‘Stand By Me’ actor Jerry O’Connell reveals his surprising real birth name

Jerry O’Connell revealed Jerry is not his real name, but that in his mind he “was always a Jerry.”

During a recent appearance on “Live with Kelly and Mark,” the 52-year-old actor and his mother, Linda, shared the actor’s real name, and why he decided to go by Jerry.

“His real name is Michael Jeremiah Witkowski O’Connell,” his mother explained. “His grandfather is Jeremiah, and our favorite cousin is Jerry DeScipio.”

Although his birth name is Michael, the actor shared that he “was always a Jerry” and will often “look at myself, and I go, ‘Yeah, I am a Jerry. I don’t look like a Michael, actually.'”

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The actor recently ruffled feathers when he shared on Bill Maher’s podcast in March that his wife and daughters got physical with him following the 2024 presidential election, when he suggested “there was no planning” and that “there should have been a primary.”

“They did not,” he said during an episode of Jamie Kennedy’s “Hate to Break It to You” podcast in April, responding to claims he let his family beat him up. “I take that back. I fully take that back. I was making a joke.”

He then found himself in hot water again when he made comments about his daughters partying and vaping during that same podcast appearance.

O’Connell shared that his daughters, who are 16, “are starting to go out, starting to socialize,” adding that since “they’re nepo babies in Los Angeles. They’re gonna party.” When Kennedy suggested he stop his daughters from vaping, O’Connell explained that it’s easier said than done.

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“It’s addicting,” he said. “Like, so doesn’t it replace with another vape? Shouldn’t I deal with, like, talking to them about, like, addiction and how this is going to lead to a lifetime of addiction as opposed to like, ‘It’s not the vape’s fault.'”

Many listeners took issue with the actor’s statements, with one writing, “”Get rid of the vape. Listen to your buddy. Also…protect your daughters.”

“Poor Jerry. Nice guy. Wants an easy life. Very scared of confrontation and backlash from critics, the public and the ones at home,” another user wrote.

The “Stand By Me” actor has been honest about his own struggle with an addiction to smoking cigarettes, previously telling Sophia Bush on her “Work In Progress” podcast that he only quit after getting an ultimatum from his wife, actress Rebecca Romijn.

“I struggled with nicotine for decades, struggled with it. Had to get hypnotized. I haven’t had a ciggy in like 14 years,” he said. “My wife said she would not touch me if I smoked. And that lasted about two months. And by the way, no contact. My wife said, ‘I’m not touching you anymore until you quit smoking.’ I thought it was a joke, and then, after, like, two weeks, there was no physical contact.”

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