JON M. CHU Became a Local Celebrity At His Family's Los Altos Restaurant: Chef Chu's

Summary

Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers — Episode Summary

Episode Overview

Episode Title: JON M. CHU Became a Local Celebrity At His Family's Los Altos Restaurant: Chef Chu's
Date: November 18, 2025
Hosts: Seth Meyers & Josh Meyers
Guest: Jon M. Chu, acclaimed director ("Crazy Rich Asians," "In the Heights," "Wicked")

This episode delves into Jon M. Chu’s vibrant upbringing as the youngest of five in a tight-knit, entrepreneurial immigrant family — famous locally for the legendary Chef Chu's restaurant in Los Altos/Palo Alto, California. Jon reflects on the chaos and love of a big household, the formative influence of Chef Chu’s on his career (and his reputation in Silicon Valley), memories from family travels, and the unique ways his background shaped his artistry and worldview. There are plenty of laughs about family dynamics, culinary legacy, and showbiz adventures, including memorable anecdotes about red carpets, celebrity run-ins, and the unofficial "power vacuum" his family creates at public events.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Family Chaos as Creative DNA ([07:11]–[10:58])

• Jon is youngest of five and now has five kids himself. He describes his upbringing as “mayhem,” drawing a direct line to the chaos on movie sets.
  • Quote: “I was surrounded by chaos... I was on a movie set from the very beginning, essentially.” — Jon Chu ([07:46])
• Discusses the decision (or lack thereof) to have five children, and how every movie he's made coincided with a new child, especially on "Wicked."
  • Quote: “Every movie I’ve had a baby... and ‘Wicked,’ I’ve had three.” — Jon Chu ([10:12])
• He started late—first child at 39—but finds parenting the “most beautiful chaos.”

2. Chef Chu’s: The Family Restaurant & Silicon Valley Legend ([15:13]–[16:48])

• Chef Chu's has been a community staple for over 56 years. Jon worked there throughout his childhood, in all capacities—with the caveat, “Did I get paid? No. Never an employee.” ([15:28])
• The restaurant was a hub for Silicon Valley pioneers; Jon’s filmmaking hobby was nurtured by generous customers who were early tech titans, gifting him cutting-edge editing hardware and software.
  • Quote: “I’m the product of generosity from these customers... I learned how to edit before kids my age knew non-linear editing.” — Jon Chu ([16:12])

3. Embracing and Reconciling a Bicultural Childhood ([16:48]–[17:34], [23:24]–[24:44])

• Jon’s parents immigrated from Taiwan. They immersed their kids in American culture (TV, dance, music) while maintaining community ties.
• He shares how his family was focused on assimilation, but also comments on the difficulties and morbid stories from his parents' childhoods in Taiwan, offering a nuanced window into immigrant resilience:
  • Quote: “They left their whole life...decided it was better to leave... and come to a place where they started at zero. That is so rockstar.” — Jon Chu ([24:47])

4. Sibling Dynamics and Growing Up ("Larry" as Family Brand) ([17:34]–[18:52], [59:11])

• A running gag: all three have dads named Larry. Jon’s brother is “Larry Jr.,” and now there’s a “Larry III (LC3).”
  • Quote: “There’s a long line of Larry’s now in my family... My brother Larry was the most popular.” — Jon Chu ([18:08])

5. Talent Show Terrors & Tap Dancing ([19:06]–[22:31])

• Jon was roped into tap dancing as the only boy in the studio, eventually teaming up (sometimes reluctantly) with his sister for school shows — including the infamous “Me and My Shadow” act, where he let his shy sister sing solo as a prank.
• Seth bemoans being told to take tap lessons by Lorne Michaels; Jon stresses how dance and having a video camera shaped his early filmmaking.

6. Family Travels, Memory-Making, and a Near-Drowning ([36:27]–[46:29])

• His mom planned yearly international trips, always with an educational/cultural bent (e.g., to France, Scotland, London). Jon’s role: family videographer.
• Road trips were rare, but families events were epic, with Jon’s mom ensuring they entered every space (country club, restaurant) with the confidence of Kennedys — even if "everyone stared."
• Childhood near-miss: While in Nice, Jon tried to swim out to a dock to join his older siblings, underestimated the distance, and nearly drowned.
  • Quote: “I remember the water getting up to here and just taking my last breath and going down... My toe touched a piece of coral... That was that.” — Jon Chu ([44:00])

7. The Restaurant as Community—and Cultural Ambassadorship ([46:29]–[48:16])

• Wherever they traveled, Jon’s parents sought out Chinese restaurants and connected with owners. At home, they mentored other immigrants opening restaurants and were proud ambassadors for their cuisine and community.
  • Quote: “They would take care of people who opened restaurants...They would always say that we're ambassadors.” — Jon Chu ([47:06])

8. Movie Premieres & "The Chu Power Vacuum" ([51:19]–[56:31])

• Jon’s family attends his movie premieres en masse—40 tickets for “Wicked”! At the "Wicked" premiere, Jon missed it due to his wife going into labor, and watched his family “fill the power vacuum” on the livestream, turning the event into their own red carpet celebration.
  • Quote: “If there is a power vacuum, my parents will fill that vacuum on the carpet. No one will stop them.” — Jon Chu ([52:56])
• Showbiz run-ins: Jon’s mom once hugged Morgan Freeman from behind; Bruce Willis charmed Jon’s family at a party; Seth’s mom was kissed by Idris Elba.

9. Identity, Representation, and the Impact of "Crazy Rich Asians" ([28:56]–[31:14])

• Jon admits grappling with making "Crazy Rich Asians"—the fear of putting his family's cultural identity on-screen.
  • Quote: “As an artist, I need to do the thing that scares me the most. So exploring my family...Crazy Rich Asians is my family, essentially.” — Jon Chu ([29:18])
• Family was instrumental in shaping the movie's authentic details; his mother immediately critiqued a kitchen scene for visible MSG in the frame.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On tap dancing and sibling betrayal:
  “Me and My Shadow, and I played the shadow... She had to sing it in front of everybody. I feel guilty for it to this day.”—Jon Chu ([20:31])
• On big families:
  “Before I had kids, I thought people with five kids, don’t take this the wrong way, were fucking crazy.” — Seth Meyers ([08:51])
• On the Chef Chu’s origin story and its Silicon Valley connections:
  “Those customers — I’m the product of generosity from these customers...I learned how to edit before kids my age knew how to do nonlinear editing.” — Jon Chu ([16:36])
• On the family's red carpet takeovers:
  “I see my family walk by...and for an hour... they're talking to everybody, taking photos with Ari and Cynthia, on ET... Happens every time.” — Jon Chu ([53:31])
• On mothers as critics:
  “My mom loves to have her opinion. ‘That's not funny. I know what's gonna happen.’ She loves to say it in the middle of the movie to everybody.” — Jon Chu ([27:58])
• On being the ignored youngest and surviving family trips:
  "All the attention was going to all these other kids... and then I came and I was completely ignored, but... I was also, you know, pretty cute and wild." — Jon Chu ([39:27])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening Family Dinner & Chaos: 00:01–06:48
• Intro to Jon M. Chu & Family Background: 07:11–10:58
• Chef Chu’s Restaurant & Bay Area Origins: 15:13–16:48
• Tap Dancing & Talent Show Memories: 19:06–22:31
• Immigrant Family Narrative & Taiwan Visit: 23:24–24:44
• Sibling Dynamics, Big Family Upbringing: 17:34–18:52, 39:27–40:15
• Family Travel Stories & Near-Drowning: 36:27–46:29
• Parental Ambassadorship for Chinese Food: 46:29–48:16
• Red Carpet/Power Vacuum Stories: 51:19–56:31
• On "Crazy Rich Asians" and Cultural Representation: 28:56–31:14
• Speed Round (“Relaxing, adventurous, or educational trip?” etc.): 58:28–60:28

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Speed Round & Lightning Questions ([58:28])

• Ideal vacation: "Relaxing, for sure."
• Transportation: "Car."
• Vacation with any (fictional) family: “The Jacksons.”
• Stranded on a desert island: “My oldest brother, Larry.”
• Tourism pitch for Los Altos: “The center of innovation and education and culture...and you can direct 'Wicked' one day because... there’s a great Chinese restaurant called Chef Chu’s.”
• Has Jon been to the Grand Canyon? "Never." Would he go? "I've had conversations about wanting to see it with my kids... but not really."

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Tone & Style

The episode is playful, affectionate, and full of familial warmth and teasing. The Meyers brothers riff off each other's memories and Jon’s stories, often comparing notes on big family energy, immigrant household quirks, and the unique way that chaos and community build resilience — and sometimes lead to movie magic.

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For New Listeners

This episode offers a heartfelt, funny look at how family roots can shape a person’s creative journey, with insights for anyone who’s been the ignored youngest, worked in a family business, or been “adopted” by a community. Jon M. Chu’s stories are not just about celebrity encounters but about love, heritage, and always, always showing up — in childhood talent shows or Oscar-level red carpets — with your family in tow.

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[End of summary]

Transcript

[A]

Hey, Budgie.

[B]

Hey, Suvi.

[A]

You're in New York City, buddy.

[B]

I am. I got to see you the other night.

[A]

It was really nice, you, Alexi, because you came and met us for dinner. Me and my wife, our three kids, my sister in law, my brother in law, my other brother in law, and my in laws. And I was talking to Alexi about how much I liked it, but I said it was chaotic. And she took events at chaotic. But I was like, no, no, no. It was like happy chaos. Wouldn't you have said that was a good word for that?

[B]

Yeah, chaotic is an apt word for that dinner.

[A]

But it wasn't. It wasn't. I get that chaotic sometimes sounds like a negative, but it was like everything you want. It was like a New York City restaurant on a Sunday night. It was a lot of families. It was Italian food. It was plates clattering. I loved every minute of it. Yeah.

[B]

I mean, it's a bustling restaurant. And I will say, the staff at that restaurant was so good at. Oh, we forgot to order this. Can we throw in another order of this? Yeah.

[A]

Nobody was angry.

[B]

They, you know, they were just like sweeping plates up and laying plates out. My favorite part was they had, you know, parmesan cheese to shave over some pastas that the kids had. And your daughter Addie kept wanting more and more cheese and got a huge amount of cheese on her pasta. And then after the waiter had given, like another table some cheese, she turned around and cupped her hands for him to just grate cheese directly into her hands.

[A]

And she did. Yeah.

[B]

And then she just sort of threw those cupped hands into her mouth.

[A]

And they also. It was. The waiters had, like a real New York waiter vibe. Like they weren't like overstaying their welcome or anything. It was like a full bustle. And he did it. He shaved all this cheese into Addie's hands without ever breaking a smile until he was done. He kind of like. But like, to her, he never showed her that he thought it was funny.

[B]

He was just like, right, yeah. No, but it was great.

[A]

Also, Axel was so excited that you were coming that he waited outside the restaurant for you. Like, he couldn't. We showed up, like, four minutes before I told you we were going to be there. And he was like, where is Poshy? Like, he's on his way. Kept making me text you. But he was so happy to see you.

[B]

It was great. It was also. It was raining a little bit. It was a little bit chilly. But he was. Yeah, he wanted to be outside.

[A]

He Was also in a pair of shorts and an Italian biking cyclist's jersey. Yeah. Yeah. Classic Axel.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

But he, he's still at the age where he'll do the run up to you as fast as he can. And it's. I have no fear about lifting him, that it might sort of toss my back out.

[A]

Pretty close though. He's getting pretty.

[B]

Yeah, he's getting there, but.

[A]

He's getting there. But it was great. It was great to have you there and, and now all four of us, me, you and the boys, we're going to be jumping on a plane. We're going to be going to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this weekend.

[B]

Yeah. To meet up with mom and dad.

[A]

As well and to see our floundering Steelers try to save the season. Yeah. I said to the boys, I was like, you know, because they, they're going to their first Steelers game. And I was like, they lost. We was, you know, they played Sunday night and played terribly. I said, the Steelers lost. And Ash went, that's okay, dad, maybe they'll win this weekend. I'm like, man, I gotta drink. Whatever, whatever you're drinking. I would love to have that worldview, but maybe I'm gonna try to hopefully like let them be our guide and just be like, look, it's just fun to be with each other.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're going to like, they're going to. I feel like the snacks, the, like the food at the game might be more interesting or as interesting to them as the game itself.

[A]

Would it be, Would it surprise you to know that that's 99% of the questions they've asked me about the game? Are food related?

[B]

Well, they're going to do great.

[A]

Yep, it's going to be great. I can't wait. Also, Ash is on fourth grade camping trip, a two night camping trip and through his school. Kind of can't believe it. I mean, I think every parent who's listening knows that first moment where you're like, you're just. Kids are, you know, going away and they're so excited about it. That is the best part. Like, he was not trepidatious. And I feel like the school did an incredible job of like getting the kids really exciting excited. Also, it's cold is right now in New York and they're north of here and we, we like literally got a report back from a teacher and like, not in a bad way, but it was like an email being like, it is very cold and the kids are doing very well. But like they weren't sugarcoating It.

[B]

And they also. When your father in law heard that Ash was going on this trip, at the dinner the other night, he's like, I'll say.

[A]

I'll say it. You be him. Okay.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right, Ash. You guys remember Ash is going on his big trip tomorrow.

[B]

Tomorrow?

[A]

Yeah, he's going to go camping.

[B]

It's supposed to be pretty rainy and pretty cold. I don't know.

[A]

You shut him down hard.

[B]

Yeah. You were like, after hearing that story about the cyclone that they wouldn't go on a Coney island because he told him how many people died on it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which I don't even know if it's real.

[A]

Yeah, he's. He's just making it up. Or he's the. Or he's the Coney island strangler. He's trying to blame it. He's trying to blame it on the cyclone. He's like. And then another guy fell off who'd been choked to death. Had the same telltale sock in his mouth. Well, this John Chu. We talked to John Chu. He's half Wicked. Half a Wicked.

[B]

And yeah, big director in the heights. Crazy rich Asians is probably when people really started knowing this guy was for real. And now two Wicked movies under his belt.

[A]

And I'm very. Every now and then somebody talks about something that I really want to see. And he was talking about his. His parents own a very popular Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I would love to Chef Choose.

[B]

I've been. I've been to the website since we talked, and yeah, it's. It looks. I've. I've looked at the Street View. I've really. I've. I've done some deep digging on Chef choose, and I want to check it out.

[A]

Great. I mean, it's a little creepy that you did Street View.

[B]

I wanted to see it.

[A]

I feel like this disincentivizes our future guests to talk about locations since they know you're going to Street View it.

