Idina Menzel Admits Adele Dazeem Mishap at Oscars "Threw Me for Like Eight Seconds"

Broadway star recalls what she was thinking when John Travolta botched her name

By Peter Gicas Apr 03, 2014 6:57 PMTags
John Travolta, Idina Menzel, Oscars ShowKevin Winter/Getty Images

Idina Menzel may not have been upset over John Travolta's infamous Adele Dazeem Oscars flub, but the 42-year-old singer has revealed that the mispronunciation of her name as she got ready to perform "Let It Go" from Frozen did throw her nevertheless.

"For like eight seconds because I had done this whole preparation to make sure that I was really in my body and didn't get nervous," Menzel told Savannah Guthrie on Thursday's Today.

"So I was picturing my son Walker and I thought, 'Let me sing it to him like we do in the bathtub and make sure I breathe'...and then [Travolta] said my name like that and I was like, 'Did that just happen?'" she continued. "Then the orchestra started and then for eight seconds, I said, 'Get your s--t together! And like, stop worrying about your name and sing this song!' ... So it took me about eight seconds to get over myself."

Last month, Menzel told Billboard that Travolta "was really gracious and sent this gorgeous email, and we're buddies and it's cool."

What's more, a source revealed exclusively to E! News that the veteran actor sent the Broadway star "a gorgeous bouquet of flowers to her dressing room" following the mishap.

The large floral arrangement was delivered to Menzel at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York, where she is currently starring in the Broadway musical If/Then.

As for her wildly popular alternative name, Menzel noted to Billboard, "Please. I mean, I've only benefited from it."

(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)