“Hippie mom was down”: Surprising Reason Why Andy Samberg Changed His Name Before Brooklyn Nine-Nine Fame

Last Updated on: 26 September, 2023 | 9:00 AM

Andy Samberg is well-known for portraying detective Jake Peralta in the Fox (and later NBC) American police sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine which aired from 2013 to 2021. Samberg’s performance as Jake Peralta was critically appreciated. This does not come as too much of a surprise because the actor had figured out what he wanted to do at an early age.

The moment a person rises to fame, there is hardly any information about them that is not available on the internet. Andy Samberg happens to be one of those celebrities who knew how to maintain their boundaries while not shying away from sharing information with fans. It wasn’t until he was prompted that he revealed the mystery about his name.

Andy Samberg’s Reasoning For Changing His Name

Artists often adopt a stage name when they step foot in the entertainment industry. Usually, they are advised to do so by their agents or other people in the industry who know better. However, there have also been instances when the artist themselves choose to change their name.

Andy Samberg was named David A. J. Samberg upon birth with the A in his name not standing for Andy. He changed his name from David to Andy willingly because he did not like it but what has to be noted here is that he did so at a very early age and was met with no opposition from his parents whatsoever.

In an interview with TimeOut, the Hotel Transylvania actor said, “Hippie mom was down,” when he decided that he wanted to change his name to Andy at the age of five. He was born in California and raised by his mother Marjorie Sanmberg who is a retired teacher and father Joe Samberg who currently works as a photographer.

Andy Samberg is a part of the comedy music group the Lonely Island which is a trio of him and his two best friends Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer. During the interview with TimeOut, Samberg touched down on several topics but the primary focus was Lonely Island’s upcoming feature film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

Andy Samberg’s Views About Celebrities Growing Up In The Public Eye

Andy Samberg as a member of the Lonely Island

Andy Samberg started out as an online star with his two best friends and began to gain more recognition, thanks to the creation of YouTube in 2005. While Samberg was fairly famous, he did not exactly grow up in the public eye so he sympathizes with those who did.

In the interview with TimeOut, he revealed ever since the Lonely Island had watched the British boyband One Direction’s documentary, he had started to care about the members to which the interviewer Eve Barlow said that he should because it gives an insight into the human condition. Samberg agreed with Barlow, saying:

“That’s a big part of what we were exploring [in the film]: the idea of growing up in front of the public. People always say, “Justin Bieber, what a j*rk!” But he was 17. Think about what you were doing when you were 17. Now imagine that version of yourself with unlimited money.”

The Cuckoo actor pointed out a major issue in the industry and the global audience as people often find it easy to judge celebrities, especially the young ones, and expect them to behave in the right way but they seem to forget that they are humans too and are bound to make mistakes.

Source: TimeOut

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