Club Shay Shay - Jimmy O. Yang Part 1

Summary

Club Shay Shay – Jimmy O. Yang (Part 1)

Podcast Host: Shannon Sharpe
Guest: Jimmy O. Yang, comedian and actor
Release Date: March 25, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode of Club Shay Shay, Shannon Sharpe welcomes internationally acclaimed comedian and actor Jimmy O. Yang for an in-depth, entertaining conversation. They discuss Jimmy’s breakout role in Crazy Rich Asians, the immigrant experience, Asian-American representation in Hollywood, culture shocks between Hong Kong and the U.S., family expectations, Jimmy’s early jobs (including strip club DJ), his comedic inspirations, and cultural perspectives on money, food, and language. Authentic, funny, and thoughtful, this episode is filled with memorable moments and firsthand stories about success, identity, and perseverance.

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Main Discussion Sections

1. Early Life & Cultural Identity

Timestamps: 05:40 – 14:24

• Jimmy’s Upbringing: Born in Hong Kong to Shanghainese parents, moved to LA at age 13.
  • Grew up speaking Cantonese, learned English through immersion and TV, especially BET and Comic View.
  • “When I came to America... I had trouble communicating. I was in ESL classes.” (36:58 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Assimilating in America:
  • Shocked by cultural differences; found LA “boring” compared to Hong Kong’s bustling, walkable environment.
  • “You walk down LA, there’s nobody. You feel weird walking.” (35:05 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Racial & Social Dynamics:
  • Felt out of place even among American-born Chinese and Koreans:
    • “The last thing Asian people want to look in this country is foreign.” (39:43 – Jimmy O. Yang)
  • Experienced a lack of acceptance from various groups due to language and cultural differences.

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2. Stand-Up Journey & First Breaks

Timestamps: 14:24 – 23:09; 48:35 – 55:57

• Odd Jobs Before Comedy:
  • Worked as a strip club DJ in San Diego, car salesman, shoe store clerk, Uber driver.
  • “My first creative outlet was making beats... then I kinda know how to DJ.” (40:40 – Jimmy O. Yang)
  • Strip club offered him management due to rising sales, but he chose comedy instead, heeding a mentor’s advice:
    • “When you’re around these dark places for too long, you’ll start to normalize this. That’s not all right.” (Sean Kelly’s advice – 48:06)
• Stand-Up Hustle in LA:
  • Struggled to find stage time; started a comedy room above a Hooters with friends (49:14).
  • Relied on “bringer shows” to get on real stages:
    • “At some point you run out of friends… You literally run out of friends to invite.” (55:34 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Family Reactions:
  • Parents hoped comedy was a phase. Only accepted his path after he landed Silicon Valley:
    • “They might understand playing football… My dad, it’s like, what is standup?” (51:30 – Jimmy O. Yang)

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3. Breakthrough with Crazy Rich Asians

Timestamps: 07:15 – 13:12

• Landing the Role:
  • Auditioned at his publicist’s urging.
  • Knew the sidekick was his type of role (“funny side character”), but tried for the lead first:
    • “They looking for like, a Cho Yun Fat type… But we got a side character for you.” (08:04 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Creative Contributions:
  • Brought physical comedy and improvisation to his role, including the idea for his character to wear a hand-made gold thong.
• On-set Experience:
  • Importance of all-Asian cast:
    • “I met my contemporaries… If the audience can feel an ounce of joy that I felt, I think we made something special.” (09:59 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Impact on Career:
  • Uncertain if it would be a hit, but sensed it was special; led to long-lasting friendships and greater visibility.

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4. Improvisation & Creative Freedom

Timestamps: 12:51 – 16:27

• Improvising on Set:
  • Known for bringing improvisational skills from Silicon Valley to film.
  • “Improvisation is not just saying a funny line… Sometimes it’s a reaction, sometimes it’s leaving the frame and coming back. It’s what feels right.” (13:23 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Comedy as Community & Feedback:
  • Relied on crew’s laughter as a barometer of what was truly funny.

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5. Family, Money, and Asian Cultural Norms

Timestamps: 17:52 – 30:35

• Money Customs & Upbringing:
  • Chinese custom of red envelopes at New Year as first savings experience.
  • “We don’t want thought. We just want money… Who cares about thought? There’s no money in that.” (20:07 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Personal Finances:
  • Grew up saving diligently; now trying to ‘spend more’ but finds it uncomfortable.
• Social Stereotypes:
  • “Nobody asked me to borrow money… The only two people that asked me for money were my Black friends.” (28:00 – Jimmy O. Yang, in jest)
  • Laments that financial security is often attributed unjustly to Asian Americans.

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6. Asian Cuisine, Cars, and Cultural Stereotypes

Timestamps: 30:35 – 38:54

• Tariffs & Luxury:
  • “Temu is the new Gucci… Made in China is now a flex.” (30:42 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Electric Cars:
  • “Chinese electric car. Cybertruck looks like a joke…” (31:12 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Hong Kong & Food Culture:
  • Praises Hong Kong as “Manhattan but better”—modern, international, clean, energetic.
  • Critiques American stereotypes of Asian cuisine:
    • “You go to Hong Kong... best food in the world. Street food to the best Michelin stars.” (60:19 – Jimmy O. Yang)
    • “This is bad stereotyping...” (60:43 – Jimmy O. Yang, on misconceptions about Asian food)

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7. Representation, Accents, Assimilation

Timestamps: 55:57 – 59:02

• On Playing Asian Accents:

  • Defends playing accented roles, if authentic and respectful:
    • “As long as you play it with nuance, dignity, authenticity, it’s all right.” (57:49 – Jimmy O. Yang)
  • Stresses need for multiple Asian voices on TV to avoid stereotypes.

• Making Chinese Sexy:

  • “Why is Chinese accent not sexy? Why is a girl listening... their Spanish lover, Italian, British, but not Chinese?” (59:02 – Jimmy O. Yang)

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8. Food, Travel, and Perceptions of China

Timestamps: 60:19 – 62:52

• Promoting Travel to Asia:
  • Urges listeners to visit Hong Kong over Paris:
    • “Everyone wants to go to France. Who gives a shit?” (59:54 – Jimmy O. Yang)
    • “You can have the highest end… All the top hotels… Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood. All Hong Kong companies.” (62:52 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Clarifies Food Differences:
  • “Panda Express is a different cuisine than Chinese food. I love it for what it is.” (63:26 – Jimmy O. Yang)
  • Describes authentic dishes (wonton noodle soup, roast duck, etc.) and highlights regional cuisine differences.

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9. Language, Family, and Cultural Gaps

Timestamps: 82:23 – 86:14

• Multilingual Home:
  • Family bounced between Shanghainese, Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.
  • Describes the erosion of his Chinese literacy:
    • “I found my diary from age nine in Hong Kong, all written in Chinese, and I can’t read a single word anymore.” (85:21 – Jimmy O. Yang)

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10. Return to Hong Kong & Full Circle

Timestamps: 75:28 – 89:20

• First Visit Home after 25 Years:
  • Emotional return with sold-out arena shows, reconnecting with relatives and childhood friends.
  • “It was like editing a movie… It’s like my baby. Now we’re gonna be out in movie theaters.” (77:39 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Support from the Community:
  • Warm homecoming, praise from Hong Kong comedic icons.
• Cultural Shock on Return:
  • Still feels like an outsider in the U.S., but HK feels instinctively right:
    • “Even now I’m having trouble with that. I still feel like I’m fighting.” (87:32 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• Split Identity:
  • Might split time between Hong Kong and America to balance cultures and careers.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Representation and Joy:
  “If the audience can feel an ounce of joy that I felt, I think we made something special.” (09:59 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• On Family & Money:
  “We don’t want thought, we just want money… Who cares about thought? There’s no money in that.” (20:07 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• On American Stereotypes:
  “China is huge… there’s like eight pillars of different cuisines… In deep China, can you find some weird shit? Probably, but we don’t eat that every day!” (61:00 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• On Accents & Authenticity:
  “As long as you play it with nuance, dignity, authenticity, it’s all right.” (57:49 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• On Immigrant Experience:
  “I fit in in a comedy space, because in the comedy space, the weirder you are, the more different you are, the more you fit in.” (89:57 – Jimmy O. Yang)
• On Homecoming:
  “When I went back to Hong Kong and my life just kind of made sense… I was just enjoying meals and walking around at different shops and I’m good.” (87:34 – Jimmy O. Yang)

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Key Topics & Themes

• Immigrant assimilation and cultural shocks
• Importance of representation and nuanced storytelling
• Asian-American identity, family expectations, and finances
• Creative origins: Stand-up, hustling for stage time
• The reality vs. stereotypes of Asian food and culture
• The fluid, sometimes fragile relationship with one’s first language and culture
• Pride in heritage and a drive to “put Hong Kong on the map”

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Closing

This episode is a candid, humorous, and insightful exploration of identity, culture, creativity, and breaking boundaries as told through the personal journey of Jimmy O. Yang.
Tune in to Part 2 for more stories from Jimmy’s remarkable life and career.

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Transcript

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels.

