Steven Yeun Says Conan Has Been Mispronouncing His Name For Years

After watching this video of Conan O’Brien, you will be feeling some secondhand embarrassment for the late-night host. The ginger comedian recently had Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead on his show to talk about the show’s dramatic Season 7 premiere, but their conversation turned with O’Brien told the audience he has been mispronouncing his friend’s name for years.

The revelation came after a lengthy explanation where O’Brien recalled his long relationship with Yeun. The two have had multiple adventures on the host’s show, and they even took a trip to Korea together to explore Yeun’s heritage as a Korean-born American actor.

However, it was on their trip back home from Korea that Yeun finally told O’Brien that he has been saying his last name wrong. Rather than ‘Ye-un,’ the actor’s last name is pronounced like ‘Yun.’

“I just – I felt bad,” Yeun said when he explained why he didn’t correct the host sooner. “I work up to things.”

The actor continued and revealed that a lot of people mispronounce his name, even within his family. “My cousin actually mispronounces my name – my blood cousin,” Yeun admitted. “I think he started doing it because of you.”

Thankfully, O’Brien didn’t mess up saying Yeun’s first name since Steven is pretty common. However, the host did struggle to pronounce the actor’s real name which is Sang-yeop (연상엽). As the actor was born in Seoul, South Korea, Yeun was gifted a traditional Korean name – and O’Brien seemed a little taken back by it.

And, if you’re wondering how Yeun was saddled with the name Steven once he moved to America, then you should know it is a funny story. The actor said his parents changed his name to Steven after they “met a doctor [whose] name was Steven.”

MORE: Robert Kirkman’s Tribute to Steven Yeun / Mom’s Reaction to Glenn’s Death Goes Viral / Fan Makes Newspaper Obituary for Glenn / Stevn Yeun Haunted by Glenn’s Death

The official synopsis for ‘The Kingdom’ reads, “For a number of familiar faces, a new, well-established community seems too good to be true.” The episode will stand as the second of Season 7 after last week’s brutual premiere.

Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, The Walking Dead reigns as television’s most watched drama for adults 18-49 and tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse, and follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home.

The series stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Steven Yeun as Glenn, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Chandler Riggs as Carl, Lauren Cohan as Maggie, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol, Sonequa-Martin Green as Sasha, Michael Cudlitz as Abraham, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan.

“The Kingdom” will air Sunday, October 30 at 9/8c on AMC. Conan airs weeknights at 11 p.m. on TBS.