Priyanka Chopra responded to Rosie O’Donnell after the comedian admitted she assumed the actor was the author Deepak Chopra’s daughter at a recent lunch in Malibu.
Chopra posted a statement to her Instagram story Wednesday night after O’Donnell talked about the incident on TikTok, referring to the actor as “the Chopra wife.”
“If you want to make a public apology for a very awkward private encounter, I think probably best to take the time to google my name before doing it or even try to reach out directly,” Chopra wrote.
In the TikTok, recorded while driving home from a restaurant, O’Donnell shared the story revealing that she met Chopra and her husband, the singer Nick Jonas, at a Nobu restaurant in Malibu, where the couple was seated next to the comedian, her son and the actor Fran Drescher. "I just embarrassed my son," she said at the outset.
During the video, O’Donnell referred to Chopra as “someone” and “the Chopra wife," seemingly not recalling her first name. She recounted the exchange with the couple:
“I said, ‘Hi, Nick Jonas. You were great in “Kingdom”’ and [to Chopra] ‘Hi, I know your dad.’ She goes, ‘You do? Who’s my dad?’ And I’m like, ‘Deepak,’” O’Donnell said in the minutelong clip. “She’s like, ‘No, and Chopra is a common name.’...I felt so embarrassed.”
Neither Priyanka Chopra nor O’Donnell responded to requests for comment.
Critical comments started to accumulate under the video, and fans spoke out against O’Donnell for not taking the time to learn Chopra's first name even after the incident. After the criticism, she released another TikTok clarifying, “Priyanka is her name.”
“I’m sure she gets sick of that,” she said. “She’s apparently a very well-known actress — more famous than him — people were saying."
O’Donnell apologized and said sometimes she makes mistakes.
Chopra implied she didn’t mean for the incident to become public, but she said it’s not the first time she’s had to explain her name.
“We ALL deserve to be respected for our unique individuality and not be referred to as ‘someone’ or ‘wife’ especially in a sincere apology,” Chopra wrote. “Also PS — As I’ve said before, not all Chopra’s are related to the great Deepak, just as not all Smith’s are related to the legendary Will Smith.”