After a lifetime of correcting people who incorrectly pronounce her name, you might think actor Demi Moore would have given up the fight. But a recent viral video clip shows that the 63-year-old still wants people to get it right.

“Remember, it’s ‘Duh-mee’,” she politely corrected fans while signing autographs on a New York street.

Some of those clamouring for her attention were calling out “Dem-ee” or “Deh-mee” – which, it turns out, is a common mistake.

Commenting on the Instagram video post, which has been viewed more than 1.8 million times, a few followers even challenged the GI Jane and Ghost star’s own pronunciation of her name.

“When did it change to Di-meee? Growing up in the ’80s, it was always Deh-mi,” one argued.

In fact, Moore has actually been trying to set the record straight since then.

In a 1988 interview, having risen to prominence as a member of the so-called “Brat Pack” with roles in films such as St Elmo’s Fire, then 20-something Demi was interviewed by TV journalist Harry Martin. Opening the chat, he seemed to pronounce her name as “Day-me”.

“My parents found this name and we’re quite fond of it,” she said, after correcting Martin.

“I think they just pulled it out of a magazine or something.”

Asked if everyone pronounced it incorrectly, she replied: “I have a tough time, but it’s OK, you know.”

The full name given to Moore by her parents was actually Demetria Gene Harmon, with the actor further clarifying in a 2007 interview that her mother was inspired by a shampoo called Demetria that she saw in a magazine.

She changed her last name after marrying her first husband, musician Freddy Moore, in the early ’80s (she later remarried twice – first to Die Hard star Bruce Willis, then fellow actor Ashton Kutcher).

Yet despite Moore’s soaring profile in the 1990s with a string of roles in hit films such as Ghost, A Few Good Men, Striptease, Disclosure and GI Jane, the name shame continued.

When she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2017, discussion turned to how she and American singer Demi Lovato share the same name but not necessarily the same pronunciation.

“She’s from Texas, I’m from New Mexico, so our families say our names the same but we each individually pronounce it differently,” Moore said.

“It works better with our last names, like ‘Deh-mee Lovato’ sounds really good. And ‘Duh-mee Moore’ sounds really good.”

@dailytelegraph Demi Moore has revealed people have been saying her name wrong all these years. The US actress, who has been working in showbiz for more than four decades, sat down on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon following her debut Golden Globes win last Monday. Moore, 62, who is tipped to be up for a Best Actress Oscar for The Substance referenced fellow celebrity Demi Lovato, explaining: “Demi [Lovato] and I had a great conversation about this because she’s from Texas and I’m from New Mexico, so our families say our names the same way, but we individually both pronounce it differently. It works better with our last names. #demilovato #demimoore #goldenglobes #oscars #academyawards #thesubstance #jimmyfallon #tonightshow #thetonightshow ♬ original sound – The Daily Telegraph

In what must by now feel like a recurring role in Groundhog Day, the actor also gently corrected a young journalist from London-based entertainment website HeyUGuys during an interview several months ago that coincided with the launch of season two of her Paramount+ series Landman.

“I’ll give you a little grace because you’re English and you tend to say ‘Deh-mee’,” she told him, laughing. “But it’s ‘Duh-mee’.”

Moore’s career has continued apace in recent years – as well as Landman, she also stars in the soon-to-be-released film I Love Boosters and was nominated for an Oscar in 2025 for her lead role in horror sci-fi movie The Substance, which also scored her a Golden Globe.

Although it is more than 25 years since she divorced Willis, she has maintained an ongoing friendship with the father of three of her four daughters, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023 and now has a full-time care team.