[B]

Family restaurant. Legendary family restaurant.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. You're like, did I hire a PI to take some pics? Yeah. That's just because I'm excited to go. Enjoy the conversation. Thanks for listening.

[C]

Family trips with the Miles Brothers. Family chips with the mind as brothers. Here we go, John. What's up, boys?

[B]

What is up?

[C]

Hello. How you doing?

[A]

Good.

[B]

Very well. This is. We're not normally both dressed in sweaters.

[A]

When we do these podcasts.

[B]

This is a very special day. This is. I'm pretty sure it's the first time it's ever happened.

[A]

It's just a cozy fall day with John. How are you, buddy?

[C]

Yeah, this is the dad podcast, right? We just talk about dad stuff.

[A]

It's the daddest podcast. Well, Josh isn't a dad yet, but you're like, a super dad. And I want to just start with what I think is a fascinating fact. If I read it correctly, you are one of five, and then you, in turn, have five.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I can't believe it.

[A]

I can't believe it either.

[C]

I'm not the. I'm just not one of five. I'm the youngest of five. So I, like, I was surrounded by chaos. I was on a movie set from the very beginning, essentially.

[A]

I guess that's a really nice thing. The chaos of a movie set is nothing to anybody who's the youngest of five.

[C]

Yeah, my wife is one of three, and she thought that was a lot. But, like, with the five kids running around, I am so used to the mayhem. Things break in, toys on the ground. I mean, I guess a lot of most people are, but the constant thing of that is, like, ridiculous.

[A]

It's interesting, you know, I only have three, but my youngest of three, I basically believe the only job she would want on a film set is director, because she doesn't. She really doesn't want to be told anything, and she's very, very confident that she can tell us what to do. And so I wonder if that was in your DNA. From a young age, I was always told what to do.

[C]

I was the youngest. I was in the middle seat all the time. I got shoved in the back when you didn't have to wear seat belts in the back. And it was craz. Yeah, I almost died many times.

[A]

I guess finding your way into a film set was like, you're taking the power back.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

They have to listen. They have to sit in the dark and watch what I have to say for two hours.

[A]

So the thing I really can't believe I'm saying is, before I had kids, I thought people with five kids, don't take this the wrong way. Were fucking crazy. And now, like, we have three. We're done with three. And I really am like, man, if I started earlier, I think I could have been one of those people with five kids. Like, you know what I mean? I, like, look at my three, and I'm like, I. You know, I'm just like, you know, also, once you get past that threshold where you got three, it's just like, let's just keep rolling it. So did it take?

[C]

I started late, though. I Started late. I started. My first kid was 39.

[A]

Oh, wow. So I could have done it.

[B]

Could have done. You still could.

[A]

I still could.

[C]

If you just had enough love in your heart, you could have. Yes.

[A]

Well, did you take. Did your wife take convincing when you were like, hey, what about five? Or was she the convincer?

[C]

I don't think it was necessarily the most planned thing. I think every time we had a baby, I was working on a movie. My first child was right before. Well, right during Crazy Rich Asians. And so I missed four months of that pregnancy while I was shooting because she couldn't come to Malaysia. There's Zika and all those risks or whatever. And I got back, the baby was born. And then. So then after she was in the edit room the whole time. And then after that it was like, oh, I'm shooting another movie. And we're like, oh, we want to grow the. So every movie I've had a baby and Wicked, I've had three.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

Well, my wife's had three.

[B]

But she.

[C]

But my wife has been. Every time they come out of the baby phase, she's like, I just want a little. I want the little one again. And you're like, this isn't a labubu. But it's fine.

[A]

It is. I mean, that morning that when you realize it's your last little one, I think that's why you keep acting.

[C]

That's really hard. Yeah, well, right now it's really hard. Cause I think we're done. But every time they go out of the next phase, we have a 10 month old. So I have an 8, 6, 4, 2, and 10 month old. And the 10 month old's just no longer like the little infant, like she's like out and about and a member of the family now. And that is really sad. That is really sad to see.

[B]

I would just think that every time you sign up to do another movie, you have to wonder.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Just because that's the way it's been going historically.

[C]

Yeah. Might as well. It's been working out, so. Yeah.

[A]

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[B]

Hey, Sufi.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

I tell you all the time you're.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[C]

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[A]

You mentioned youngest of five. How close in age are you to your older four siblings?

[C]

So my. My oldest brother is. Who I'm really close with is seven and a half years older.

[A]

Okay, so not that a pretty.

[C]

Not that far.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

And it went boy, girl, boy, girl, boy. And then mine went girl, boy, girl, boy, girl.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

So my mom. My mom has predicted every single one. And she thinks she's a psychic now.

[A]

I mean, she must be dining out on that, I would imagine.

[C]

She's pretty much always right. She's pretty much always right.

[A]

Yeah. Is she a big. Are your. Are both your parents still around?

[C]

Yep, they're around. They have a restaurant, Chinese restaurant in Palo Alto, California. It's been there for 56 years.

[A]

And you work there every day.

[C]

Did I work there? Do you have to get paid to consider working there?

[A]

Okay, gotcha, gotcha.

[C]

Did I fold napkins? Yes. Did I work the. The.

[A]

The.

[C]

The. The wine fairs in the neighborhood? Yes. Serving Chinese chicken salad? Yes. Did I do my homework in the bar? Yes. But did I get paid? No. Never an employee.

[A]

What's.

[B]

What's the restaurant called?

[C]

It's called Chef Choose. It's sort of an institute. If you go to Stanford, you kind of know it. It's been around. But it's a restaurant that the customers. I was. This is the Silicon valley in the 80s, early 80s 90s. And at that time, it was just like people who weren't on the COVID of magazines. It was this. Everyone could change the world. Engineers were king. So everyone coming in were nerds. And you would hear about their new things. They're starting to change the world. And they had heard that, oh, Chef choose son was making videos. And they're like, we're working on this, like, digital video cards. Here, Take some of our beta cards and stuff. And so those customers. I'm the. I'm the product of generosity from these customers. I got these cards. I didn't know how to use them, and. But I Figured it out and got software from Adobe Computers, from Apple, Sun Microsystems and learned how to edit before kids my age knew how to do non linear editing. And so that gave me a huge advantage.

[B]

That's amazing.

[A]

That's unbelievable. And so. And also, where is that just a thing you found yourself to then independent of older siblings, independent of your parents, this like desire to make films?

[C]

Yeah, I mean, you know, with five kids, we're on. We're at the TV all the time, we're at the movies all the time. And at that time you could go by yourself and whatever. So we were. My mom, my parents were obsessed with us being in American culture because they came over from Taiwan and they didn't speak a lot, so they wanted us to feel comfortable. They put. I took tap dance classes for 12 years. I was violin, piano, guitar, drum, saxophone. We went to shows every weekend, whether it was musical season, opera season, ballet season in the city and TV on. I mean, I'm named Jonathan. My sister's named Jennifer after Jennifer and Jonathan Hart, from Hart to Hart. So it was in our blood. But they were not performers. I guess restaurant, you are a performer a little bit.

[A]

We also have something else in common. We all have. Our dads are all named Larry. And Yeah. Yeah. Going through life with Larry, I think is a really cool way to live, especially for kids from like the 70s and 80s. There were a lot of Larry's out there.

[C]

There's a lot of Larry's.

[B]

Does your dad have a great big mustache?