[T-Mobile/US Cellular Advertiser]

All right, real quick.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

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[Shannon Sharpe]

Why?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

What's wrong? Nothing's wrong. You look like a guy running on three hours of sleep and vibes. Okay, yeah, I'm tired, kind of cranky and very thirsty. Congrats. Those are some of the potential signs of mild dehydration. And I bet your last bathroom break showed you another sign your body might be throwing you a penalty flag. So what's the play? Call Liquid IV hydration multiplier. One stick in water helps hydrate faster than water alone. Okay, but where's the proof? Liquid IV's clinical studies, not just a guy I know. Real science. Results you can trust. Well, take a look at me now. Liquid IV is officially part of my daily hydration routine. Pass the firecracker. Popsicle flavor. Stay hydrated like a pro, not like Jack before this. Stock up on Liquid IV hydration multiplier at liquid d I.com and use the promo code nuthouse for 20% off your first purchase.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You know how it's never really about where you're going?

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It's about who you're going with.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

The right people can turn any drive into a great memory. That's something Toyota really believes.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They design vehicles around real life and

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real people, the ones who make plans

[Jimmy O. Yang]

happen and bring everyone together inside. Everything's built with passengers in mind. Comfortable seating, smart layouts and space that

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actually works so everyone can relax and enjoy the ride.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

There's room for the people, room for the stuff, and room for the moments

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that happen along the way.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Because when people are the destination, your ride is important. Learn [e-mail] and find the vehicle that fits your people.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

oh my top destination is Paris. Dive. Who cares about Paris? French food sucks. When's the last time you craved French food?

[Shannon Sharpe]

What about French fries?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

French fries American? We claim that shit already. Go to Hong Kong, everybody speak English there and it's a beautiful city. Some of the best food you ever have in the world. Fusion food, Western food and Chinese food, right? And the pasta in Hong Kong is pasta. I bet you find a bowl of pasta there that's better than the pasta here. All my life Been grinding all my life Sacrifice, hustle, paid the price want a slice, got to roll a dice that's why all my life I been grinding all my life all my life Been grinding all my life Sacrifice hustle paid the price want a slice, got

[Shannon Sharpe]

to roll a dice that's why all

[Jimmy O. Yang]

my life I've been grinding all my life

[Shannon Sharpe]

hello, welcome to another episode of Club Shay Shay I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club Shay Shay. Stopping by for conversation on the drink today is a global and Hollywood star. He's one of the biggest international stand up comedians today. He's a scene stealing actor. Who can forget his incredible performance in Crazy Rich Asians. It's celebrated and sought after speaker, writer, author, producer, performer and an entertainer. Please welcome to Club Shay Shay. Jimmy Oyane.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Thank you. Thank you, Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Appreciate that, man. Thanks for stopping by. How you doing?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I love the show and this is the best intro. People should just come on the show for the intro. Has anyone done an intro for you?

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, they haven't.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Can I. May I?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sure, sure, go ahead.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

May I? Okay. How do you start? How do you start? This is Club Shay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Welcome to another episode of Club Shay Shay. I am your host, Jimmy Oye.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, can I just have that? Welcome to another episode of Club Shay Shay. This is the proprietor of also Shay Shay Shay. Cognac.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, yeah. Sponsored by Shea Cognac sitting across from me. He's not just a football player, one of the best podcasters in the world. The black Joe Rogan. He got more muscles than Arsenio hall. Funnier than Jay Leno, David Letterman, all combined. Just one episode with Katt Williams made him more money than you guys will ever see in your lifetime. His sex tape don't even need no video. It just sound and it goes viral. Weighing in at 228 pounds, six' two, three time Super bowl champion, four time All Pro, eight time Pro Bowler, 14 years NFL season veteran hall of Famer. Let's give it up for Shannon Sharpe.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Thank you, man. Man, that's unbelievable. I like that.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Okay, good, good, good. I feel like you deserve that, you know, You've done this for so many people. Yes, but.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So no, no, before we go.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Can't drink it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, yeah, before we go, we're gonna toast. But you say there's something that you do in your culture.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

For salud or toast. So how we do it, what we do?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. So when someone pours you tea or drink, you do this, you tap the table a little bit. So the story comes from. It's a sign of respect, saying thank you. But the story come from like the king back in the day, right. During the dynasty days, he went out in public and then he started pouring his servant tea. But they don't want to blow his cover.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Because usually you bow your head. So you do this instead. This is bow on your head.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, thank you. Thank you.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, that's nice.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know, the fastest demographic for cognac drinking is Asian.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, yeah, that's true. Hennessy and stuff. Yeah, they give me a bottle of Hennessy every year.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We better than that, though.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I like it a lot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, let's get right into it. You've done a lot of projects, but kind of the movie project, that kind of catapult you launched, you was crazy with rich Asian. How did you get the part and what did it do to jumpstart your career?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Man, that was a very special movie. I can't believe it was eight years ago. I didn't read the book at first, but my publicist, Sam, who's here, she read the book and she was like, they're making a movie, you gotta be in it. And then I remember her and my manager kept calling John Chu, the director, like every day, like, hounding him, you know, like, what's up? What's up? And then I was like, hey, I know I'm usually like, not a super handsome, six feet tall, chiseled leading man, right? So. But this is a movie, like for Asians by Asians.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Let me just audition for the leading man part.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And then my manager was like, hey, I gotta be honest with you, dude. Looking for like a good looking dude for that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So I'm like, man, what are you trying to say, man?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So she was really. She was that honest?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, yeah. He was like, yeah, they looking for like a Cho Yun Fat type, like, leading man type dude. But we got a side character for you. Yeah, we got a funny side character. And I actually auditioned to be the groom at first.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is a great part played by my buddy Chris Pang. But I ended up with the Burn a tie part, which is funnier, I think, and a little crazier. And I get to bring a lot of. You know, I think when I went into costume fitting, I get to kind of pick my own clothes. And I was like, why don't we just kind of leave my chest open like that? And then at the end when they catch me making out with this girl, like in the wedding party, I was the one that pitched them that because they gave me some, like, gold underwear, like boxers. I was like, nah, this guy should be wearing like a golden thong.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And then they couldn't find a golden thong overnight in Singapore. It's a pretty conservative country. When they shot the movie.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, pretty.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, so. So the seamstress had to hand make, like, literally like banana Hammock, thong for me and I stole the song so I kept it. It's a 101 souvenir did you know

[Shannon Sharpe]

that this movie, like, when you're shooting at. Cause sometimes people, you know, when we shoot a movie, kind of know it's gonna be really, really good. And sometimes we're not really, really sure. In the process of doing this movie, did you know it was gonna have the commercial appeal in the States like it had?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I. I really didn't. I don't think any of us expected that kind of. That kind of box office, that kind of importance. But I did know that when we're shooting the movie, there was a very special feeling because it's the first movie, first project, tv, anything, that you have an all Asian cast that I've been correct. Yes. Because I've done, you know, Silicon Valley. I've done other TV shows, movies, and usually I'm the only Asian dude there. I'm the Asian guy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

But this one, man, like, I met my contemporaries, you know, I felt like I met my best friends on this set. Matter of fact, last night, I was just hanging out with Awkwafina. I was hanging out with who were both in the movie. We're still best friends, but when we're in that hotel lobby, when we're shooting that movie in Singapore, I just had a very special feeling in my heart. I was like, even if this movie doesn't work, I found my creed of people. And if the audience feel. Yeah. And if the audience can feel a ounce of joy that I felt when I was filming this movie, I think we made something special, and I think they did.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How many of the cast members were you familiar with? Did you have prior relationship with, or was this your first time meeting these guys? Once you got to set one, I

[Jimmy O. Yang]

knew Nico Santos and Ronny Chieng, but I never met him before because they're from Stand Up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

But then I met Gemma Chan. I met Henry Golding, Constance Wu. Like, all these people from America, from Australia, from wherever. Right. Like, it just felt like the Asian Avengers gathering together. And we're still best friends, man. Wow. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How many times did you audition? Because you said, like, you know what? Okay. It's an Asian movie about Asians.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

From Asians that are directive and doing everything. How many times you, like, I need to be. I need. Your manager said, you really need to be in this movie. And you was like, I'm auditioning for the leading role. But you got the role that best suited you. Like, how many Times. Did you audition?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I. I just auditioned once for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Just once?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. And then I met with John on Zoom.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And then he was a fan of mine on Silicon Valley, and of course I'm a fan of his, and we just kind of talked it out, and he was like, I got this character for you. Would you do it? You know, and that was that. Yeah, but it's one of those movies. Sometimes you go into an audition, like, you're like, man, this is. They need a funny Asian dude that plays ping pong. That was literally like a movie part. I had to audition for you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What, they have that stereotype of you, bro?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, no, but I'm like, I'm a funny. I'm one of five funny Asian dudes in Hollywood, and I know actually how to play ping pong. If I don't get this part, I'm gonna quit acting, you know? So with this crazy rich Asian movie, I'm like, they casting 20 Asian people. If I can't even get in As a top 20 Asian, I'm just gonna kill myself.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's your favorite. What's your favorite moment of being on set? Because now you're in a movie, an all Asian movie, all Asian cast, producers, everybody, directors, everything is all about your community. And who can better tell a story about Asians than an Asian?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, that's right. I mean, it was such a fun shoot, especially my scenes. They made a parking lot look like a container ship, and they hired all the models. Cause it was like a beauty pageant contest. Yes, right. All the models from all over the world on that. And I just got to improvise, you know, talk about, like, Ms. Moldova, Ms. Whatever, you know, so that was a pretty fun day for the boys to hang out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know, when you're on set, how much do they let you ad lib? Cause I hear a lot of people, you know, and they said, look, there are some lines that they want you to stick strictly to that because it leads to something else. But a lot of times when you're dealing with someone like yourself or like a cat, and I've had people, you know, Mike Epps and Marlon Williams, it's like, okay, you get an opportunity to freelance a little bit. Let's not go overboard. But how much of that did they

