Why Amy Schumer Changed Her Son’s Name

Amy Schumer’s first son, a boy that she and husband Chris Fischer named Gene David Fischer, is coming up on his second birthday. One bit of trivia that the standup comic’s fans might be interested to know is that the toddler’s name wasn’t always Gene David. Back in April 2020, Schumer let the public know that she and her husband decided to legally change their little guy’s name from their initial selection, Gene Attell. As the Daily Mail noted at the time, the couple had understandable reasoning for the switch-up.

The Trainwreck star spoke about changing her son’s name on her 3 Girls, 1 Keith podcast. During a recent episode of the podcast, Schumer revealed that she and Fischer changed their son’s middle name from “Attell” to “David.” The reason behind this change? As Schumer put it, she realized after naming her son “Gene Attell” that it actually sounded similar to “genital.” The comedian and her husband originally gave their son the middle name of “Attell” in honor of her close friend and fellow comedian Dave Attell. After running by their dilemma with their friend, they decided to honor him by giving their son Attell’s first name of David instead.

On the podcast, guest Claudia O’Doherty said that she also caught that Schumer’s son’s name sounded like “genital.” O’Doherty said on the podcast that “My mum pointed that out to me, “Amy’s called her son ‘Genital’, and she was right!” As Schumer continued to explain, her son’s new middle name also serves to honor another special person in her life — her father, Gordon Schumer. She noted that her dad’s middle name is David so her son’s new middle name is like killing two birds with one stone.

In May 2019, Schumer and Fischer announced that they had welcomed their first child together. Months after the birth of her son, in November, the actor opened up about motherhood in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. She told the publication that being a mom is “the best” and that she is “so lucky.” When it comes to how motherhood has changed her specifically, the comedian noted, with a laugh, that she is “nicer” to her own mother than she was before.

“I didn’t know I could love someone that much, no offense to my husband, who’s here,” she added, referring to Fischer. “But yeah, I think we’re both shocked by the level of love that’s possible.” Schumer’s quote came during an appearance at Charlize Theron’s star-studded Africa Outreach Project in New York, which marked her first appearance after welcoming her son into the world months prior.