John Legend said he had to negotiate with a porn producer over his stage name.
The Grammy-winning singer's real name is John Stephens, but he got the nickname “Legend” early in his career.
Appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday (April 8), Legend explained: “I was born John Stephens. A friend of mine started calling me John Legend. Kanye [West] kind of blew it up when he put it on one of his recordings."
Choosing the last name “Legend” made John think he would make a statement before entering a room, but later he learned porn producer had the same name. “I’ve never met him before,” said Legend. “My manager, we had to clear the trademark. He reached out and negotiated a deal. I would always be John Legend, and he’d always be Johnny Legend, and we’d never cross.”