Why Chrissy Teigen Didn't Take John Legend's Name

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have been happily married since 2013, but the model hasn't taken the musician's last name. There's a good reason why. As she noted on Twitter when asked about the matter, Teigen didn't adopt her husband's last name because... well, it's not his last name either.

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That makes a good amount of sense. John Legend is actually a stage name for John Stephens. The name "John Legend" is one Stephens received from poet J. Ivy. Towards the beginning of his music career, Ivy said John Stephens had an old-school sound. He said he sounded like "one of the legends" and he proclaimed that he would call him "John Legend." Eventually, that's the name the acclaimed singer decided to go by. But as Chrissy Teigen notes in the tweet, it's neither of their last names. Therefore, it would be silly for the wife to take on the last name considering it's not even legitimate.

Chrissy Teigen continued to defend her decision, even as some online commenters grew more defensive. Thankfully, Teigen wasn't having any of it.

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Of course, Chrissy Teigen is certainly quite famous on her own. She's currently the co-host of Lip Sync Battle, and she's one of the most sought-after models in her field. Considering how big her profile is on Twitter, especially in recent years, Teigen has certainly dealt with her fair share of pesky commenters. Another time she found her marriage taken under attack, the model found the perfect response, effectively silencing her critics. She also knows how to handle herself at other times. Like when, say, the Golden Globes misspelled her husband's name. Or when Teigen suffered a wardrobe malfunction.

Chrissy Teigen also recently admitted that she's cutting back on drinking. She notes that drinking has been the source of a number of embarrassing situations, and she's hoping to trim back on the alcohol for the time being. She says it's not "a good look" for her or her husband. Thankfully, she's staying strong and she's squashing all the people who feel the need to butt into her personal life. She's always quick to clap back.

At the moment, Chrissy Teigen is currently pregnant with her second child. She'll send a topless photo to celebrate the moment, too. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are also the mother and father of 1-year-old Luna Simone Stephens. The kids last name should also clue people in on John Legend's real name, by the way. In any case, whether or not Chrissy Teigen decided to take her husband's name, there was always a good chance we would know about her. But she decided to keep her original name, and all the power to her for making that decision.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.