[C]

He did not have. But he did have the Asian perm.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

He became successful. He got that thing and rocked that. And him in yellow Mercedes. That was his like, first, like big purchase. And he would rock that around the town. My oldest brother's named Larry Jr.

[A]

So.

[C]

And now there's a Larry III or they call him LC3. So there's a long line of Larry's now in my family.

[A]

Our dad was the second Larry. Second in a line of Larry's. And I will say I am pretty thankful that he stopped. The Larry line would have been you. It would have been me. Yeah. And I don't know if I could handle you. I don't think there's a late night show in 2025 with Larry as the host. And I don't think any. I don't think the FCC would have to get involved. I don't think like advertisers.

[B]

Well, the Larry Sanders show was a fiction. That's true.

[A]

But again, that's different. There you go. Different era. I think Larry's could thrive in the 90s.

[C]

That's true. That is true. That is true. My brother Larry was the most popular, though everybody wanted to be. They still want to be friends with me so they can be friends with my older brother Larry, who's like the legend of the party and the thing.

[A]

And it's very much the same with me and Josh. Like, anybody who meets Josh, they have a real like, oh, so he's the draw.

[B]

But before you go, before you go, Seth, I just want to ask about tap dancing.

[A]

How.

[B]

How were you as a dancer?

[C]

You know, my mom was. There's so many kids that she's driving my sisters to ballet and jazz and whatever. And she's like, you have to take a class. I was like, I'll only do tap and I won't take it with any girls. So it was just me. I'm the only guy in the whole studio. My sister would join me sometimes, and I got. I got pretty good.

[A]

I love tap.

[B]

I mean, there was a kid in our high school who, at the talent show, like, it was. No one knew that he tapped and then he entered and he was so good, and I was so jealous. And I feel like I would have loved. I'd love to be good at tap dancing. I think it's just the coolest.

[C]

I don't know if our style. I don't know if our style of tap dancing you would have loved, but we were taught with an old lady at a piano playing, and we're shuffling off to Buffalo and all these things. And my mom would bring. Would force us to do the talent show for the whole school. And she would bring the big board onto the stage, and then me and my sister would do it. And it was in front of the whole school, so it was very embarrassing. But we once did Me and My Shadow, and I played the Shadow. So I'm in this giant black unitard, and my sister is the dancer. And so we tap dance together. And she is. My sister is very, like, very afraid of public speaking. Like, so shy. Like, she cannot. She can barely speak in front of people.

[A]

Sounds like she should have been the shadow, FYI.

[C]

So what I'm saying, she got mad at me right before because I was messing around. And so right before we go on stage, I decided I'm not singing. So I did not sing Me and My Shadow and she had to sing it in front of everybody. And I feel guilty for it to this day. I will make it up to her one day, but she had to sing the whole thing by Herself.

[A]

Although it's been a lot of years in the fact that you haven't made it up yet. I wouldn't hold her breath.

[B]

She's really taking your sweet time.

[A]

I mean, you got five kids in like eight movies, so I get it. But wait, this is. And Josh hates when I tell SNL stories, but he did make us go back to the tap dancing. After my first year on snl, my current producer, Mike Shoemaker, who is a producer at SNL at the time, came to me and said, so Lauren has a couple of notes of what he wants you to do this summer. One, he wants you to get a trainer so you can work out your shoulders. I guess a lot of my comedy wasn't working because of my slopey shoulders. And then also he wants you to take tap dancing lessons, and he thinks that'll just help you as a performer. And I just remember being like, I'll get the trainer.

[C]

But you never took a tap license. No.

[A]

And to Josh's point, like, I think back, I'm like, man, whatever I did that first summer, it would have been super cool to be like, low key, taking tap dancing lessons and have something in my back pocket. Cause people sometimes in a Q and A at my show will be like, what's something you can do that we don't know? And I'm like, you think I have anything left? I have emptied that whole bag of tricks over the course of the last 20 years.

[C]

But I love tapped. I mean, the group of people that I was around, those were all dancers. So even though I wasn't naturally a dancer, these were all my friends, and I'm the one with the video camera. So I learned how to shoot dancers because I knew them and rhythm for editing. So it really. I wish I took ballet. I wanted my kids. I want my kids to take ballet because I think that would have benefited me a lot in just my posture. But I. So I benefited a lot from that whole experience.

[A]

That's amazing. That thing of, like having friends who want you to shoot them and their skill through your camera, like sort of giving you the actual talent, too.

[C]

Yeah, it was definitely my road in. And for my wedding, I hadn't chat for 20 years for my wedding. I was going to bring it out for my wife. So I did it for my wife. She had no idea. And I got all the Step up dancers because I had done the Step up movies. And so they all were, like, doing it with me. And it was a really fun, fun, fun night. And my thighs hurt for weeks.

[A]

But my we had. We went to a dancing lesson. My wife and I are terrible dancers. And we, like, went to a couple lessons, and. And then the night before our wedding, my wife got really bad food poisoning. And she, in the end, like, had. She made it through and had the great wedding. But I remember in the hospital being like, oh, I think this means we don't have to do the dance.

[C]

I said, I think we're gonna not.

[A]

Have to do the dance. Your parents are both from Taiwan?

[C]

Yes. I mean, my dad moved from China to Taiwan. My mom's from Taiwan. So they all. And then they all came over here, but they met in the Bay Area.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[C]

So there's a whole community of Chinese immigrants.

[A]

Yeah. Did you ever, as a family, go back and visit where they were from?

[C]

Only once, when I was, like, nine years old. And I'm, like, dying to go back with them again. Cause I haven't been back since.

[A]

How was that trip then? And was that a trip? That was at a time where the restaurant was working. Your parents felt successful.

[C]

By the time I was around, the restaurant had been there for many years. So I lived the glory years of the restaurant. And so when we went, it was beautiful. We brought a whole bunch of people. There was like 20 of us that went there. And so they took us to all the great local spots, and we went to where she grew up and where my mom grew up. And the only part is, like, you know, their growing up is very different than ours. I mean, there's many morbid stories, like, this is the beautiful forest. We're like, oh, cool. I used to walk here every day to school. And she's like, and when a cat died, they hung the cat in the forest. So I walked by dead cats. I'm like, that's crazy. And she's like, that's the window I used to sit in when we went in my room. And that's where I saw my neighbor fall out of the tree and die. It was just a very different upbringing.

[A]

Tie the cat. Yeah.

[C]

Hey, now. It was a very different upbringing. I forget that they left. Like, I was like, oh, my parents, you know, came from Taiwan. But actually, like, they left their whole life. They were freaking the most. They. They decided it was better to leave and leave all their wealth and all their stuff and come to a place where they started at zero. And that is so rockstar. And I always forget that until I sort of think of what it took to do that. And when I look at us right.

[A]

Now, what we're deciding, how old were they both.

[C]

My mom was 19, so it was like her whole family. And she's one of six, so all the aunties and uncles really raised us. And my dad is one of four, so.

[A]

Wow. And when they came, they came with their whole families to the States.

[C]

My dad's side, they came sort of separately over time. So. Yeah, but they. But they all ended up there.

[A]

But your upbringing was being surrounded by family, family all the time.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Being fighting for food, always being told what to do. But it was beautiful. It was so beautiful. Every. Every. Raised by many, many people, for sure.

[A]

And is the. Are most of them still in the Bay Area?