[Jimmy O. Yang]

let you be you on that movie, John? Let me be me. I mean, you know, you always want to hit the line that's on the script once.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And even if you improv, you got to stay within the script.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Like, if the next scene is you Going to the library, you can't just be like, hey, tomorrow let's go to a coffee shop. Like, that's not gonna. That's not gonna work. And people do that sometimes. But I think with my training, with my background, when people hire me, they know, like, I'm gonna bring that, you know, as well. Cause I started on Silicon Valley. There's a lot of improvisation. It's some of the best improvisers in the world. And now whenever I take a project, even if it's like a drama, you know, I have a talk with the director. I'm like, is it cool if I bring a little. Like, we'll try the script a couple times, but. But then I want to bring something too, right? And a lot of times, improvisation is not just saying a funny line. It's not just like, you know, changing the script. Sometimes it's a reaction. Sometimes. Like, I've done this thing on Silicon Valley where I walked off camera and I ran back in and said something, you know, it's just. It could be anything, you know, And I think it's part of acting like Robert De Niro, like, improvises. And it's not necessarily for the joke, but sometimes it's just within the moment, what feels right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

That was my move, my barometer of something. If something is funny, if I can make the crew laugh, if I can make people behind the camera laugh, that's how I know it was good. And I learned that when I was doing Silicon Valley. And sometimes you can just hear they're not supposed to laugh, but you're like, I just hit it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's a good one. That's a good one.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Because I think as a standup, you need the audience feedback, which is why standup is so great. You get immediate feedback. And if a joke sucks, come back tomorrow and be better and make the audience laugh. If you can make the crew laugh or in a sitcom where there is an audience, those are pretty good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know, you play a crazy billionaire in Crazy Rich Asians.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Where do you. I mean, how did you like. Because you're a funny guy. Like, you know what? If I had a billion dollars, this is how I would act. This is how I would behave. So when you're playing that character, you're like, what inspiration did you draw upon?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Weirdly, that was the easiest character for me to play.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Why was it so easy?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Because he is just living in the id. There is no, like, there's no self control. If me and you don't have any self control, we say whatever we want, we do whatever we want. When we just let that run wild, how would this person act?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So it's. You just let yourself free and it's super fun.

[Shannon Sharpe]

If you actually had a billion dollars, what was the first thing you would do?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Buy an underground bunker.

[Shannon Sharpe]

There you go,

[Jimmy O. Yang]

man. I don't know. I don't wish to have a billion dollars.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think that's a hassle. Yeah, I think 100 mil is good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

A hundred mil?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

A hundred mil. Maybe a, you know, maybe a private jet or just a jet card. I don't need a private jet. Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know, just access the one. You don't need to own it, maintain it. You just want access. A couple, you know, let's have me two, 300 hours a year on one.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

That's it. That's it. Cause a billionaire, there's too much security now you worry about your kids getting kidnapped.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You don't know people's intentions. And. And people hate billionaires these days. So let me just have like 900 mil and then I'm okay

[Shannon Sharpe]

moving on your mom. Your mom on saving your mom like to say, guess how much?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, that's a name on my second special. Yeah. Inspired by her.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So when she's. She tries to guess the price in which something costs, or she's saying, how much do you think this costs?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, but she want you to guess really high. She feels good about getting a good deal. Oh, you know, like those glasses. Like, she'll bring home some glasses, like, jimmy, guess how much. And then I know, like, she probably got it for like 80 bucks.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Because she's all about the deals. That's why she's asking me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

But I gotta guess really high.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Make her feel good that she got a great deal.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I'm like, oh, 550. And she's like, $80. Yeah. Isn't your mom super smart?

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Your mom get offended when you guess too low?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, yeah, she does. She does. And she's like, you don't even know. Like, you don't even know. You don't know designer glasses, you don't know designer shoes. You know, like, you don't know the price of these things.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Your mom. Your mom, if this is what's been we done this in the information is your mom is a lot like my mom and grandma. They don't want gifts, they want cash. I remember calling my grandmother and I asked what she wanted for Christmas. And so I'm naming our thing, she said cash. She said it's the right color and it always fit. So from that point on, she got cash for Mother's Day, birthday, Christmas, all that. So your mom want cash. She don't want you to buy gifts.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. And I think that's within Chinese culture. Every Chinese New Year, you get a red envelope. You know, the kids usually. Oh, so it's totally okay to give cash.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. They won't. Like in China, they won't take tips a lot of times because they're like, no, no, we're not a tipping culture. But during Chinese New Year, you have, like, red envelopes ready. You gotta kinda color code them. The one with, like the rabbit on it, the one with this word on it. Got 20 bucks for your securities.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

This one got a hundred dollars for, like, your nephews and nieces and stuff like that. And that's how we build up our first savings account. I think that's why Asian people are so good with money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because, you know, a lot of times it's like, well, money is so insensitive. It's not thoughtful. It don't take any thought to give somebody money. We want you to take time and go pick out a purse or pick out this X. But in your culture, it's like cash is okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, we don't want thought. We just want money. I mean, come on, who cares about thought? There's no money in that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So were you like this as a kid? Did your parents give you money instead of buying you gifts when you were a kid?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I mean, for my birthday, they would buy me gifts and stuff like that. But yeah, for Chinese New Year, you go around people's houses, friends, family, friends, uncles, aunties, for like seven, eight days because you get two weeks off.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Of school. Yeah, it's the best. I grew up in Hong Kong, so we got the western holidays at Christmas and we got the Chinese holiday.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, it's amazing. Yeah. And then you just go collect your money and then you go back to school and you compare your friends. How much do you get? Oh, I saved up like three grand. And that's your first savings account. Wow.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So the Chinese New Year, you get two weeks off for school.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do people actually go to work? So is it like a national holiday?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

It's the biggest holiday. It's like Thanksgiving, Christmas. You know, people travel back home or they go travel. I actually just went to Macau and did a Chinese New Year show over there. Yeah, it's just big vacation. People don't even care about New Year. New Year.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

Nah, I'm just kidding.

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[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think so.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You think so?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think I'm too good with money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think now I sound like an asshole saying this now. I'm trying better to like I'm trying to spend more money. Damn, I'm living way too below my means.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know that's not a bad Thing. Considering the circumstances of what's going on right now, you might want to stay that way for a. About another year or so.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, that's true. Cause also, actors, comedians, you don't know, like, especially in the acting world, comedy can kind of control your own. That's right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause you can do stuff. You can go do, you know, gigs. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Build a new hour, sell a special. But in acting, you just never know. You gotta be very financially disciplined. You don't know when the next paycheck comes. But I think now I'm okay. I'm trying to spend more money. And this joke never worked. I shouldn't even tell you this. Like, I tried to do this joke where I'm like, you know, all my athlete friends, whatever, they're like, man, once I made it, you know, everybody's ringing up my phone to, like, borrow money. And I'm offended because nobody asked me to borrow money. And I wish people would just ask me to borrow money. Like, do you think I'm broke or something? But then it's not a relatable joke. I sounded like an asshole. And now. And now I bet you a bunch of people's gonna hit me up for money now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because you do realize, like, there's this. I don't know. I don't wanna be stereotypical, but they think Asians are good with money. They have money, are very financial, responsible.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And so nobody, like, man, you on tv, you got comedy specials, you've been in movies. Let your boy hold something, Jimmy.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, I think it's because a lot of my friends are also Asian. So they're doing okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They're doing okay too, huh?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. Man, this is gonna sound terrible. Cut it out if you guys don't like it. The only two people that ask me for money were my black friends. Is that terrible? Should I leave? Is that terrible? Is that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, one of my best friends is your best friend, Rod Smith. Rod ask you for money?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

No, no, no, no, no. But Rod. Rod, he's my opener's cousin.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And I see him in Denver every time I tour. Awesome guy. But he gave me the advice. He was like, don't let nobody borrow money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And then I was like, well, nobody's asked me to borrow money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Would you just give? I mean, at a certain point, you don't ask because you know you're not gonna get it back. You only give what you can afford to stand, to lose. So if somebody ask you for $1,000, can you afford to not get that money back? Cause you're not getting it back.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, exactly. I don't expect it back. But then sometimes friends hit me back, like. Like, I got this friend, so my old roommate, he used to ask me for some money or like, you know, to front the rent a little bit, which is weird, like. Cause I think Asian people are good with money because you can be a janitor, you can, like, not really have a job, but you got $20,000 in savings.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, American's just not very good at savings. Like, my buddy, he was on a TV show, he was making like 50,000 like a season, you know, which is not a lot of money. But like, to me, back in the day when I was broke, I was like, oh, I can. That. That will last a lifetime in rent. My rent was only $500. But then two months later, he wouldn't have no money. And then he would ask me for money. You know, it was very.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He might be westernized. Yeah. Cause, you know, we get the Western culture, we get a little money, we go like, man, I always wanted this bag. I always wanted these shoes. I always wanted this car.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

