Susan Rice, Condi Rice ... How Can Important People Have the Same Last Names?

For many Americans who thought it was okay to stop “following the political news” for at least a few weeks after the election, the controversy over “Susan Rice” has been very confusing. Didn’t we just have a lady named “Secretary of State Rice,” as secretary of state? Then what’s the big deal? That particular glass ceiling is shattered, right? Why does John McCain keep trying to turn back the clock, to when he was young?

Throughout modern history, the popular consciousness has been regularly baffled and confused by stars who share the same surname. The 1990s, for example, are perhaps best remembered as a time of great confusion for the millions who would tune in each weeknight hoping to see their favorite outlaw country performer anchor ABC’s World News Tonight. Join us for a photographic tour of America’s most confusing last names.

It all started with an innocent mistake: One Ms. Anderson was supposed to audition for the role of FBI heartthrob Fox Mulder’s busty sidekick, and the other was auditioning as the tough-as-nails lifeguard coroner in a sleazy beach town with too many secrets.

These two celebrity name sharers even kind of look like each other. But do they both have “sex addiction”?

The original “Brat Pack,” the McCarthy twins brought laughs and insanity to every role … including the role of life!

These two famous Twains caused a lot of confusion on GED exams during the “grunge era” of the 1990s. “Never the Twain shall meet” was proven true in the case of this star-crossed pair. Or was it? (It is rumored that Samuel Clemens was sent into the future by his friend Tesla, who fronted a hair-metal band of the same name in the 1980s.)

It may be a fun parlor game to speculate on the shared family backgrounds of our nation’s best-loved entertainers, but sometimes the confusion can lead to tragic consequences. Luckily, no one was killed when this U.S. Airways flight crew confused the Hudson River with VIP Kate Hudson.