[C]

Yeah, all of them are still. I'm the only one who got out. I was like, I am out, guys. I do not need everybody around looking at me. And. Yeah. So, yeah, so that. But when I go back, it is the best. I love. If you guys ever go to the Bay Area, you let me know. They will take you there. You'll feel like you'll know my family very quickly.

[A]

It's very exciting. I mean, all I want to ever do is go to a good Chinese restaurant. So the fact that there's, like an added benefit of meeting your family, that would be super. Yeah.

[B]

Like, we had a mediocre Chinese restaurant in our hometown, and it was our favorite place to go to.

[C]

Yeah, that's awesome.

[B]

So a classic. Good one.

[C]

I was at an Apple event in Cupertino there, which is right in my hometown. So we had all these people from Apple TV shows or whatever, and M Night was there, and I'd never met Knight before. And I was like, oh, I'm going to the. My restaurant, my family's restaurant tonight if anyone wants to come. And Knight was like, you know, I usually don't do any of that stuff, but sure, I'll go. I'm hungry. So he went. So it's M Night at my house with all. At my restaurant with all my family members just serving it. We had the best time, him and his cousin. And so now we're like, good friends from that. From that time. Like my family. It's exactly my family. This is crazy. And now the whole lobby of the restaurant is filled with just, like, me on magazine covers and wicked posters and Justin Bieber posters.

[A]

So I was going to ask. I was going to safely assume your family is intensely proud of you. But of course, that really hammers it home.

[C]

They are proud. I'm sort of a product to them, I think. I mean, that's definitely like a.

[A]

Tool.

[C]

Yes, yes. No, of course they're very proud. They have plenty of things to say about my movies. I will hear every note, which is why I don't show them too early now. But it's fun. It's really fun.

[A]

Oh, interesting.

[C]

They love to give me notes.

[B]

Is one of your parents more a nicer critic?

[C]

Well, my mom loves to have her opinion. That's not funny. I know what's gonna happen. Oh, yeah, this is what. She loves to say it in the middle of the movie to everybody. She. Yeah. So that's frustrating. And I've tried to coach her. I was like, this is my life, mom. Like, I spent, like, years on this. Like, three minutes right here. Can you just not say anything? And she's like, no, I'm your mother. I can do what I want. So that doesn't work. And then my dad is very, like, loves it everything. But then I realized that we did. I did. Now you see me, too. And we went to China to do an opening in China, and so we watched it in the theater there, and they have translations in the China version. And suddenly he's, like, laughing at other jokes. He gets it. And my mom, like, oh, yeah. He never understands her movies. He doesn't. He can't keep up that quickly. So I'm like, this whole time, 20 years, anyway.

[A]

That's so good. Well, it must have been nice to be like, oh, so it is working.

[B]

Yeah, it's working better than better than.

[A]

I thought I was. I. I would imagine there's something a little bit more. Was it a different experience with crazy rich Asians? Because, again, to, like, a ton of audiences, that was like, oh, this is the first time we're seeing our experience on screen. And, yeah, I would imagine it connected with your family as well. Did they hold it to a different standard because of the subject matter, or did they just embrace it the way they embrace all?

[C]

I guess that for me, it was really hard to. To start, because that was the thing that was scariest to me to talk about, like, my cultural identity crisis. Like, talking about being Asian just in general. Suddenly everyone. To treat you like an Asian and do things that are Asian for you, and you're just like, I just don't want that. Like, I just want to be a director. I just. So for years and years, I've just was on that track. And then I realized, oh, this is. This is. As an artist, I need to do the thing that scares me the most. So exploring my family. But Crazy Rich Asians is my family, essentially. My mom is Eleanor in that way. And they very much talk about the traditions and what our generation can't do of sacrifice and what they sacrifice for us. But at the same time, they love media. So. So. So they're listening to oldies, they're listening to new songs, They're. They're taking us to shows. So that mix of that tone was really similar. I made a playlist of all these old songs from China that I had never heard from, like, the 50s and 40s. And I played it for my mom, and her eyes, like, lit up, and this is the stuff that's now in the soundtrack and stuff. She's. She knew every word to all these songs. She looked like she was 19 years old and her sisters all knew the word. She's like, me and your dad used to dance the jitterbug to this music. And I'm like, what? You guys liked each other? So I knew that there was something. So we got to share in this canvas and I got to talk to them about, hey, what about this? I was doing a scene with Michelle Yeoh in the kitchen, and I shot a picture of me and Michelle in the kitchen because I wanted a big kitchen scene. So we had all the ingredients just like at home. And Michelle before this, she was like, hey, you have a bag of msg. You shouldn't have that bag of MSG there. And I was like, oh, it's fine. No, it's like so in the background. Nobody cares. And so then I take a picture with Michelle and I send it to my dad, and I'm like, oh, this is Michelle Yeoh and I. And he's like, why is there MSG right there?

[A]

I was like, oh.

[C]

Anyway. But they were very proud.

[A]

We were. We.

[C]

We had great. We had actually had a marketing event at the. At the restaurant where we brought the report. We had our junket at the restaurant, and my mom brought all my awards from. Since I was in third grade, all the way through high school and put them on all the tables where all the people were in the back. She didn't have enough room. So in the back of her trunk of her car, she had more awards and would walk people through my life.

[B]

Hey, we're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors.

[A]

Support comes from Uplift. Posh. I have some people in my office who have uplift desks, and you can tell the difference. Not when they're standing at their desk, when they're walking around the office. Seems to me they've got a different kind of energy about that because they've Been making the healthier choice as far as not sitting all day long.

[B]

Yeah, I can believe it. As we record this, I'm in New York, I'm away from my uplift desk and I miss it. Yeah, I'd say I miss it maybe equal to how much I miss my wife and my dogs.

[A]

Well, that makes sense because I remember I said once, if you love your desk so much, why don't you marry it? And you said, oh, I've thought about it. It.

[B]

And then I went over to a friend of ours house here in New York. Very successful friend of ours, I'll also say also uses an uplift desk.

[A]

Yeah, I know the friend. He's very, he's very successful. The standing desk makes a lot of sense. Here's the great thing about the uplift desk. It has unmatched stability, redesigned feet, steel reinforcements make this the most stable standing desk yet. That's the new uplift desk v3 standing desk which helps you move more, get more done. It's got industry leading cable management, the new flex mount cable manager comes with every desk to keep cords hidden and tidy. Smarter integrated design, upgraded everything, speed, stability, ergonomics and Design.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

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[C]

It.

[A]

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[D]

Hey Sufi.

[A]

You know when I first got term life insurance?

[B]

When's that?

[A]

Kids.

[B]

Oh yeah, that's a good idea.

[A]

Yeah. You start thinking about the future, you start thinking about life after your life, you know?

[B]

Yeah, I know, but I feel like looking at your life from the outside. It looks pretty hectic and there's a lot to do. Like, so how do you find the time?

[A]

Well, so that's the great thing about Fabric by Gerber Life. It is made for busy parents like me. All online, all on my schedule. Right from your couch, you can be covered in under 10 minutes. No health exam required. It's very important to protect your children's financial future. That's something. I think it's something fabric agrees with. And the nice thing about me right now, like, posh, you're always saying to me, like, what? You're so young and healthy. You know how you're always saying that to me?

[B]

Yeah, I say it a lot.

[A]

Yeah, like mostly, you know, we always edit it out because that's pretty much how every podcast starts.

[B]

You're like, whoa, look how healthy and how young.

[A]

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[C]

Here we go.

