David Hasselhoff is no longer David Hasselhoff — sort of.
The former Baywatch star said in a YouTube video Thursday that he has shortened his well-known last name to an abbreviated version. Widely referred to as « The Hoff » by fans, the actor told fans that his new legal name is David Hoff.
« I’ve been wanting to drop the Hassel from my life for years, » Hoff says in the eight-second video. « Now, I have made it official: David Hoff, » he explains while holding up a « Certificate of Name Change, » reading « David Hoff. »
« Big news today and a massive relief for me. I hope everyone can understand… it feels great! » he wrote in a tweet.
Big news today and a massive relief for me. I hope everyone can understand… it feels great! https://t.co/X48SQzovEi
— David Hoff (@DavidHasselhoff) November 12, 2015
The video is part of a marketing campaign for Australian telecommunications company amaysim. The campaign, which launched Friday, promotes the company’s new hassle-free mobile plans for its customers, which involves unlimited talk and text.
« This is part of a broader campaign we’re launching today to remind Aussies that taking at least one hassle out of your life can be as simple as changing your mobile phone plan, » Andrew Balint, amaysim’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement. “Anyone can relate to wanting to kick a few of life’s hassles to the curb, and we were buzzing at the thought of working with a global icon like The Hoff to have some fun while showing people how easy it is to make life a bit simpler. »