Hong Kong-born comedian Jimmy O. Yang, who immigrated to the United States at the age of 13, is set to return to his homeland in June for his first-ever solo comedy show in Asia at the Hong Kong Coliseum – “Jimmy O. Yang Live in Hong Kong”. The news of the show quickly spread and tickets sold out, prompting additional shows to be added. As a stand-up comedian, he loves to joke about cultural conflicts and Asian identities, using humor to ease the hardships of immigration. From a child who was afraid to speak English, he has become a popular comedian across America. Why did he choose to give up a lucrative finance job and endure 101 auditions? In this issue of “Drifting Legends”, we delve into Jimmy’s world of stand-up comedy.
Born in Hong Kong in 1987, Jimmy O. Yang is now 37 years old. His parents are originally from Shanghai, and during his childhood, he was often teased by classmates for not speaking Cantonese proficiently, earning him the nickname “Shanghai Kid”.
Regarding the origin of his name “O. Yang”, Jimmy jokingly said, “In Cantonese, it means ‘ten thousand successes’, showing how ambitious my parents are.”
He recalls a “sweaty” childhood memory: when Jimmy was young, he was already being groomed to become a young table tennis player. “My dad sent me directly to a table tennis training camp in Guangzhou, China. I almost died there! One hundred kids competing for a spot on the national team, it was like a table tennis version of ‘The Hunger Games’!”
His father often accompanied him to training and competitions, but the pre-match “motivational quotes” felt more like insults to him, such as: “Jimmy, play well! Even if you are too slow, even if you are weak, even if you play poorly!”
These “Asian parent quotes” later became valuable material for his stand-up comedy.
In his autobiography “How to American”, he revealed that at the age of 13, he moved with his family from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, feeling like he had ventured into an alien planet. He was not fluent in English at the time, didn’t understand slang, and even had to gesture for a hamburger, resembling an “alien”. On his first day of school, when everyone placed their right hand on their chest and stood straight, he was clueless as to this loyalty pledge and thought he was in the wrong place.
The challenges didn’t stop there: classmates were taller than him and he had to look up to talk; during his first physical education class, his shorts, which were more fitted, were mistaken for underwear; once, after being teased too far, he imitated Bruce Lee’s iconic moves, performing a 360-degree round kick with hand gestures, astonishing the whole room, who exclaimed, “He is Bruce Lee!” After that, no one dared to bully him again.
To assimilate into the local culture, he became obsessed with watching American stand-up comedy shows like “Comic View”, imitating them and discovering his talent for telling jokes. Through laughter, he learned to turn the bitterness of immigrant life into humor, setting off on his comedy journey.
Jimmy attended the prestigious Beverly Hills High School, but he refused to conform to the typical model Asian student, opting for rebellion.
He grew out his hair, skipped classes, and formed a rap group with classmates called the “Yellow Panthers”, vowing to break stereotypes.
In 2009, he graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in economics. Instead of entering the finance industry as expected, he left his job at a securities company and decided to pursue comedy.
At the beginning of his career, he worked as a security guard outside a comedy club, just to earn a 10-minute stage opportunity. To make ends meet, he ate instant noodles five days a week, worked part-time driving for Uber, selling used cars, and being a DJ, multitasking and dedicating himself fully to chasing his dream.
Chasing his dream was not easy. Jimmy auditioned for over 101 roles, many stereotypical Asian characters like “a 12-year-old Taiwanese IT prodigy” or “a cashier speaking Mandarin at a supermarket”. He admitted that Asian actors are often confined to narrow roles, making it difficult to showcase their acting skills.
In 2014, he finally stood out with his role as the Chinese engineer “Jian Yang” with a thick accent in the HBO comedy series “Silicon Valley”, captivating audiences with his years of accumulated comedic sense, achieving fame and stepping onto the path of showbiz.
In 2016, he portrayed a civilian taken hostage by a bomber in the film “Patriots Day”, proving that he is not just a comedian. In 2018, he released his autobiography “How to American”, sharing immigrant and family stories, which received high praise.
Since then, he has excelled in streaming series like “Space Force” and “Interior Chinatown”, allowing global audiences to get to know this talented Asian actor. Especially in “Interior Chinatown”, where he played a young Asian man who unwittingly gets mixed up in a criminal whirlpool, the plot directly addresses the stereotypical portrayal of Asians in “Chinatown” backgrounds in America, embodying a satirical contrast with his own experiences.
However, acting is just Jimmy’s “side job”; his true dream has always been stand-up comedy.
His first time on stage was the night before his college graduation, tipsy, holding $5, and stepping onto an open mic stage at a bar (where anyone can sign up to perform). That night, he discovered that by self-deprecating his Asian identity and sharing cultural differences, he could ignite a wave of laughter throughout the audience.
Jimmy shares a classic scene that he believes can resonate with many Asian immigrants: “We Asians don’t easily say ‘I love you’, it’s not in our style. One time, when I was feeling emotional, I called my mom and said, ‘Mom, I just wanted to tell you, I love you.’ And then she started crying on the other end of the phone, saying, ‘Jimmy, do you have cancer?'”
In 2020, he released his first stand-up comedy special “Good Deal”, followed by “Guess How Much?” three years later. Both shows delve into Asian cultural differences, identity, and immigrant experiences, earning acclaim from audiences.
Jimmy once said, “I have never truly fit into any group, but the magic of stand-up comedy is that you can be quirky. As long as you are funny, regardless of height, skin color, you will be accepted, that’s what attracts me the most about stand-up comedy.”
Jimmy’s journey, from Hong Kong to America, breaking free from his parents’ expectations, shattering the confines of Asian roles, and now returning to his birthplace in Hong Kong as an internationally renowned stand-up comedy artist, is not just a story of dreams and perseverance, but also a profound reflection on the immigrant experience and cultural identity.