[B]

So when you're growing up, five siblings, would you take vacations? Like, where would you guys go on trips?

[C]

Yeah, they. My mom made it again. We were her project. She made it a point to bring us to different places in the world or in the, you know, in the country. You know, we went to France and to London and to all these different places. And so she. So that's why I got in charge of the video camera, because they Loved technology. They were there. So we had the first, you know, some of the first video cameras and stuff. When nobody had it. And I would be in charge of the video camera, they would dump it on me. It's the giant one with the VHS tapes in it. And I. That's where I. I started to realize, like, oh, this. When I look in there, I could just, like, look at things that I look at and just like, everything sort of clears away. And I could share that. And someone else could be like, oh, yeah, that is weird that that staircase has that shadow. Or, oh, that is weird that that person at the airport was saying goodbye. We didn't even know. Like, I just love that. That sort of observation, sort of jar that I could put these things in. So it was from those vacations, for sure.

[A]

Was your. I know, like, having a restaurant is like an intense scheduling hurdle for things like trips. Would your dad come as well when you would go overseas?

[C]

No. No, he never came. Sometimes he came for like, the last two days, but no, pretty much.

[A]

So you're. So your mom could sort of rustle five kids, no problem.

[C]

Yes. And she lives in her own sphere of her world. So she comes in and we're used to everyone staring. Cause we were all sort of crazy. So she would take us to the nicest restaurants. She would dress us up. Cause she wanted us to know how to, like, have, you know, class and have. Be respectful. And so she wouldn't let any of our friends call her Ruth. We had to call her Mrs. Chu and all those things. I guess that was that era as well.

[A]

But.

[C]

So we would dress up. She put us all in polo. She thought we were the Kennedys. She would say that out loud. She'd call me John. John. So, yeah, she could handle us. And she didn't care what people said. If people treated us differently for being. She didn't care. We would walk into that country club, we would sit down. She would join the country. She figure out a way for us to be a part of that system. And I think that was very powerful to live. Not just because. Not that I was aware of it. It's just we felt comfortable in any space because mom said it was fine. So I never had. Even compared to my older brothers and sisters, who may have had that sort of immigrant child thing of, like, the pressure and being watched. I didn't. I was. I felt very free. And it wasn't until later in life of looking back at little moments, you know, when my kindergarten teacher, my first or preschool teacher would whisper to Me, like, remember, you don't mix with other kids or things like that.

[A]

You're like, holy shit.

[C]

But I would just laugh about it. So I lived a very protected life, actually, and I think that was very helpful.

[A]

And do you feel like that message and that parenting style, like, sort of permeated to all your siblings? Did they all feel that sort of comfort with the world?

[C]

I, I don't think so, no. Yeah, I think that I, I, I was, I think I was very in, in this very specific position in the family because my first two siblings, yes, they were, they were like, they were the first two of all the, of all those of my parents generation. So everyone was, like, focused on them and trying to get an education. And then I had a brother, I have a brother who's autistic, and so all the care went to him. And then I have a sister who's, you know, only 17 months older than me, so she got sort of, like, caught in the middle a little bit because all the attention was going to all these other kids. And then I came and I was completely ignored, but not, But I was also, you know, I was pretty cute and wild and whatever, so I got a different kind of attention. So it was just a very different dynamic that I, that the young ones started to live in than my older siblings, I think.

[A]

Did you, were you ultimately, like, do you think when you went on a trip, when you went on a trip with your mom, was it really just the five of you and her, or did more of your family.

[C]

My grandpa would come sometimes, and aunt, uncle would come sometimes.

[A]

What was your grandpa's vibe as a traveler?

[C]

Oh, he loved his cognac and his, and his pipe and. But he was good. He, he, he loved to travel. He was someone, you know, I have, my middle name's Murray. So way, way back in the day, there was some. I have a little Scottish in me somehow, some way. And nobody really talks about it. Everyone sort of like keeps it low or whatever. But my grandfather was, like, fascinated, so we went to Scotland. He was like, all in on figuring out, you know, because there's rumors of which family we're of, but they don't want to know about us. So then he was like, he was getting the, you know, the pin, the whatever, the, the. All the different patterns that are part of the tartans. The clan.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yes, the clan or whatever. And so he has all this collection of, like, research about where we're from. So he was fascinated. He would tell us these stories about, like, like where that side of the family came from because he was treated very differently in Taiwan because he looked differently, he looks not full Asian. So and so that. So they also felt a little out of place there. There was another thing happening that again, not talked about a lot, but definitely was in his mind. And so he was a fun adventurer, I would say.

[A]

It's so funny. Like we. My father in law's really like when he's with our kids, he's like a real good helping hand. Like he has that real adventuresome spirit and he wants to like show kids stuff that I think is really boring. And yet kids are like super into. Like, I feel like if Tom was like, let's go find the Scottish tartan that represents our clan, My kids would be all in. Whereas if he said it to me, I'd be like. Or just. That sounds like a you thing.

[C]

Maybe just you go, how about Loch Ness? We could go check out Loch Ness.

[A]

This.

[B]

Yeah. Would you guys ever take any road trips?

[C]

No, we. We rarely took road trips except to LA because my brother and sisters went to ucla. So then we would come down. But we did what my. The one road trip I remember was we went to France to do a road trip. So we went to Paris and stayed in Paris and then we took a van with all. My dad was there so he could drive the van from Paris to Nice in this like three week long journey where nobody speaks French. I mean, we were taking French. This. My mom' big idea was we all taking French for so long at school. This is where you can learn. None of us, we all refused to speak. So my mom decided, if you're not going to speak, I'm going to speak. So she would embarrass us by just trying to speak French to these people. So it would force us. Never worked. But ultimately it was actually a beautiful trip. It was just chaos the whole drive. And we had no radio. So we had one tape with like three songs, a Mariah Carey song like Always Be My Baby that played in repeat because we didn't have any other song. No one wanted to listen to the other radio. And it was, it was, it was a whole thing.

[A]

And were you.

[B]

I mean, I imagine restaurants were a big part of those trips. But were you sightseers? Like, what was. What was sort of the agenda for a trip like that?

[C]

Yeah, we were sightseers. My mom had it all sort of planned out of where we would go to Grasse and go visit the perfume places there or go to Lyon and go to the festival there. So my mom had a Very, very planned out of what our gender was.

[A]

And did you. Do you remember being the kind of kid that anticipated these sort of trips with excitement? Did you. Were you like, oh, my God, we're going to France. It's gonna be awesome?

[C]

I think so. I think so. I mean, we. It was every year, so we were all prepared, I think. Yeah, we were very excited to go. I never, you know, my brothers and sisters got to invite a friend. I never got to invite a friend, so it was just. Just me.

[A]

You really were. You really were.

