One name is enough for most of us mortals, but celebrities often have two-their actual legal name and the name they perform under. So, Tony Bennett is actually Anthony Benedetto, Marilyn Manson is actually Brian Warner and Joan Rivers is actually Joan Rosenberg, the last name of her late husband.
Earlier this month, amid increased security after the thwarted Christmas Day bombing, Rivers’ alias got her into a little bit of a pickle, according to the New York Daily News. The comedienne was heading home from New Year’s Day in Costa Rica, when she got held up by gate agent who questioned the legitimacy of her US passport. On her passport, her name is listed as “Joan Rosenberg aka Joan Rivers.”
The misunderstanding caused Ms. Rivers to be bumped from her flight to Newark, leaving her stranded in Costa Rica with no ATM card and only $100 in her pocket.
Although some news reports say that the police were called to the airport, now that she is back home she was able to laugh at the situation with the New York Daily News:
“If I were going to make up an alias, I wouldn’t pick Rosenberg. I’d pick Jolie or Pitt. Do terrorists wear Manolo Blahniks? I can tell you Donna Karan does not make anything that hides a bomb.”
“I tried the tears; they didn’t work. I tried reasoning. I couldn’t bribe because I didn’t have any money,” she said. “I said ‘I’m going to have a heart attack over this,’ so the woman called the paramedics.”
Although most of us don’t have aliases, this story underscores how important it is to make sure all of the information on your passport is correct and up-to-date. Joan Rivers may be laughing about it now, but the prospect of being stranded in airport unexpectedly is no fun!
If you have an international trip coming up and you need to get a passport name change or make a correction, RushMyPassport.com can help. We offer a variety of different packages and depending on the option you select, we can have your application processed in as little as 24 hours.