Smokey Robinson Goes Viral for Hilariously Incorrect — and Charming — Pronunciation of ‘Chanukah’

“I have no idea what Chanukah is,” legendary Motown singer admits

Getty Images
Getty Images

Singer Smokey Robinson went viral on Monday for his hilariously wrong — and charming — pronunciation of the word “Chanukah.”

The 80-year Motown legend sent a holiday greeting to one of his fans via the Cameo app, where users can pay celebrities to film direct shout-outs (Robinson is one of the app’s more expensive stars, charging $350 per Cameo).

“They wanted me to wish you Happy Chanukah!” Robinson said in the video, pronouncing the Jewish holiday “Cha-NOO-kah.”

He continued with a dazzling smile: “I have no idea what Chanukah is, but Happy Chanukah because they said so. Anyway, God bless you, babe, and enjoy Chanukah.”

Watch the whole 45-second Cameo below:

Twitter had a field day with the clip. Some praised his earnest efforts:

https://twitter.com/vasman132/status/1338479429912244227

https://twitter.com/JewGEdelstein/status/1338503339110100993

And others took the opportunity to educate the singer on the holiday, also spelled Hanukkah:

https://twitter.com/Jon83846176/status/1338510125158592513

One thing’s for sure: Robinson definitely knows how to pronounce “Christmas” — he released a holiday album in 1963 titled “Christmas with The Miracles” with his former band The Miracles.

Robinson is the second celebrity to recently trend on Twitter for a hilariously odd mispronunciation; last week, British chef Nigella Lawson went viral after the unusual way she said “microwave,” which you can see below:

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