[C]

Although what they don't know. What they don't know was when we went to Nice, so we had a. We rented a house there because they wanted us to be like, whatever, so. And they would just let us go. So we had, like, bikes that we would go down to the beach and. And hang out all day long. And my brother and sister didn't want to hang out with me, so I. We would go down. I would sometimes just be alone, But I saw them go to this. This. This. This dock way out in the ocean. And I was like, I'm coming. And they're like, you're too little. You can't come. So they went. And then, like, 10 minutes later, I was like, that. I'm going. And so I jump in the water and I start swimming, and I get about halfway, and I've never felt my arms give out and my legs give out before, but I was out. Like, I could not move. And it was very. I started turning around, and I realized no matter how much I yelled, no one could hear me. And I was like, oh, my God. And I. I. It's the weirdest feeling. I've never felt it since, that you just can't do anything. And so finally my. I just tried to float and just kept floating in that way. And my. I remember the water getting up to here and just taking my last breath and going down and being like. That was that. I remember opening my eyes and looking up at the sun, and then my toe touched a piece of coral, and I was like, oh. And I had just a little thing in my toe to, like, kick up with my toe. And so then I could get a breath. And so I did that for, like, I don't know how long. It felt like an hour, but I don't actually know how long I got to. I finally got to the shore, and I couldn't move, so I just laid on the. On the sand and just was throwing up. And everyone's like, what the fuck is wrong with this kid? And I never told anybody, and my parents don't know, but I will never forget that feeling of being like, that's it. Like, you're so helpless. You're, like, this small in this world, and that's what's gonna happen, and they're gonna find. Yeah, it was crazy.

[A]

Yeah, it's a help. And that. I mean, that is, like, almost like a cinematic trope of, like, going underwater and having, like, just seeing the sun refracting through. I mean, I remember every moment of it.

[C]

And so my kids are no longer allowed to be at the beach. No, that's not true.

[B]

But I.

[C]

But I will. I will. I, I, I. That being, that feeling, that small, it was. And that fragile was like, okay, your body is only so much like, do.

[B]

You have any fear of. Of the water, like, of open water because of that, or now you're sort of like, you know what you're capable of?

[A]

And I think I know what I'm capable of.

[C]

Maybe I'm safer than I was back then. I don't know. I think at that point, I felt like I could do anything. Now I'm like, okay, maybe not do that, but. Yeah, yeah, but I don't feel I have a fear of water. My kids love water and all those things.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, that's good. Did your. Was your family. Were your parents interested in how. What Chinese food restaurants were like in the places you traveled? Was there any, like, they love to.

[C]

Go to Chinese restaurants. Wherever we travel, they love to go to the restaurants that were near our house because those were their friends, and they will love to support those. I mean, they were very much ambassadors in the neighborhood because they were one of the first, if not the first. So they would take care of people who opened restaurants. They would go and talk to them about the business and how to get, like, people to come to the restaurant, because they knew the struggle. So they would always say that we're ambassadors. So when we went to France, we found the little Chinese restaurants, and there's nothing my parents love more than talking Chinese to the Chinese owners of the restaurant and going back to see their kitchen and talking to their chef and then talking about how great their restaurant is in Palo Alto and things like that.

[A]

So is it.

[B]

If you go to a Chinese restaurant in France, is it a long. Is it a longer trip to a restaurant than most people would. Would have?

[C]

Everywhere we go is a long trip with my family, because you want to go into the hotel lobby. Oh, they'll know every single person. They love to talk to everybody who works there. In fact, they will target the person who's least talk to in a room and they will make a whole thing of that person.

[A]

That's fantastic. I mean, our. Our Larry has a little of that too, so it might. It must just be a Larry thing. Did we. We had your friend Bow and Yang on our podcast. He said that was a real. Like, his parents, wherever they went, they had to. They immediately wanted to find the Chinatown. Like, that was just a real.

[C]

Like.

[A]

And he was saying as a kid, it was so, like, a little disappointing that you're like, oh, finally a new place. And then it's like, no, we're gonna.

[B]

Go to the 1.

[C]

My charts weren't exactly like that, but they had their head. There were snippets of that. Of that, for sure.

[A]

I just. It'll air the night we're doing this, so it will have already come out by the time we do this. But I do a thing on my show called Day Drinking, and I just did it with Bowen.

[B]

Oh, right.

[A]

And Matt Rogers.

[C]

Oh, nice.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[C]

Isn't Bowen the best? I love Bowen so much.

[A]

Bowen is the best. Bowen got drunk and said in Wicked 2, Ariana dies right away. And also it's pronounced wicked. And it's about two candle makers.

[C]

When a thing is wet, it has a life above. That's the new song you need to know. So. So I went to snl. So I've loved SNL our whole life. We've watched it every season, every episode since I was a kid. And even when I wasn't allowed to be up, we would watch it. And so. And we would videotape it or record it and all that stuff. And so when Awkwafina was the host coast after Crazy Rich Hate, sure. I was like, I have to go. This. This is. This is historic. So I went and it got to be in Lauren's suite and all that stuff and see Steven Spielberg and have, like, the whatever. The catering up there. It was amazing. And then went to the after party. At the famous after party. Yeah. And like, I suddenly became that kid in high school again where I had no friends. I was like, oh, I don't know anybody here. Oh. So I just, like, sat in the back. At one point, Lauren did like, like, call me over to his booth and had a great conversation. And then I went off and then I was, like, back by myself again. And at that time, Bowen was just a writer. Not just a writer, but he was a writer not on the show yet. And he came up to Me. And he's like, I'm Bowen. I was like, oh, hey. He's like, you know, I helped write the monologue and he was so kind to me. And he. We hung out that night and it was the best. And I was like, I like this guy. I hope he makes it. And it was only like a season later where he just, like, killed. And so I'm so proud. And so he's such a beautiful person. So.

[A]

Yeah, he really is.

[B]

It's.

[A]

You know, we didn't. He's also. I feel very lucky to have that feeling of connection to people, even the ones you don't overlap with. Because I always forget that I've never actually worked with Bowen, but he feels like family.

[C]

That's so funny. Do you what I. And I've loved working with comedians. I'm so enamored by what you guys do. The. The actual craft of it is so fascinating. I didn't fully understand that until I was working with Woody Harrelson and watching and a lot of people now you see me that the skill it takes not just your timing, but the writing of it and the workshopping. It's just so beautiful. And so I've loved working with comedians in movies in so many ways are people who just get. Get the right timing. So it's great. Jong kills it.

[A]

Yeah. Does it really good that dude.

[B]

Amazing.

[A]

Are you good now? I mean, obviously you're a very busy person. Do you have. Does your family ever travel to, like, international premieres of your stuff? Because I imagine, you know, obviously you're making the kind of films that have them.

[C]

Yeah, sometimes I have. I have to pick and choose the right moment. So what did I do for. So my parents have. We have done the China trip with my parents for now youw see Me and that was really fun because they got to take me around China. I haven't spent a lot of time there. And my wife, my now wife at the time, my girlfriend, we went there and so they got to show us around. It was really beautiful and nice. And Singapore they've come to. But I have to be careful with my. The families have always come to all my premieres, at least the biggest statewide premieres. That's basically like my birthday party every year. And they all. They. I get like 40 tickets and they all come and they love to just stalk the red carpet and just take pictures with everybody and harass everybody. And everybody kind of has to be nice to them. So I have to tell them to, like, control yourself. This is not the restaurant. And so this for Wicked. The Wicked premiere was last year, last November. And. And all of them were in the hotel across the street from the place we were having the premiere. The biggest red carpet I've ever seen, or green carpet. And we were up there, and I had my suit on the thing. And then. And that morning at 6am My wife's like, my water broke. And I was like, oh, wow. Today. Today. Wow.

[A]

Was it very early?

[C]

No, it was right on time. I mean, we knew it was gonna be in the zone.

[A]

It was always a possibility. You just thought a show. His baby would know to wait a day. Yeah.

[C]

So there it is the day of. And so we go to the hospital. We're like. We got.

[A]

We're going.

