Sterling K. Brown, renowned for his role in *This Is Us*, discussed the significance of his name during an appearance on *The Kelly Clarkson Show* on April 5. He was there to promote his new thriller series on Hulu titled *Paradise*.
During the show, Brown confirmed that he had requested his mother to call him by his middle name. He shared a personal story, revealing that his full name honors both his lineage — his grandfather and father. Until the age of 16, he identified himself as Kelby. He remarked:
“I went by my middle name, I went by ‘Kelby’ until I was 16 years old. My dad’s name is Sterling Brown Jr. My grandfather is Sterling Brown Sr., and I’m Sterling Kelby Brown.”
Describing his given name as “an old man’s name,”Brown elaborated on his childhood desire for individuality, which led him to favor his middle name. However, the loss of his father at a young age greatly impacted him. At 16, in a period marked by reflection and nostalgia, he felt a longing to reconnect with his father’s memory, prompting his decision to revert to Sterling. He explained:
“I wanted my own name, and it felt like Sterling was like an old man’s name. But because he passed away when I was 10, by the time I turned 16 and I hadn’t heard his name for five-and-a-half years, I was like, I kind of just want to hear that name again, so I asked people to call me Sterling.”
Sterling K. Brown’s Role in Hulu’s *Paradise*
On February 25, Brown engaged in an insightful discussion with *The Washington Post*, where he detailed his character, Xavier Collins, a U.S. Secret Service agent embroiled in a high-stakes investigation surrounding the murder of the U.S. President. Brown expressed his initial intrigue with the script penned by creator Dan Fogelman, stating:
“I’m reading the thing, and I’m like, ‘Oh, who killed the president?’ completely forgetting that my dude has a penchant for flipping things. Then you get to the end of the script, and it’s like, ‘We ain’t really in the world? We in a mountain! Are we all cool to be here?’ Honestly, I was like, I have to figure out how this story ends, so I guess I have to be a part of it.”
In his analysis of *Paradise*, Brown emphasized that the primary conflict within the series stems from issues of class rather than race. He articulated a poignant message regarding governance and representation, noting that:
“The greatest tension that exists in Paradise — and in other countries — is more class than it is race. You’re witnessing the people that have been making all of the decisions for everyone that does not; there’s a more unifying, clear line of saying like, yeah, we cannot let them dictate what life will be for the rest of us.”
*Paradise* premiered on Hulu on January 25 and has since been confirmed for a second season as reported by Deadline on February 20, 2025.