Johnny Vegas's real name revealed as he explores very obscure new career

Metro

14-05-2025

Nothing quite shakes you to the core like discovering one of your most loved celebrities isn't called what you think they're called.
And unfortunately for fans of Johnny Vegas, we're here to inform you that he is not, in fact, named Johnny Vegas.
To be fair, it'd be pretty epic if that were his real name, right?
But no. The comedian and actor, pretty much only known by his stage persona, is called Michael Joseph Pennington.
He mentioned his birth moniker in a new interview, admitting that he uses Johnny Vegas as an 'alter ego.'
Speaking to Loaded, the Benidorm star, 54, described the hilarious character as 'a defence mechanism'.
It comes two years after he revealed he'd been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the age of 52, as the interviewer asked whether Johnny Vegas would still exist without the condition, which often causes restlessness and trouble concentrating.
'I think he would have,' Johnny replied.
'He came from a different place. He was more of a defence mechanism.
'Michael is an observer by nature, and quite timid, and Johnny was his alter ego.'
He added that Johnny 'wasn't a character created in the traditional sense.'
The St Helens-born star explained: 'He'd been there a while and plotting a way out and trying to turn adversity into something positive, taking no prisoners along the way.'
He joked that he 'always said [he] was [Johnny's] agent, his PR person who cleaned up the mess.'
Now, though, he's enjoying seeing more of the real Michael and getting back into his passion for art.
On how having ADHD is sometimes 'hindering,' Johnny said it can affect his decision-making and timekeeping while also creating 'certain anxieties'.
However, he believes the condition 'works well with art' as it means he's 'never short of ideas'.
While the entertainer has been on TV since the mid-90s, he's now taking on different jobs alongside comedy, having debuted his own artwork at a show in 2023.
Since then, he's been sculpting and creating ceramics, putting his BA in Art and Ceramics from Middlesex University to good use. https://www.instagram.com/p/DJcsS5lMWKK/
His next venture is with Vintage Vegas, an antiques shop he's opened for a new TV show. More Trending
Titled Johnny Vegas' Little Shop of Antiques, the programme will air in July, following Johnny as he acquires new items for his collection and attempts to make a profit.
Located in Dagfields Crafts and Antiques, he welcomed his first punters on May 10 and has been promoting the store on his Instagram.
'Hopefully, see you there; if nothing else, it's as eclectic as it gets,' he teased in a video to his fans.
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