the wrong way and so not saying that saying names correctly should be an in-born talent. No, instead you either ask someone how to pronounce their name or just observe how everyone else is saying it and practice. And if you still end up saying it wrong, acknowledge the mistake.

Here’s hoping that the next time Hannah Waddingham ascends the stage to grab an award, her name will be pronounced proudly, loudly, and correctly. Gives us hope that human beings can do the right thing, if they choose to. In case, the presenters at either ceremony need further help, here is the Winter Ridge actress providing a crash course on how to pronounce her name.

Golden Globes 2024 air on Jan. 7, 2024, followed by the Emmys on Jan. 15.