Fact Check: Posts Say Muhammad Ali's Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame Is on a Wall So People Can't Step on His Name. Here Are the Facts

Claim:

Muhammad Ali's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is on a wall so people can't step on the name "Muhammad."

Rating:

In April 2024, a claim was shared on Reddit that Muhammad Ali's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located on a wall to prevent people from stepping on his name. The post, which received 33,000 upvotes, likely gained traction because of the star's unique status as the only one on the Walk of Fame that people cannot physically tread on.

The claim has circulated widely on social media platforms for years, including X (formerly Twitter) as well as Reddit. Online accounts have shared images of Ali's star along with captions highlighting its distinct placement and attributing it to a gesture of respect for the late boxer's Muslim faith. Users on X have expressed admiration for the tribute. 

(@TundeSmilez/X)

It's true that Ali's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is positioned differently from all the other stars on the sidewalk, with the world heavyweight boxing champion's star mounted on a wall. The placement of his star is not only unique but also symbolic, reflecting the boxer's devotion to his Muslim faith.

Snopes reached out to Ana Martinez, who works at the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce as the vice president of media and talent relations and producer for the Walk of Fame ceremony.

"Mr. Ali didn't want the name of the Prophet Muhammad to be stepped on and he made a special request that it be placed on a wall," Martinez said. "This was granted by Walk of Fame Selection Chair Johnny Grant."

The official website of the Hollywood Walk of Fame noted that Ali's star is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd., affixed to a wall that's part of the Dolby Theatre entertainment complex. The star was unveiled on Jan. 11, 2002, to honor Ali's contributions to the world of sports and entertainment.

Martinez told USA Today in 2016 that the sports icon received the honor — usually reserved for entertainers — because "he was a showman. He had two Grammy-nominated spoken word albums. He was an entertainer, as well."

According to the Independent, Ali's star was placed on a wall rather than the sidewalk because he did not want his name to be walked on by "people who have no respect for me," with the pugilist saying around the time of the 2002 ceremony that "I bear the name of our Beloved Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), and it is impossible that I allow people to trample over his name."

In 1964, at the age of 22, Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, shortly after converting to Islam and four years after winning the gold medal in light heavyweight boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics.

After the name change, when asked by a TV reporter why he insisted on being called by the new name, Ali explained, "'Cause that's the name given to me by my leading teacher, the honorable Elijah Muhammad. That's my original name, that's a Black man's name. Cassius Clay was my slave name, I'm no longer a slave." (Elijah Muhammad was the leader of the Nation of Islam at the time.)

Asked the meaning behind his new name and whether he intended to continue his boxing career using it, Ali continued, "Muhammad means 'worthy of all praises,' and Ali means 'most high.' … I want to be called by that name. I write autographs in that name. I want to be known all over the world as that name, especially throughout Asia and Africa, because that's the name of our peoples over home."

Snopes has previously reported on Ali — who died in 2016 of septic shock following a years-long battle with Parkinson's disease — including the claim he once talked a suicidal man off the ledge of a building and a claim that Donald Trump once sparred with him.

Sources:

Ali's Spirituality - Muhammad Ali Center. 26 Aug. 2023, https://alicenter.org/meet-ali/spirituality/.

Bulman, May. "Muhammad Ali Dead: Why the Iconic Boxer's Hollywood Star Isn't on the Walk of Fame | The Independent." The Independent, 3 June 2017. www.independent.co.uk, https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing/muhammad-ali-death-hollywood-star-why-is-it-on-the-wall-not-walk-of-fame-a7065186.html.

Elijah Muhammad | Nation of Islam, Black Nationalism, Civil Rights Activist | Britannica. 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elijah-Muhammad.

"Https://Twitter.Com/TundeSmilez/Status/1668955999129030659." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/TundeSmilez/status/1668955999129030659. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.

Mallenbaum, Carly. "Why Ali's Hollywood Star Is on a Wall (Not the Ground)." USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/06/04/muhammad-ali-hollywood-star/85426914/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.

Muhammad Ali | Cassius Clay Changes His Name to Muhammad Ali | Episode 2 | PBS. www.pbs.org, https://www.pbs.org/video/cassius-clay-changes-his-name-muhammad-ali-dfjgzt/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.

service — Corina Knoll Corina Knoll is a former reporter for the Metro section of the Los Angeles Times She was on the team that investigated corruption in Bell-which led to the paper's 2011 Pulitzer Prize, et al. "Los Angeles Mourns Muhammad Ali, the Activist, Entertainer and Icon." Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2016, https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-muhammad-ali-hollywood-star-20160604-snap-story.html.

Walk of Fame | Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. https://hollywoodchamber.net/tag/walk-of-fame/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.