True.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And the next day, you know, I ain't got no money.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Zero savings. Yeah, it's very scary, man. Yeah. I don't know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you know what he said? You're not promised tomorrow. So die tomorrow and got a pocket full of money. What good is bad?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Well, see, I gotta live a little bit more like this, you know, like. I agree. That's what I'm saying. I don't know how to spend money. Gotta live like, today's my last day.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's the. Like, when you started making it? What's. What's the most expensive thing that you buy? Did you buy something really nice? It seems you got a nice watch on. You got an AP on.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, yeah. This is a special Singaporean edition that I bought in Singapore. Only 50 ever made. Maybe I do know how to spend money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Huh. I did buy watch when I first made it. I got a Rolex, pepsi. Like a 1969 vintage watch.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, I like to buy watches.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. You're a watch guy.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Okay. Yeah, yeah. Like a little story, a little character. And I still. I wore that for my first special. I wore that for my new special. That's coming out too. That's one of my favorite watches.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You said the Chinese tariffs made Chinese products a luxury. Temu is the new Gucci.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, man. People can't afford Chinese products anymore. Everything got a tariff, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And the thing is that because it's so inexpensive, you're like, oh, man, I'm just gonna load up on this. But now when they put the tariffs on it, like, nah, bro, I gotta hold up on the Chinese products.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, and maybe you brag about it. You know, back in the day, when you see Made in China, you're like, ah, this is. But now it's like, made in China. Like, this guy paid double the price for this. This might be some good shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Which is better, Elon Musk cybertruck or Chinese electric car?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, Chinese electric car. Cybertruck. Looks like a joke.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know, you guys have electric cars for a long, long time, man.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

When I went to China, man, they have so many companies you never heard of. You might have heard of, like, byd, but they have, like, so many other companies. Like, even like their Apple store, like Huawei, you know, has cars inside of it that's like their version of the Apple Store. And it's beautiful. And there's so many. And I don't know, I don't think we get them here in America, but in Europe, they started to get Chinese cars now, and it's killing the European car market.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, they're not letting that help come in.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, no, no, that would be a real brag if you have a Chinese car here, because they look awesome.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I've never seen one because it's like, I went to Japan. I remember I went to Japan many, many years ago, and. And you might see one American car for like 15,000 Japanese cars.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. Because they probably have to pay the American.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And it's really expensive.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, you, like, you. It's nothing to see a foreign car.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

In America.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But it's a rarity to see an American car in a foreign country.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There's, I think in Japan, there's a word like, like, they're like American files, you know, like, they really enjoy it. American stuff. Yeah, Some. Some of them.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, whether it's an American car or even, I think Trader Joe bag. Trader Joe's, like tote bag.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I saw that they sell them for, like, thousand dollars somewhere in 80.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes, yes, yes. A bag that you can buy at Trader Joe's for $5 is trading like $1,000, $1,500.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And I bet you they loved you in Japan. Right? They're like, man, American guy. This is awesome.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, back then, I don't know if it's still true. They wanted American money. Now I don't know how, because we went to the electronic district and they were like. And we you know, buying cassette and DVDs. They had a lot of stuff that wasn't even out in America yet. And they was like, you pay. You pay American money. American money?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Really?

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm like, yeah, we give you. You know. And they're broken English. They give you deal. They give you discount. I'm like, okay, well, you gonna give me a discount? Yeah, I'm gonna pay with American money.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

They probably scammed you. They probably got you good now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They do, Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I don't know. Well, now you can use. Obviously you use yen over there. But the exchange rate's really good for us right now, I think. Yeah. The last time I went to Japan, exchange rate was awesome. And then in China, everything is still.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What is it? Quan? What's the Chinese?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yuan, Yuan, Renminbi? Yeah, rmb. In Hong Kong, you use Hong Kong dollars, but it's like 7 to 1, 8 to 1 exchange rate.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. In mainland China, you can get a bowl of noodles for, like, 50 cents. Still, like, yeah. The cost of living is still quite low. And of course, you got, like, big cities like Shanghai, and then, of course, Hong Kong, where things are a little. A little more expensive and very international. They have. Everywhere you go, it's Gucci.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So Hong Kong is more Westernized. You're gonna see the Starbucks, and you're gonna see all the things that you would find in America. You'd find a lot of that in Hong Kong.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. Because Hong Kong was a British colony for, like, a hundred years.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And now it's called the Special Administrative Region, so it has its own government and stuff like that. So it's a little different. It has its own currency. So when I grew up, I learned English not. Not very well. You know, like how American kids would learn Spanish Right. On books. But yeah, yeah, it's very international. They have all the international brands, and it's one of the most dense. I think it's like the fourth most dense city in the world. There's seven and a half million people on a small island. It's beautiful. It's like Manhattan, but even better. Like, people always say, oh, my God, New York is like, the best city or whatever. When I went to New York, I wasn't even impressed because I grew up in Hong Kong, where the tall buildings are amazing, the subways are clean, and they're just. There's just like an energy of the people everywhere on the street. There's a word for it in Cantonese called yanhe, like, literally the chi of the people.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Because you walk down la, there's nobody. Like, you feel weird walking, you know, I remember when I first immigrated to this country When I was 13 years old, my grandpa was like, let me. I want to take you to my favorite American restaurant. And we walked 45 minutes down LA Cienega. Nobody walks on La Ciega. Hell no. Yeah, we look like two homeless people walking down, like hitching a ride or something. And then we got to this restaurant and it was an El Pollo Loco. That was his favorite American.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You walked for a 45 minute El Puelo.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I thought it was amazing. I never had grilled chicken like that. It was great.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You said that you learned, if I'm not mistaken, you learned how to speak English by watching bet, right?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, bet, Comic View, Rap City, everything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I've heard that because I've heard people that learned, like I watch I Love Lucy or I watch sitcoms, and I would just sit there and listen and mimic what they say. And because I've heard a lot of people say, if it's not your native language, English is one of the hardest language to learn. Now Mandarin Chinese, I've heard is the hardest.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I would think so, yeah. Yeah. Also the intonation is very, you know, difficult. But yeah, I learned English by watching bet because when I came here, first of all, I never heard of stand up comedy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, and then when I came to America, I'm like, man, what is this comic? This is so interesting. And I get to see all these different comics. And I wasn't just learning about the language. First of all, I thought like, whatever they were saying on bet, I couldn't understand anything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, So I was like, if I can understand this, I can understand.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So when you first came, you didn't speak any English?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I, like, I said I learned it on the books. But like, if you drop a 13 year old kid who learns Spanish in the books in Mexico, he's not gonna be able to communicate with anyone. So when I first came, I know, like, where's the library? You know, stuff like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But to have a conversation, man, conversationally,

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I just was like, people are talking way too fast. I really can't understand anything. So I was like, really foreign when I first came here and I had trouble communicating. I was in ESL classes and stuff like that. But yeah, when I was watching bet, I was like, if I can understand this, I can understand not just the language, but also American culture. Cause all the stereotypes and stuff like that. I didn't know white people, like skydiving, you know, and there's this comic was like, y' all know, you know, black people all got bad transmissions. I was like, I didn't know that. I was like, what? Black people have bad transmissions in their cars? I don't even know if that's a true stereotype. But I was like learning new things and learning about the culture, you know, and the people. That's why I thought it was like so interesting. It was probably my first inspiration of standup.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But I read that when you went to school, that was really the first time that you had really saw anybody outside of the Asian community. You went to a school, they were all Asians. And so now you're with black, you're Hispanic, Latino and different things like that. So what type of like, damn, you looking around like, these people don't look like me, they don't talk like me. I mean, damn, I'm.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, it was kind of innocent because there was no race in my mind. I thought everybody was the same. You know, I saw some Mexican kids playing soccer. I grew up playing soccer. And I started hanging out with them.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, and then the only Asian kids in my school in LA at the time were Korean kids.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And even they thought I was foreign. Cause I don't speak Korean. They're like, oh, China boy, Chinese boy over there, you know? So I. I didn't really have an Asian, Chinese group to fall back on, which is good because it forced me to assimilate. So I had to hang out with everyone. And then in high school, my friends was everyone, you know, like Persian friends, black friends, Latino friends, white, Asian, like everybody. And I think that's what I love about America, you know?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. You said something very interesting. You said that if you're Asian. And I had Gabriel Iglesias on here and Rafael Barbosa. And they said being Hispanic and born in America, you're treated differently by Hispanics born outside of America. I'm interested. Like, are Asian. Is that the same way for Asians if you're born in America and you're treated differently from Asians that were born outside of America?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. You know, this was kind of sad. When I first came to the country, I didn't. I was like, what they call fresh off the boat fob, you know, fob. And then there's these American born Chinese. Abc, that's what they call them. And they weren't really trying to mess with me because I made them look foreign.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And that's the last thing Asian people want to look in this country is foreign.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They really want to simulate.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So, yeah, they are like, no, we were born here, we're Americans and you are not. So we ain't really even trying to mess with you like that, you know, so that kind of hurt. You know, when I first came here, like, it's my people that didn't accept me at first.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, you had a lot of jobs before you became what we see today. You were Uber driver. You were a dj. Let's get with the DJ first. I don't know. The only Asian DJ is Steve Aoki.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yep, yep, yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So was that your source of inspiration?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you was at a strip club?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I was a strip club dj. It's a little different then, Stevie.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay, coming to stage one, we got beautiful Amber on stage two.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

That's right. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We got Danielle.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

It was really like people management. It was like stripper management. Really more than dj? Cause I used to make beats. That was my first creative outlet.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

When I didn't have a lot of friends in America, I had to dive into something, right. To let the energy out. And I was just making beats on, like, Fruity Loops. Reason, whatever. And then I was selling beats. And then from that, I kinda know how to dj. But when you DJ at a shitty strip club, there's not even like a DJ turntable. Not like that. You know, it's literally you, a microphone and a computer where you're clicking next song.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So really, you just trying to be cool with the strippers. Like, hey.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause they gonna tip you. You need to get tipped.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. And also it's like, hey, Amber, like, what song do you want?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Like, let me play this for you. And then you gotta control the lighting.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, different lights look better or worse on different skin tones. And really, you're trying the customers to go into the VIP room to get lap dances.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Like, we had a rule, I think every three girls, you have to do like a showcase with all the girls

