Getty The cast of "Dawson's Creek." From left to right: Katie Holmes (Joey Potter), James Van Der Beek (Dawson Leery), Michelle Williams (Jennifer Lindley) and Joshua Jackson (Pacey).
Ashley Iaconetti set the record straight on her son’s name.
The ”Bachelor in Paradise” alum, who welcomed her first child, Dawson Dimitri, with husband Jared Haibon on January 31, 2022, clarified that her son is named after a character from the movie “Titanic” and not from a popular 1990s TV show. But while she has talked about the “Titanic” angle before, her reveal threw some fans through a loop.
Here’s what you need to know:
Ashley Haibon Confirmed That Her Son is Named After Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘Titanic’ Character, Jack Dawson, But Fans Couldn’t Believe What Else She Said
In a post shared on Instagram on January 29, 2023, Iaconetti, 34, and her 1-year-old son posed together wearing “Titanic” shirts with Leonardo DiCaprio’s face on them. The background for the professional photo was an image of the famous British steamship that sank into the ocean on April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg.
In the caption to her post, Iaconetti revealed that her son is named after DiCaprio’s character from the fictional version of events in the 1997 movie “Titanic.” The actor was just 21 years old when he played Jack Dawson, a traveling artist who won a seat on the doomed luxury ship in a poker game.
“Let’s get this straight. Dawson was named after Jack Dawson,” Iaconetti wrote. “I’ve never seen Dawson’s Creek. I’ve seen Titanic at least 100 times…no exaggeration. When it first came out on VHS, my sister and I would watch it sometimes twice a day. (We’d usually stop and rewind once the ship hit the iceberg.)”
While many fans already knew who Dawson was named after, many couldn’t believe Iaconetti never saw the show “Dawson’s Creek.” The teen drama series about a Capeside, Massachusetts friend group aired for six seasons starting in 1998—the year after “Titanic” was released. It starred James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams, and more, per Entertainment Weekly.
“You’ve never seen Dawson’s Creek?” one fan wrote to Iaconetti on Instagram. “Nope!” she replied.
“I absolutely believe his namesake is Jack Dawson, but I really cannot believe you’ve never seen Dawson’s Creek. You just seem like someone who would have been all over it,” another wrote to the “Bachelor in Paradise” star.
Others told Iaconetti she has to watch “Dawson’s Creek.”
“You @ashley_iaconetti of allllll people, MUST watch Dawson’s Creek!!!!” another fan wrote.
“How have YOU- ASHLEY IACONETTI not seen Dawsons Creek? Now I know I don’t actually know you but you have got to start watching Dawsons Creek and then let us know you like it via your stories!” another wrote. “Hahahaha ok,” the “Bachelor in Paradise” star replied.
This is Not the First Time Ashley Iaconetti Has Revealed the Origin of Her Son’s Name
In October 2021, Iaconetti teased that her then-unborn baby’s name was based on one of her passions. At the time, fans speculated that the name had to be from either a boy band — Iaconetti is a huge New Kids on the Block fan — or something related to her idol, Leonardo DiCaprio.
Iaconetti had previously revealed that ‘Titanic” was her favorite movie of all time. In an Instagram post shared in 2020, she wrote, “I think it’s funny I saw my favorite movie, Titanic, for the first time at the age of 10 and no other movie will ever top my love and nostalgia for it.”
“My sister and I would watch the entire three hours and then look at each other and without words know it was time to rewind it and watch it again,” she added. “Our hearts pounded as we experienced a serious crush and a non-Disney romance for the first time… I pity the girls who didn’t get to experience Leo-mania.”
Just before their son’s birth in January 2022, Iaconetti and Haibon teased his name during an Amazon Live and confirmed that it was indeed after the character from her favorite movie. Haibon revealed that their son’s name was inspired by DiCaprio’s “Titanic” character because the actor was “one of Ashley’s loves.”
“Naming a kid after a Leo character is very natural for us,” Iaconetti chimed in.
In June 2022, Iaconetti shared a photo of her son Dawson and a pic of DiCaprio.
“He was named after Jack Dawson from Titanic and I dare you to tell me you don’t see a resemblance coming when you swipe over…,” she wrote on Instagram.
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