David Letterman struggled to pronounce this top model’s name during a 1986 interview: "I hate to say it..."
The iconic talk show host David Letterman certainly knows how to make his guests feel at home, but there are also times when he struggles. In one such instance, the legendary host found himself at his wit's end when he struggled to pronounce a Czechoslovakian supermodel's name. Despite multiple attempts, he couldn’t get the pronunciation right, but an audience member nailed it effortlessly. In addition, the 'Late Night with David Letterman' host was left surprised when his beautiful guest revealed the real meaning of her name, and we certainly understand why.
The supermodel being talked about is Paulina Porizkova, who at her peak was one of the highest-paid models in the industry, as per Growing Bolder. To promote her movie 'Anna,' Porizkova made a magnificent appearance on 'Late Night with David Letterman' in 1986. Letterman warmly introduced Porizkova, highlighting her successful career with over 300 magazine covers, including Sports Illustrated, and her appearances in commercials and videos. He also mentioned her upcoming film, 'Anna.'
As Porizkova took her seat, Letterman greeted her warmly and said, "What did I do on the name? Is it 'Ports,'? How do you say it?" He then attempted different pronunciations before Porizkova interrupted, saying, "Well, the way you say it... I don't think you could pronounce it, but try, Putiškova?" Letterman tries to follow her lead, but sadly, his attempts were not successful, as he keeps messing with the pronunciation. Letterman, struggling to get it right, said, "I want to get this as close as I possibly can."
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As he kept trying to follow Porizkova's lead, Letterman playfully took a dig at her, saying, "Now you change it every time!" Porizkova, however, turned to the audience for help, asking, "Does it sound like my name?" to which the studio audience replies in unison, 'No.' A member of the audience even correctly pronounced the name, prompting Letterman to say, "Was that even close, this guy up there? Did he have that close?," to which Porizkova said, "Yes. Very good!" Letterman then asked if her name had a literal meaning, to which Porizkova responded, "Yes, all Czechoslovakian names have meaning, and my name means, hunk." Letterman looked surprised and repeated, "No, no, no," to which Porizkova said, "I hate to say it." Letterman, with a playful smirk, added, "Yeah, well, that's cute."
This isn't the only time Letterman struggles to get his guests' names correct, as Maya Rudolph once opened up about her 2009 appearance on 'The Late Show with David Letterman,' revealing that she felt "embarrassed and humiliated" when the host mispronounced her name. In an interview with WSJ. Magazine, she recalled her disappointment, saying, "He said my name wrong, and I just sat there, like, 'I grew up my whole life in love with you. And now my heart is broken. And I'm sitting here embarrassed and humiliated.'"
She admitted, "I didn't know how to handle it. I didn't know how to come up with something funny to say. My public persona muscle wasn't strong yet." People reported that Letterman later apologized for mispronouncing Rudolph's name. Acknowledging his mistake, Letterman said, "I'm sorry that I mispronounced your name. I'm just a boob; there's no excuse for it, and from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologize."