Robbie Hoffman is sharing how she chose her stage name.
The 36-year-old comedian talked with How God Works podcast host Dave DeSteno how she chose “Robby Hoffman,” despite her real name being Rivka Sarah.
The Hacks star explained that when she got into comedy, Rivka proved to be a “very difficult name” for people to pronounce, such as other comedians when she was trying to do open mics.
Robby shared her process of looking “for a stage name” and wanting “something familial,” which is why she stuck to the “R” initial.
However, Robby said her mom was not happy with her decision.
“Rivka’s such a beautiful name, what are you ashamed?” she recalled her mother saying. “I said, ‘Ma, you think within three seconds of me being on stage, they’re like, ‘I wonder if she’s Catholic?’” Robby joked. “Whether I want to or not….”
Robby was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised by a single mother in a Hasidic Jewish household with nine siblings. She often talks about her upbringing and has self-described as “very Jewish and very gay,” per an interview with Jewish Journal.
Name changes are a common practice in Hollywood. Last year, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney changed his name to Rob Mac and other stars like Emma Stone have also spoken about how they chose their stage names.
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