Rob McElhenney has embarked on a mission to bring an end to the chatter surrounding his name alteration. Amid raised eyebrows following his confirmation of legally filing to change his moniker to Rob Mac, the star of "Mythic Quest" has spoken out, offering a straightforward yet intricate rationale. In a July 1st video posted on X, Rob began by informing viewers that he would "dedicate precisely one minute" to elucidating his decision, promptly accompanied by a timer appearing on screen.
"Indeed, I am shortening my name to Rob Mac," he declared. "Primarily for professional purposes, but that's beside the point. Is it slightly pretentious? Perhaps. Yet, the countless hours I've squandered trying to convince people to spell or pronounce my name correctly amount to literal days of my life. Believe me, I've done the math."
After highlighting the prevalent mispronunciation of his name, citing instances to illustrate his point, he emphasized his desire to simplify things for everyone. "More crucially," he added, "it signifies that countless individuals have had minutes of their lives taken away by me, all due to my surname, including this very moment."
The actor from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," who initially revealed his intention to go by Rob Mac in May during a joint "Variety" interview with his wife, Kaitlin Olson, further explained that the family name holds less significance than one might assume. "It's a family name, shared by my grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and I," he continued. "I adore them and cherish our bond. However, it's not even genuinely our name. Not only have various generations altered its spelling, but the current version was bestowed upon one of my ancestors by a government official who arbitrarily decreed its spelling."
The 48-year-old, who co-owns the football club Wrexham AFC alongside Ryan Reynolds, ultimately noted that his new name isn't entirely novel, as it pays homage to his "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" character Mac, whom many already referred to him by. "Most people already call me Rob Mac, anyway," he concluded. "My family knows and loves me regardless of my name's syllable count, and that's all that truly matters to me. Honestly, call me whatever you please—Marion, Jerome, Archibald, Eric, Maurice, Stephanie, Frances, Marvin, Gordon, or Sam. But perhaps we should keep it simple and stick with Rob Mac. Let's see how it unfolds."
