Rainn Wilson Changes Name to ‘Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson’

The Office star Rainn Wilson is changing his name to protest climate change. The actor made an announcement via a Twitter video on Wednesday (November 9). After introducing himself, Rainn said, "Or should I say, Rainnfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels And-We-Have-To-Do-Something-About-It-Now Wilson?"

While telling his 4.4 million Twitter followers about how polar caps melting "drives up risks to throughout the world, including extreme weather events" he revealed "a cheap little stunt to help save planet Earth." Claiming to have changed his Twitter and Instagram handles, Rainn shows a piece of his "fancy writing paper" has the new name change, which reads: "Acid Rainn Kills Trees Wilson."

The comedian, 56, called on both regular folks and those in show business to change their names in an effort to get world leaders to act now. He playfully came up with names for some celebrities including Jack Black Carbon Is Killing Us, Amy Poehler Bears Are Endangered, Harrison Why Not Drive An Electric? Ford and Samuel Earth Is Getting Hot As L. Jackson.

“With the help of my scientist friends at Arctic Basecamp, I’ve changed my name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson,” Wilson said in a statement to Variety. “This is not a joke, I’m as serious as the melting Arctic, which amplifies global risks including extreme weather events around the globe.”

Wilson, a board member of Arctic Basecamp, changed his name via a website called Arctic Risk Name Generator which encourages visitors to become an “Arctic name changer.”

Although Wilson said of his name change “This is not a joke,” it is unclear whether the actor and activist plans to officially change his name on government documents. Currently his Twitter and Instagram handles remain @RainnWilson. His full given name is Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson. He added in his announcement thread that he could not change his name on the social site "because, Elon!"