[Shannon Sharpe]

come up on stage.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They walk around and, you know, you try to get laugh there. Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Okay, okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Jimmy, you know, I see what you're doing, Jimmy.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. So like every. And then you have to play like, Motley Crue. Girls, Girls, girls. And then over the microphone, it's like, all right, let me get all the ladies back on the stage. Amber, Jade and Milan. And Milan's name was like, Paris last week. You know, like, these girls be changing names on you. And then really your job, it's like, all right, guy in the front. Like, I'm doing crowd work, guy in the front with the hat, you know, don't be shy. I see you looking at. Right, Take her in the bag. It's two for one lap dance that's going on or you can get two girls for the price of one. You know, stuff like that. And then you really just like hard selling them. And that's to me, that was like also my open mic. I was working a comedy club at the same time. So I would do material at the comedy club and then at night I would try to do some crowd work at the strip club.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you like. Yeah, I mean this is okay. It pays a couple of bills, but this ain't for me. And then you became. So were you a Uber?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Well, I don't know. It was for me, kind of. I love being a strip club DJ and I was so good at it. The owner, he was like a biker gang gangster really. He was really cool. Invited me over to his house like all his boys. It was like pretty. Like in hindsight I shouldn't have done that probably. Yeah. His name is Gunner and he was like, hey, I'm getting up in age and I want you to take over this place. Sales went up 44% ever since you came in. Because I was like, I wasn't trying to have sex.

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

Nah, I'm just kidding.

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

I mean, I was, I was just, wasn't successful but you know, I was like very professional, right? You know, and, and, and, and I ran a tight shift, right? So he was like, I need a manager, I want you to take over. You know, I'm gonna build a new strip club, blah, blah. And then I literally had a moment where I was like, maybe I could be like the San Diego strip club kingpin, you know. Yeah, that would be kind of fun. But then I had a really nice mentor shout out to my boy Sean Kelly, who ran the Comedy palace in San Diego. Gimme stage time. And I was working there and I'll tell him all these stories. I'm like, man, we just got in this fight. This dude monster, he was our security. He took out the stick and beat the shit out of this guy. Was awesome, man. You know, I was bragging. I was like a 22 year old kid. And Sean was like, yo, I know you think that's funny. That's not funny. You know, like when you're around these dark places, these dark people for too long, you will start to normalize this. It will start to become okay. And that's not all right. So I want you to get out of here. You're very funny. You have a future. Go to la, develop more of your comedy and get on tv. And I took his advice and I didn't take the DJ job. The strip club Management job.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So that's when you, like, came and you started doing Oprah Mike, and you started doing your own thing. But in the meantime, you still. You were an Uber driver.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, that was later. I didn't even have money to buy a car for Uber.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Oh.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, so I was just, like, living with my roommate Terrell in, like, a $500 apartment. I lived in the living room. He had a bedroom, you know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And we're just doing open mics. And my buddy Sean had this idea. We opened up a comedy club on the second floor, Hooters on Hollywood Boulevard. And we'll be like New York comics, where we'll bark and, like, try to get these tourists up there. So at least every night we have, like, five, 10 customers. Because in LA, it's really hard to get stage time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

If you're not a famous person, if you're not a name, TV credit a special. So we have to build our own stage time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So that's why we'll open up that Hooters comedy club and we grind it there, pass out tickets every night just so we have an audience.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And then that's the only way to get good is stage time. Wow. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You mentioned Rap City and bet, Comic View and all those things. Did you understand, I don't know if you really understood the importance. I mean, obviously coming to this country and not really understanding the importance of bet, Rap City, and Comic View, because they were huge for the culture.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because Comic View and Death Comedy Jam, that really launched the comics and put them. If you got on there now you can tour and you could, like. And everybody knew who you were.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And so you watching that, is that when you really start to say, you know what? That's what I want to do?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

No, not at all.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I started stand up because I was just bored. I was really kind of depressed. That's why I like all these different jobs. Because I had an economics major in college. I really didn't want to do that at an internship. And then I just took on odd jobs, like the strip club dj. I sold used cars. What else did I do? I worked at a comedy club, worked at a shoe store just to see what I like. And then stand up was one of the things that I tried. And I was like, oh, I'm pretty good at this.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And this gave me an outlet creatively. And also it was. It gave me somewhere to hang out. I wasn't really cool enough to go to clubs.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, I didn't have, like, cool Friends that would be like, you know, popping bottles or whatever, right? And I was like 20 some, so I had, I needed something. So I'll just hang out the comedy clubs every night and just grinding it out. Like in my 20s, I really, I didn't go out outside of the comedy club. That was my going out. And luckily from that I developed a skill.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know, when your parents spend the kind of money to get you an education, you're an economics major and college isn't cheap, and your parents have invested this kind of money, I'm sure they're thinking, you know what? We didn't come to this country to have our son be a stand up comedian. To have him working at a shoe store. Have him do it X, Y and Z and do these odd jobs. When you finally told your parents kind of the direction that you wanted to go in, how did they receive it?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

They don't even understand it. Like, okay, they might understand playing football, playing basketball. That's. You see someone on tv, right? My dad, it's like, what is standup? Like, what is this? You know, he's never seen Comic View, he's never seen Chappelle, George Lopez. So he was just confused. He thought it was like a phase. Hoping I'll get out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, you growing it?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. And then like every week he'll send me like careerbuilder.com email. Hey, man, Goldman Sachs is hiring. You know, UBS is hiring Morgan Stanley. Come on, Jimmy. So he was just hoping I'll snap out of it. And he finally understood it when I became a series regular on Silicon Valley, right? Cause that's tv, that's acting.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you can actually see that's something he can see.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. And now there's a contract, so he understands there's a contract with hbo, Warner Brothers, you know, so. Okay, okay. Now he's not worried when you talk.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Look, obviously like comedians, a lot of comedians, especially if you're black or white, you had Pryor, you had Fox, you have Chappelle, you have Martin, you have guys that Bernie Mac, you have guys, Rudy Ray Moore you can look to if you're white. You got Louis CK and you got Carlin, and you got all these guys that really the only. And I'm way older than you, Jimmy. The only really Asian comedian that I really knew of back 20 years ago was Margaret Troy. Margie Troy was the only one. Now obviously there are more now, but, but who was your inspiration? Because it's not a whole, it wasn't a whole lot of them.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

It was very Special to see any Asian on TV when I was growing up, you know, even Bobby Lee on Mad tv, that was like, must watch tv. I never watched Saturday Night Live. I watched Mad TV because of Bobby, you know, when Yao Ming came into the league. Asian brother.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah. So now you watch NBA.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. Ken Jeong, you know, and Margaret Cho. Many of these people, man. I remember, I think I saw Ken Jeong in, like, Showtime at Apollo or something. I'm like, this guy's so funny.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Or even last comic standing, the first year winner was that fan. And a lot of people was like, oh, you know, he's pretty green as a comic or whatever. But then I'm like, I'm Asian. I'm so proud of this brother, man. So I think you're just grasping for any. Any Asian thing. But then for me, you know, stand up. A lot of my inspiration came from a lot of different comics on Comic View, but also Dave Chappelle. Chappelle's show when I was in high school was like, must watch tv like, every Wednesday. If you don't watch Chappelle's show, you got nothing to talk about on Thursday. And then George Lopez, man, me and my buddy watch his special talk Dark and Chicano. And then there was another one. It was incredible specials on hbo. And he was talking about his immigrant family and included some Spanish in his act. I don't know Spanish. But then I'll go to school, like, and start speaking like George. I was like, hey, mira, mira. You know, like, repeating his jokes because it resonated. Although I didn't grow up in a Spanish family, I understood his family's also immigrants, you know, and a little foreign, a little different. And when he described his aunt, when he described his grandfather, it brought you into his life, Right? And I really love that. So I'll say George Lopez's stand up was really a great early source of information. And for me, that's why I talk about my family. I talk about my real life experience. You might not be Asian, but you get it. It's like the mom, the guess how much stuff. And this new special, I shot it in Hong Kong and I included some Cantonese. There's subtitles on, like, 10% Cantonese. But I want to be like George Lopez. Like, even if you don't understand Spanish, you'll find it funny, maybe learn something in the process.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How were your friends? Were they very receptive? They're like, jimmy, give this up, brother. You need to find something else to do. Or where they're supportive. Because you mentioned Your mom and dad, they brought you over here to get a. To be a businessman, to be a lawyer, to be a doctor, be, you know, be a CEO. Everybody bring you here to tell jokes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, I mean, my friends are pretty supportive. They thought it was really cool. Cause we'll like grow up, watch Chappelle, watch George Lopez together. And the first way to get stage time in a real comedy club is bringer shows. So you gotta bring five friends in order to get five minutes on a real stage in LA sometime.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Like a haha comedy club or like wherever. Right? And I remember one time, like, at some point, you run out of friends.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Bring like, you couldn't bring the same five friends like you brought them last week, bro. Get outta here.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, it's okay if they drink the two drink minimum, but your jokes are the same. They don't want to keep coming.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, but when I had my first brainer shows, all my friends showed up and it's pretty special experience. But then you're like, man, I need to get stage time some other kind of way. Because you literally run out of friends to invite. One time I think I brought four friends instead of five friends, and they wouldn't let me on stage.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, man, it's cutthroat like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You're like, bro, look here, for the last three weeks, I done brought five people. Every time, just one time, I'm a guy short. Cut your boy some slack.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, I know. And this comic, he was running the show, wouldn't let me on stage. He's like, come on, man, I'm trying to run a business, you know, it's a bringer show. I told you, you gotta bring five. I'm like, I got four. Maybe one is coming. Can I just get. Give me four minutes of stage time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he's like, nah, nah, he coming later. He has something to do.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And now this guy's trying to be all nice to me. That guy. I'm not gonna name any names, but yeah, that dude.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I was talking. Who was I talking to? I was talking to Brad Williams, had him on.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, yeah, he does.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he's talking about how Peter Dinklage when he did SNL, in the monologue, no dwarf jokes. And I read some Asian Americans won't play characters that have an Asian accent. Where are you on this?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I'm okay with it because I kind of have an accent. I didn't speak English when I first came here. How can I say no to that? You know, that would be like saying no to My own foreign brothers, you know? But it depends. I think if it's Sometimes really, it's not. To me, it's not as clear because, like, accent, it's a no, right? No. Like, can I do this accent authentically?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, in Silicon Valley, like, I made sure to do this character very authentically and put a lot of myself in there. I did a movie called Patriots Day. It's based on the Boston Marathon bombing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And there's a character called Danny Mang. He turned out to be a hero, and he had a very thick Chinese accent. What, am I gonna not play that guy? He's a hero.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

He just happened to be an immigrant, you know, so I'm very proud to be an immigrant, you know, I'm very proud to have. Not speak English to now where I can, you know? So I think as long as you play it with nuance, you play it with dignity, you play it with authenticity, it's all right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Is that why you feel that it's important to have that and not avoid it? Like, look, bro, I mean, I'm an immigrant. I'm Asian descent, and just for me to avoid it, that doesn't make me not Asian or doesn't make me, my story, not authentic.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

There's so many different types of Asians.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think the problem was, and still is that there's just not enough Asian people on tv when there's only two Asian people on TV and one of them got a heavy accent, you know, that's tough.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Because then people look at it be like, oh, all Asian people are foreign. So that's why we fight for the representation.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

There's a critical mass of enough, you know, like, on crazy, rich Asians. It was also spiritually very freeing experience because now I can just be the funny, crazy billionaire.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Because there's other Asians in that movie. You know, it's just people now, you know, instead of. You have to carry the weight of this one character representing everyone. So I think what's most important is having more of us on tv, on film. So now we can just be whatever character we want to be.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You said Red, that. You said you want to make Chinese as sexy as a language, as Italian and French.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. Like, why is Chinese accent not sexy? Why? Why, why? Why is a girl listening? Like, their Spanish lover, you know? Oh, my God, he has an Italian accent, British accent, the French. Yeah. Why is it Chinese accent not, you

[Shannon Sharpe]

know, I don't know. I mean, I guess it's because of Paris and there's Something about going to Paris and the Eiffel Tower in the backdrop. And they got this bridge. I don't know if they still do it, where they put the locks on.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, yeah. That's kind of cute.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. So I guess. I mean, you're not gonna let anybody put no locks on the Great Wall of China, are you? Not gonna let.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Not on the Great Wall, but, I

[Shannon Sharpe]

mean, so you gotta have something that's iconic and scenic in the backdrop. Cause just think about it. You go and you got your girl, your wife or whatever, and then the Eiffel Tower was in the backyard.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Eiffel Tower. Who cares about Paris? Everyone wants to go to France. Everyone wants to go to.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They do. It's the most visited.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Who gives a shit? Okay, French food sucks, all right? Like, have you. When's the last time you craved French food? Never.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Does French toast count?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Nah, come on, man. Like, you don't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What about French fries?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

No, French. That's not even. Who cares, dude? French fries. American. We claim that shit already. Okay, we colonized French fries. But look, man, like, I think. I think people really need to go to Asia, go to Hong Kong. Everybody speak English there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, man. That's why I shot my special in Hong Kong. Cause I'm like, I gotta put Hong Kong on the map. This is such a beautiful international city. And most of the special is in English, you know? And I talk about Hong Kong culture, the people and everything, and it's a beautiful city. Some of the best food you ever have in the world. Street food to, like, the best Michelin stars.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I don't know about all that. Now, Jimmy, now you come on.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Street food.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Street food?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, the street food.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, my God. You done heard about some of the things that y' all be. Y' all be eating over there.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

See, see, this is bad stereotyping.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm just saying. Just saying. This is.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

This is. This is like me saying. Me saying black people borrow money from me. You know? Like, this is bad.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We do. We do borrow.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Look, China is huge. There's, like, eight pillars of different cuisines in China. So Cantonese cuisine is different than what you eat in Shanghai. And you have very modern, you know, fusion food, Western food and Chinese food. And the pasta in Hong Kong is pasta. Yeah, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nah, man. Anybody going. Nobody going to China. Nobody going to China. Hong Kong for pasta, right?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

But if you're craving pasta, I bet you find a bowl of pasta there that's better than pasta here. I'm just saying, like, it's a great. It's a Great place. And people don't give it enough credit. And then they're like, oh, you know, you eat weird stuff over there. Sure. In deep China, can you find some weird shit? Probably, you know, but we don't eat that every day, you know? And in Hong Kong, you just have, like, the best roast duck, you know, Chashu pork.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I be watching y' all on TikTok noodles. Oh, my God, it's amazing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Y' all be cooking on TikTok. Y' all be having them leaves and all kind of stuff. Y' all be cooking like that, man. Do y' all really cook? Do they really cook like that?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Not. No. Like, if you live in a village in America, there's people that cook. Weird people that eat roadkill. Do we eat roadkill every day, Shannon?

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, we don't.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know? And then in Hong Kong, like, people have modern kitchens, you know, it's the most like, dude, when I came to la, I'm like, this is country, right? This place sucks.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

There's nothing here but cars and freeways. All right? When you walk, it's not modern at all. When you go to China, man, like, dude, the high speed rails takes you everywhere. And the restaurant decor inside of Shanghai will blow your mind. And it's just incredible services. That's why I'm saying, like, people gotta give Asia, give China a chance, dude. So many people, everyone's like, oh, my top destination is Paris. All that, man. You know, the hotels are expensive, the food sucks. Go. Go to Asia.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Is China cheap, dude?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

China? Yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of you can have the highest end of the highest end. The best hotel chains all come from Hong Kong. Think about it. Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, Shangri La.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

The Rosewood.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

These are the top of the top hotels around the world, right? All Hong Kong companies.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, man. Yeah. People got to know that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay, well, help me out with this. I'm not the biggest Asian cuisine guy. Every once in a while, maybe once, twice, maybe once a year, maybe once every other year, I'll eat some shrimp fried rice, but that's about it. Not shrimp fried rice, chicken fried rice. I'm allergic to shellfish. But, I mean, when you start getting like that Mu Gao pan and General Joe's chicken, and that's not even Chinese food. That is.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

No, no, that's Chinese American food. I mean, I like it. Don't get me wrong. I love Panda Express. Okay? To me, that's a different cuisine than Chinese food. I love it for what it is, you know?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay, give me some solely Chinese Cuisine.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

All right, so you go to Hong Kong. Let's just talk about Cantonese food, and I'll give you some other cuisines. Okay. Cantonese food on, like, the basic level, what people eat every day. It's wonton noodle soup, and it's some of the freshest noodles that they make. My hand wontons with shrimp and pork. And then for lunch, you eat like, takai fan. It's like char siew and chicken rice. Just meat over rice.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. Yeah, that's me, that's me. That's me.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

It's barbecue. They barbecue?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, the Korean barbecue.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Well, that's Korean.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's a different kind of sandwich.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Damn.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What the hell?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

But yeah, the Chinese, like, Hong Kong barbecue. You have, like, basically our own pictures.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Y' all got barbecue.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, Char siu is barbecue. That's roast pork belly. And then you have a barbecue duck, roast goose. It's the best thing. Goose is better than duck, and they have that in Hong Kong.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no, no. Goose ain't better than.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

No, it ain't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Duck confit. Nope.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Duck. Okay. If you like duck, this rice.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I like duck.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So duck over rice. At the end, they have this ginger scallion sauce. It's just chopped up ginger scallion. They pour hot oil over it, and you pour that over all your rice and everything. It's some of the best thing you ever have.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. And then in Shanghai, it's different cuisine. You have braised pork, slow cooked with soy sauce. You have crab, you know, this very famous hairy crab. You don't really eat the meat. You eat the roe that's inside the egg.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's the egg.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

It's not.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Roe is. Roe is eggs.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think it's eggs or it's guts. I don't know what it is, but it's delicious. You mix it with noodles, with rice, and then.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I don't know about that. Jimmy, you doing too much. I mean, you had me going. You talking about the roasted pork and you talking about the duck, and you talking about the goose. Okay. I was doing well. And the barbecue, the beef and all that, I was good with you.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And then you got to the row, the crab roe.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

But hey, man, it's choose your own adventure. You know, there's so many different cuisines. You can go to China and just have McDonald's, and the McDonald's over there is better than here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How close is Asian cuisine in America to that? What you see over there in the

[Jimmy O. Yang]

original country, in places like LA, NY, you can find very authentic Asian cuisine.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

In the Chinese part of town, like here, you have to go to the 626, like Monterey Park, San Gabriel Valley, and you have some of the most authentic stuff you can find. Cantonese cuisine, Shanghainese cuisine, Beijing cuisine, whatever. Right. But in most, like, middle America. I was just in Detroit, you know, my old roommate, Emma opener. Terrell, he's from Detroit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So he's used to Chinese food that's like gravy over rice. The American, like egg foo young. I never heard of egg foo young. Yeah, see, you know, when I was in Hong Kong, so it's very different. Oh, and then my other opener, Derek Ross Smith's cousin.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

He's a black dude from the south, from Texarkana.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And they eat rude people. I love taking him to Asian restaurants here. We went to a Japanese restaurant. He looked at the miso soup. He saw the little white cubes in there. He's never had it. He was like, what is this, cheese? I was like, no, it's tofu, man. Like, he's never had, like, pho. He's never had sushi. And he loves it. You know, it's like a nice cultural exchange. And then he takes me to soul food restaurants and neck bones.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah. That what I'm talking about. That you. The neck bone. Oxtail.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. Delicious. Yes. And then I had Kool aid. And I never had something so sweet in my life. There's more sugar than liquid inside of that thing. I felt like my foot was gonna fall off. Jesus, man. You know? But it was delicious.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Babe, you said you were treated bad by Asian in American school. Why were you treated bad? Cause like, normally I would think is that they got someone that looks like them, that's from their culture. It's like, damn. It's like if you went to another school and you got people that look like you now you don't feel like an outsider, you don't feel like an outcast. Why do you think they treated you differently?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Well, because like I was saying, the American born Chinese people or the Koreans, you know, they were fighting their own battle. Right, right. Because there's a lack of representation. Although they were born in America, they still. People thought they were foreign. Some people would still go up to them, be ching chong or like, you know, on a basketball court, they call us Jackie Chan, you know, so they're fighting their own battle of assimilating, which sucks, because they were born in America, they're American. Why do they even have to fit in? Right? So I get the battle. And then this Foreign kid, me, comes in who can barely speak English. If they hang out with me, it will only make them look more foreign. So I kind of get it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, but it sucked at the time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, can you tell, like, if something. Like. If we, like. Like 20 people in here and they're Asian.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And obviously some you, like you said, they're different. They're Cantonese and they're Mandarin, so forth and so on. Do you know? Because a lot of times, and, like, I don't really ask, but I'm just letting people look at him, like, is he Korean? Is he Chinese? Japanese? Is he South Korean? Is he Taiwanese? Do you get. Do people. Do people ever confuse you and ask you, like, what's your ethnicity?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

It depends where I am. If I'm in Koreatown and the cashier starts speaking Korean to me, I feel like that's fair. You know, I'm there, you know?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Would you, like, say, I'm not Korean?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, I'm not.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I can't. I can't. What did you say?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I can't speak Korean. You know, and then they're disappointed. They think I'm Korean, but I don't speak Korean.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, but obviously I'm Chinese. I can kind of tell. I think if someone's Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, whatever. But, you know, also, I guess just saying someone's Asian, that's a big group.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, I think Chinese people is very different than Korean people, than Japanese people. And then if you go to Asia, then you really learn about the beefs.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, like, the different countries, everybody ain't cool. Yeah, the different countries got different beefs.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, and then if you really go deep, like in China, like, Shanghainese, people got beef with the neighboring city. You know, like, people just find beef and, you know, we don't rock with y'.

[Shannon Sharpe]

All.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. These people are country people or, like, whatever.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You was born in Hong Kong. What was it like, born in Hong Kong? Because, you know, you hear these stories, like, it's so Americanized. It's so, like, it's not anything that you would think an Asian country will be.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, it's a very strange thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And when you see it on tele look, they make everything look glamorous. And I'm sure it is. But what was it like growing up for you there as opposed to, like, when you go back now?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, wow, that's a great question, Shannon. When I grew up there, you know, I loved it because after school, you can just walk home. It's super safe. And then, you know, there's food everywhere, there's people everywhere, there's shops.

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

Nah, I'm just kidding.

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

Like you're very stimulated as you walk down the street Hong Kong. And it's very convenient. You can take subway across the ocean to Kowloon side or whatever. There's so much to do in a very small place, right. And it felt like there's a whole world outside of your apartment. But you grow up in apartments. Nobody's houses really. It's all high rises. Like New York, right? Maybe some super rich people have a brownstone or something, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

But we all grew up on the 25th floor, so life was a little different. And then when I came to America, it was complete culture shock. Now you can't, especially la, you can't walk around, you gotta drive. There's five lane freeways, there's no, no people, there's no shops. It just felt very not stimulating and very boring to me. And then I lived in America. I moved here when I was 13. I lived in America for 25 years without ever going back to Hong Kong.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Why you didn't go back?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think once I got past like 10 years, you know, there was a fear of like, man, if I go back, it's going to be too emotional. If I go back, maybe it changed so much. They wouldn't accept me. So I waited and waited and then I finally went back for the first time last year and I sold out five arena shows. Really? Yeah, it was crazy. Tickets were going in like 20 seconds. It was awesome.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like I felt like you guys, that's one thing about, I can say about you guys. You guys support you, you support the Asian. They support. Hey, hey, we got one play basketball.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

He tell jokes, he's yeah, we're there man. And it was just really cool to go back now as a stand up, you know, and, and tell my jokes. Mostly my set was in English. It was the set that I was touring with and I added maybe 10, 15 minutes of Cantonese and they loved it and everybody understood it. We're all laughing. And I even get to meet some of my heroes. Like I met Chaoyun Fat, I met Dale Wong, who was like the biggest comedic actor still in Hong Kong. And these are just like my heroes. And now like they almost see me as a peer, you know. It was so cool. Cause when I met Chao in fan, I was like fangirling, you know. Oh my God, I grew up watching you. You're like the, like one of the best actors to ever come out of Hong Kong, you know. And then he was like, ah, you know, you're doing better than me. I spent a couple years in Hollywood, you know, it was okay. But you started in Hollywood and you making it. And I was like, oh, my God, I can't. It's, like, unbelievable. And that's why I shot this special in Hong Kong. Cause at first I was gonna shoot it, say, for Netflix, Amazon, in, like, Seattle. That was the plan, right? But then when I shot this in Hong Kong, there was just so much I couldn't recreate. First of all, I came out like Beyonce. Like, I popped up on stage. It was like a rock concert. It was like fireworks.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you had a full production?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Full production. I sang a couple songs. It was like, a whole thing. But then all my heroes were there in the audience. And I got emotional at this one part. Literally, like, start tearing up. Just all the emotions after not going home for 25 years. Welcome. That I'm receiving in my heart. It was just amazing. My parents were there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

We cut to them when I'm telling jokes about them. And there's just so much I couldn't recreate. And it's just a very special thing. That's why we shot it, you know, ourselves in Hong Kong. I came home to America, edited for, like, six months. It was the hardest. It was like editing a movie because we shot five shows, and it was like, 11 camera angles. And how do I tell the story where it works for the Hong Kong audience and it works for the global audience? So after that, I was like, this is like, my baby. And then now we got. We're gonna be out in movie theaters. Wow. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When you were in Hong Kong, did you see any black people? Did you see any Hispanic people? Did you see anybody else other than Asian people?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Not. Not really. There are some white people, but, like, it was, like. Especially when I was growing up, this was in the late 90s or in the 90s, you see a white person, you're like, ah. You know, not exactly like that. But he's like, oh, my God. He's so, like, tall. He's like, oh, my God. Or, you know, it's almost like. Like a zoo animal. You see? Like, a zoo animal. You know, you're like, oh, my God. White person.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what, Jimmy? I grew up in a very small, a rural community. And I had a buddy of mine, we went to kindergarten, and he left and went to a private school. His name was Mark Sampson. And so we knew if we saw somebody, okay, his dad's a doctor, because they were the only ones in the community. So we knew, like, he ain't just. He was somebody. And then you had. I think later they had a doctor named Dr. O. And his family was so weak, we kind of knew. Is that when you looked at white light? I wonder what he does. Cause like you said, I don't know if black people. I don't know if you have a military base over there. Because, like Okinawa, if you see black people, you are probably assuming in Japan that they're from the military.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I mean, okay, look, also, that was in the 90s. Now in Hong Kong, it's all kinds of different people. You see it in my special, like the audience camera, you see black people, white people.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, it's very international. Hong Kong's super international. It's a global financial hub, like New York.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So usually people you know are there because they're working for like Morgan Stanley or something like that. Yeah. But, you know, I just. I just wish more Americans would go there, like experience it like you, you know? But it's.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's a long flight, man. How long a flight is it from LA?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think 14 hours. Yeah, but you just.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Man, you go to sleep for five hours and you still got nine hours. Watch two, three movies and you still got three hours to go.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Jimmy, it's worth it, man. I'll go to Japan first. It's like, like 10 hours. And then go to China. That's like another, you know, four hours.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Now here, Macau is kind of like.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Macau's awesome. Yeah, it's like Vegas.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes. Because you hear a lot of the casinos are opening up in Macau.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, my God. It's. It's bigger. Like the casino I played. I played at Galaxy, and it was like a 10,000 people arena over there. And the casino itself, within the Galaxy casino, there was 11 hotels, the best of the best. There was an infinity pool on my balcony.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, man, it's cr. That's what I'm saying. Like, it's. It's. America is like country bumpkin compared to, like Hong Kong and Macau, dude. You know, when you go there, everything just so opulent, you know, you have the best of the best and you have like $5 street food, you know, it's amazing. And within, like the Galaxy, they have like Ritz Carlton, they have capella, they have like all the big brands. But gambling's a little different over there, you know, really? Like, I live in Vegas now and, you know, I go gamble, you drink. It's fun, right? Like a couple hundred bucks here and there. You blackjack, you go from game to game. But it's more like a party. In Macau, people are serious and it's really hard to find, like roulette or even blackjack, because they're all playing baccarat.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Baccarat.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

They're all playing baccarat. And they don't really do drinks. They're focused.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

It's like they're going to work. They're actually there to try to make money, you know, it's not so much a party.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what? I wanted to ask you this about you guys. Asians have a very strong sense of community. Were your relatives, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins? Were you guys in close proximity?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. So that's very interesting because my parents are Shanghainese. They're from Shanghai.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So they moved to Hong Kong.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So even their family was in Shanghai. So in Hong Kong with a lot of family, friends, but not a ton of relatives. And then not until I was like 10 years old, we went to Shanghai for the first time. My dad took me to Shanghai for the first time and met my cousin.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And it was really cool. I didn't even know I had cousins, you know. And then when I came to America, a lot of my family has immigrated before us. So some of my cousins were actually born here. And I met those cousins that are in America.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So I guess I got family like everywhere.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Could when you went to Shanghai to meet your cousins, did they speak English or you had to speak to them in Cantonese?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

They don't even speak Cantonese. They speak Shanghainese and Mandarin. So I have to kind of change all my. So in my house, even within one sentence, it could be three, four different languages. It could be English, Shanghainese, Cantonese, Mandarin. And different regions, you can communicate differently. There's so many different Chinese dialects, but Mandarin will be the main one.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because I hear a lot of times when it comes to communicating is that you communicate with your parents in a certain language, but outside you speak. You speak American. Yeah, but they want you to communicate, but they also want you to understand the language. And so like a lot of Hispanic, you know, people, they'll talk Spanish when they talk to their parents, but outside they talk American or same thing with you guys. You speak a Cantonese or Shangrilies or whatever.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Shanghainese. Shanghainese, Shanghainese. The language that people, even younger generations in Shanghai don't speak. Shanghainese, it's like an old dying language. They speak Mandarin now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

But then like people are like your Shanghaines. Sounds like, like an old person Shanghainese from like the 50s or something. Because I learned Shanghaine's from my parents and my grandparents, and I only speak to them in Shanghainese with other words mixed in, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Can they speak English?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. But we don't really speak English because we didn't grow up speaking English to each other. But sometimes there are words that I can't think of that can only be communicated in English. And it's very interesting because I was speaking Cantonese from 0 to 13, and then from 13 to now 38. Mostly English, but then my Shanghainese and my Cantonese that I speak to my parents sometimes, I can't think of good vocabularies. If I'm, like, trying to tell my dad about some mental health stuff, I don't know how to say it in,

[Shannon Sharpe]

like, in your native lang.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

In my native language. And then also how I communicate with my family. That doesn't translate to how I communicate with my friends sometimes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And there's. Your brain gets split in half, and there's almost a disconnect of growth. You know, I'm like, man, I'm growing so much as an American, you know, and my linguistic skills is growing, and

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm leaving a little bit of what?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. But then, you know, my Shanghainese, my Cantonese, it's kind of stuck in, like, a juvenile stage. And I sometimes have trouble communicating, you know, with my friends and then my parents.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you ever think about, say, you know what? Okay, yes, I spoke Cantonese from 0 to 13. And when you came to America, did you think about, you know what? I probably need to keep speaking this in order for me to stay on top of this. Cause a lot of times you get that people like, well, you know what? In order for me to continue. Cause if you don't use it, you will lose it.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, I think that happened to me, you know, and my Cantonese. When I first went back to Hong Kong, it was bad. It was like I sounded like a foreign person speaking my first language. And I talk about this in this special. I found my diary that I wrote when I was 9 years old in Hong Kong.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

All written in Chinese, right. And I can't read a single word of it anymore. Isn't that, like, the saddest thing? Like, how can you not read your own handwriting? Your first language?

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know, you might have a. Like, you know what? You got a safe with about a million dollars in it. And you can't understand that. You don't know what a safe is.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Right, right, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, man. So that was really. Yeah, that kind of like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you don't. You can't understand anything that you wrote at the age of nine. You Got this diary and it's like, here you are about to turn 40 in a couple years and you're looking at it like, damn, I have no

[Jimmy O. Yang]

idea what this is gibberish to me. Yeah, it was crazy and now I've learned a little bit. But I had to give it to my dad to like translate it for me. So my dad started reading my diary and just started making fun of me. It's like, you're so weak. You're always sick, always complaining. You know, man,

[Shannon Sharpe]

what was the biggest culture shock when you left? When you came from Hong Kong and you moved to the States, what do you think? The biggest culture shock, what was the hardest thing for you to simulate? Wow.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I think just life. Because my nuclear family, we stayed very close and we still have like Chinese food at home. And every weekend we'll go to San Gabriel Valley and eat at a Chinese restaurant. But I think just day to day life. Because in Hong Kong, like I said, you walk home from school and there's just things everywhere. And you don't even have to go to a club to have fun, right? You can just walk the streets and it's super fun. There's shops and everything. But here it's like what I do for fun, you know, like school. After school, I used to try to play a little football, you know, I mean, my dad would never sign the waiver. I thought I was play like kick return or something because I was like quite fast, but I was like £100, right? And. And he was like, no, you're gonna die out there. So I was like trying to assimilate and like find American stuff to do, right? It becomes increasingly hard to replicate life in Hong Kong. It's just impossible. Especially in la. So even now I'm having trouble with that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because you've been here 25 years.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, I know. And I still feel like I'm. I'm fighting.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You feel like you're an outsider still?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, sometimes. Because I'm like, man, why am I so bored? Like, like Saturday, I don't really want to go to a club, but there's. I can't really walk outside the street. I feel like I haven't talked to anyone, right. You know, in like the whole day. And then I went back to Hong Kong and my life just kind of like made sense, right? I was like, oh, I was never like a, you know, going out, you know, Saturday night till like 4am person, right? I was just enjoying like getting food, meals and then just walk around at different shops and I'm good, you know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you ever see yourself going back full time?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Full time? I don't think full time, but I do think maybe I'll split my time there. And I've been doing that. I'm actually going to Hong Kong in a week.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And so when you go, how long do you stay? Two weeks, a month?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

A week or so. It depends if it's work. The first time when I went back, I stayed there for like a month and it was, it was a great experience. Like usually when you travel after a couple weeks, you get homesick. Yeah, it's the food. You want to go home in your bed. I didn't feel homesick once because I was home.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

You know, so it was a really nice feeling and I want to spend more time there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But also, did you have family there?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

A little bit. And friends? I found my elementary school friends and everything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah, it was really cool. I'm like, oh, maybe this is my life. How my life would be if I never left Hong Kong.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, okay.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Yeah. And like they had gone through, you know, this is like one thing I kind of like. I'm like, maybe I missed out. I never really had a party phase in my life because I was doing stand up. And also I was just a foreign kid, you know, trying to assimilate when like my high school 17 year old friends are like going out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I was just trying to learn English on bet, you know. But then all my Hong Kong friends, they already had their party phase and like, you know, they went out in Hong Kong and now they're settling down.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Now they settle down, they're getting married, they got kids.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

So it's pretty cool to see that. I was like, oh, maybe, you know, there was a reason why I missed out because I moved and I was fighting my own battle, you know, and, and my life maybe would have ended up like them, which is great. A lot of them like, like, I think if I never move away from Hong Kong, I don't think I have ever done stand up or been in any really. Yeah, I think it was to really doing stand up was really filling a creative void and also the void of being an immigrant and not fitting in. I felt like I fit in in a comedy, comedy space because in the comedy space, the weirder you are, the more different you are. The more you fit in.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

The more you're funny. That's not true anywhere else. Right, right. If I would just stayed in Hong Kong, I would have never had that kind of foreigner kind of void in my heart, you know, And I would have probably just been happy living my life in Hong Kong being financed or something.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Could you could in Hong Kong. I hear that it's very strict over there. Could like kids. Could you like, drink and smoke and do things like American teenagers do?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

Oh, totally. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, not a lot of drugs. I don't. I don't think. I don't know. But yeah, people drink, you know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

People go on party. They're like awesome clothes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you don't have. Do y'. All. Did you. You guys have like American. Do you have American beer and stuff like that? You have like Chinese every beer. Really?

[Jimmy O. Yang]

I mean, I'm telling you, Hong Kong's like New York, but it just happened to be in Asia.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Jimmy O. Yang]

And even more opulent than New York. So they have. They have everything. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two is also posted and you can access it to whichever podcast platform you just listened to part one on. Just simply go back to Club Shay Shay Profile and I'll see you there.

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

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[Jimmy O. Yang]

this is Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. Ever wonder how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret when prepping for cooking and baking, get ahead of the mess with new Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Just lightly wet the counter so the paper grips. Lay it down and drips and spills stay on the paper, not on your counter. Cleanup is as simple as lifting it away to reveal clean counters. Effortless it is thanks to Reynolds Kitchen's countertop prep paper. Wet it, set it, prep it done. Available in the Reynolds wrap aisle at Walmart. Honestly, Honestly, Honestly, no one wants to think about hiv, but there are things that everyone can do to help prevent it. Things like prep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Prep stands for Pre Exposure Prophylactic, and

[Jimmy O. Yang]

it means routinely taking prescription medicine before you're exposed to HIV to help reduce your chances of getting it. Prep can be about 99% effective when taken as prescribed. It doesn't protect against other STIs, though, so be sure to use condoms and other healthy sex practices.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Ask a healthcare provider about all your

[Jimmy O. Yang]

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