Image by Getty Images

By Anne Cohen December 9, 2014

Getty Images

Celebrities — they’re just like us. They grocery shop, they pay bills, they travel. Only, unlike you and me, they use utterly ridiculous names to complete these mundane plebeian tasks.

The recent Sony hack has revealed the alternate identities of some of our favorite Jewish (and Jewish adjacent — Taye Diggs was married to Idina Menzel after all) celebs. Submitted for your amusement:

Sarah Michelle Gellar: “Neely O’Hara”
A “Valley of The Dolls” reference. I like it.

Natalie Portman: “Lauren Brown”
Possibly the most boring fake name ever. You can do better, Natalie.

Rob Schneider: “Nazzo Good”
Who would ever believe this was someone’s actual name?

Taye Diggs: “Scott Diggs”
So Taye, the point of a fake name is to have a FAKE name.

Debra Messing: “Ava Harper”
Almost. Almost.

And okay, not Jewish in any way but COME ON:
Tom Hanks: “Harry Lauder” and “Johnny Madrid”

Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Will you support our work today?

, editor-in-chief

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT