Eric Mabius Jokes About Baby Names

INF

Though Ugly Betty star Eric Mabius and wife Ivy Sherman still have a month or so to go until the birth of their second son, the couple is already playfully tossing around baby names.

"My wife wants a French name, but I don’t know. I’ll have to enroll him in karate right away if I give him a French name," Eric, 37, told PEOPLE yesterday at a launch party for Vertu Signature Collection mobile phones in New York. "I was thinking Raphael with the p-h spelling. It’s a cool name. I guess he’ll be a painter or a sculptor or something."

As for big brother to-be Maxfield Elliot, 2, Eric says he’s a "hit on the set" of Ugly Betty, and is enjoying his time in Manhattan, as the show recently moved production to the east coast from Los Angeles. "He thinks New York is an island full of playgrounds," jokes Eric.

Source: People.com

Comments

That’s a stupid thing to say about french names.

- lilith on September 19th, 2008

Being half French myself and living in France, I agree with Lilith.
Oh, and by the way, we do have the name Raphael in French, and we spell it with -ph

- Aelys on September 19th, 2008

I think he was saying that if he had to pick a French name, he liked Raphael, not that he didn’t think it was a French name.

- MB on September 19th, 2008

I don’t understand his comment. Is it that French names sound wimpy? Does Jean-Claude sound wimpy? And Maxfield is a super tough name? Perhaps I am missing something, but that seemed odd and offensive to me.

- crimpe on September 19th, 2008

Re: stupid, odd, offenseive, etc.:

joke (jōk) Pronunciation Key
n.
Something said or done to evoke laughter or amusement, especially an amusing story with a punch line.
A mischievous trick; a prank.

Informal
Something not to be taken seriously; a triviality: The accident was no joke.

Just thought some people could use a reminder.

- Caitlin on September 19th, 2008

Raphael is a lovely name.

- Kelly on September 19th, 2008

The post has the words “JOKE” and “PLAYFULLY” in it…I’m sure he wasn’t trying to insult the French…or their names…

- SH on September 19th, 2008

Oh Caitlin, thank you for reminding us what a joke is.
There are jokes that are funny and then there are … err, “jokes” that are plain stupid or even offensive. I find his joke nothing but stupid. With humour it’s the same as with beauty. Definitely depends on the beholder/ listener. Maybe you should look up ‘personal taste’ too.

- lilith on September 20th, 2008