It’s the name his fans have known him by for thirty years.
And Rove McManus has finally revealed the truth behind his famous moniker and how he got ‘stuck’ with his stage name.
Appearing on a recent episode of the Kiya podcast, the former tonight show host, whose real name is John, shared how ‘Rove’ started off as a family nickname that later came in handy when he went into showbiz.
‘When I left high school and started performing I was only 19 and I didn’t want anyone from school reading my name in the comedy club listings,’ he explained.
He decided to use just ‘Rove’ as a stage name, but when he first went into TV he was told he would need a surname.
‘Someone said, ”you can’t just have a name, you can’t just be ‘Rove, what’s your actual name.”
Rove McManus has finally revealed the truth behind his famous moniker
Appearing on a recent episode of the Kiya podcast, the former tonight show host, whose real name is John, shared how ‘Rove’ started off as a family nickname that later came in handy when he went into showbiz
‘I said “John McManus” and they said “Well let’s call you Rove McManus.”‘
He went on to say that ‘everyone’ in his family has a nickname.
‘Rove’ was given to him by one of his two older sisters – but in an amusing twist no one remembers just why it seemed a suitable tag for the funnyman.
‘I’ve told the story about where the nickname came from,’ Rove said.
‘And my sister said to me after the fact ”that’s not the story that’s not how you got your nickname.”‘
But when Rove pressed her for an answer to the mystery she replied: ‘I don’t remember we were all too young – I just know it wasn’t [what you said it was].’
He says these days, his family members still use their nicknames.
‘My siblings call me Rove, my daughter calls me Rove.’
He decided to use just ‘Rove’ as a stage name, to his identity from his old school pals, but when he first went into TV he was told he would need a surname
Pictured: Rove and his wife Tasma Walton
He added that his mother is the only one in the family who doesn’t use the nickname.
‘She will still on occasion call me Johnny.’
The three-time Gold Logie winner first rose to fame as the host of the Rove tonight show, which debuted on Channel Nine in 1999.
After the network axed the show, Rove found success at Channel 10, where his self-titled talk show ran from 2000 – 2009.
Around the time he was hosting his variety show, Rove met his first wife, Belinda Emmett, an actress known for her role on Home and Away.
Tragically, Belinda passed away from breast cancer in November 2006 at the age of 32, just 18 months after marrying Rove.
Following his wife’s death, Rove opted to take some time out from the public eye, but returned to TV the following year.
He later found love again with actress Tasma Walton, who he married in 2009, and the couple are parents to daughter Ruby, 11.
The TV host has won three Gold Logies for most popular personality on Australian screens in 2003, 2004 and 2005, all during his tenure on Channel Ten’s Rove Live.