[C]

So I missed the premiere. But at. In the. In the hospital bed, while she's, like, waiting for this, for. For the baby to come, we're watching the red carpet. And I tell my assistants, I was like, you guys, my parents. If there is a power vacuum, my parents will fill that vacuum on the carpet, and no one will stop them. So you need to. And this is their first red carpet, sort of with my family. I was like, you need to take control when you can. And if anyone. You get them through that carpet, I don't care. Three minutes. That's it. And so I'm watching the live stream in there, and then all of a sudden, I see my family walk by. I say, great, great, great. And I see them walk the other way.

[A]

I'm like, oh, no.

[C]

And for an hour in this live stream, they're talking to everybody. They're taking photos with Ari and Cynthia, and they're on ET and they're on all these things.

[A]

Oh, my God, it's so great. I. I wonder if they internally knew, like, we are going to fill the power vacuum or if they just like it. It was just, you know, unconscious that they were like, we're gonna run wild on this.

[C]

Unconscious.

[A]

It's.

[C]

They do not. They just do.

[A]

For a moment.

[B]

I. I had forgotten the term power vacuum. And I was thinking. You were saying I needed to call my assistant, have them use an actual vacuum to suck up my family from the red carpet.

[A]

They're gonna leave popcorn all over this green carpet. We paid 100 was one.

[C]

There's a one time when they came at this. At the premiere for GI Joe. And so I'd worked with Bruce Willis and the Rock, and they were very excited to meet them. And. And. And Bruce, you know, Bruce can give you a hard time on set. And so.

[A]

And he.

[C]

You Know, he's a great guy. We love working with him. But I. So when they came, I was like, hey. They're like, we can't wait to meet Bruce. I was like, well, here's the thing. Like, it just depends, like, where he's at. Like, maybe he doesn't want to be here. I don't even know, like, where his mental state is. Like. Like, does he really wanna say hi to my family? I'm not sure. And they're like, john, come on. You always keep us away from them. Just let us be. I was like, okay, whatever, but let me do the intro. Like, okay, okay. So we get to the thing, and we get to the party, and I'm talking to someone. I get distracted, and I look over and Bruce is now sitting with my family taking shots. And he just looks over at me and he gives me, like, the keenest smile. Like, I got him in my pocket. I was like, oh, my gosh. So I go over there, and then the night's over. And they're like, john, he was the best. I don't know how you could say that he gave you a hard time some of those days. Like, what are you talking about? He's like, maybe the problem is you. So Bruce got my family.

[A]

That's really good. That's a really good one to have. I remember at a Emmy party when I hosted the Emmys, my parents were there, and all my mom wanted to do was meet Idris Elba. And. And then, like, just went over and just, like, fully just. Just hitting on Idris Elba, like, right in front of my dad.

[B]

And you know what he did?

[A]

Go ahead.

[B]

He kissed her on the mouth.

[A]

He kissed her on the mouth. And then he came. And then the next time he's on my show. And again, it's just that, you know, I have a great appreciation for people who realize, like, the value in their sort of small acts. But first thing he said, he's like, that was Hillary. Can you give him my love? God damn you, Idris Elba. God damn you.

[C]

My mom once walked, walked, was walking past Morgan Freeman for the night scene. She goes by and she gives him a big hug from the back randomly. And because she thinks that she's like, my friend. So he hugs him from the back. He's like, what the hell? I'm sitting in the chair behind. I literally sink 10ft down. I'm like, no.

[A]

Who's this little Scottish lady?

[C]

That's my mom. He was so cool about it. But the moment I cannot, I will never forget his look to her, what the hell? She probably never remembers that.

[B]

Yeah. I was just in Ireland with my wife for a wedding and we like, she was. It was rainy and cold and we were walking home from a bar one night and she tags me and says, tag, you're it. And then just runs ahead on the street. And then there was a couple walking arm in arm and she just like slaps the guy and goes, tag, you're it. And he was like, what? Like from behind. Like she's running behind. And it was like, you're it.

[C]

That's so funny.

[A]

It was very cute.

[C]

That's so funny.

[A]

I'm very excited for this movie. Obviously. I work at a company that is incredibly excited about this movie. Yeah. But I do want to say that.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

I think I'm hopefully getting the timing right. But we had, when we had our 10th anniversary show, so I was walked into 30 Rock and there was this like really long sort of side ad on the interior wall of the building. And it was like, happy 10th anniversary to late night. It was a nice picture of me. I was like, oh, that's really cool. And then I got to my office and I'm like, that's really dumb. I should have taken a picture of it. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I should. And tomorrow I'm going to. And then the next day I came in and it was like wicked. It was like in four months, I.

[C]

Was like my go.

[A]

Like, like, I was like, I got a day. But it is, it is really exciting and it's, it's really cool. And it's also, I will say just the order of things for, for my kids was watching that and then going back and watching the original wizard of Oz and, and they're just so excited about this. So congratulations. It's really, really cool. And I can't wait. But before you go, you have to answer speed round questions.

[B]

Speed round questions. Here we go. You can only pick one of these. Is your ideal vacation relaxing, adventurous, or educational?

[C]

Oh, relaxing for sure.

[A]

That's after. By the way, your mom is like, after everything I taught him.

[C]

After every educational trip, I just want to lay there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What is your favorite means of transportation?

[C]

I mean, car.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

If you could take a vacation with any family, alive or dead, real or fictional, other than your own family, what fiction family would you like to take a vacation with?

[C]

Just for interest and curiosity's sake? The Jacksons.

[B]

Great.

[A]

Great.

[B]

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one member of your family, who would it be?

[C]

You can't do this to me. But I can't do this to me on a desert. My oldest brother, Larry, he would.

[A]

Larry. Larry, too.

[B]

Larry, your hometown is Palo Alto.

[C]

Yes, Los Altos. Really?

[B]

Okay, well, Los Altos. If you were the head of the board of tourism for Los Altos, how would you pitch that town? What are the highlights?

[C]

I would say that Los Altos is the birth of the Silicon Valley. It's the center of innovation and education and culture. A place where you can raise your family and have a great time. And you can eventually, if done right, you can direct Wicked one day because.

[A]

They'Re gonna keep making them.

[C]

And it has a great Chinese restaurant on San Antonio Road called Chef. Choose that you must.

[A]

Chef. Choose. Chef.

[B]

And then Seth has our final questions.

[A]

Have you, John, been to the Grand Canyon?

[C]

Never.

[A]

Do you want to go?

[C]

I've had. I've had conversations. My wife's from Arizona, and I've had conversations about wanting to see it with my kids.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But not really.

[B]

This is super.

[A]

By the way. John, that was the most not really answer. So don't think we were like, God, he seems like he's real close. I feel like. You know what? I feel like you're gonna do that right after you make it up to your sister that you bailed on her during Me and My Shadow. Just a delight. Thank you so much. Congrats on the movie. November 21st, Wicked Part 2. It's about candles, and it's going to be great. Thanks, John.

[C]

Be great. Thanks, everybody. Thank you.

[A]

Bye, buddy.

[D]

Yeah, John.

[B]

John.

[D]

Chew be doo be do a jaja.

[C]

Ch.

[D]

John John Chooby dooby doo Grew up in Los Altos Was the youngest of five. He met the earliest tech bros who gave him video cards and flash drives. He and his sister would dance in the talent show. But when his sister got mad at him, he wouldn't sing. Me and My Shadow has a family restaurant. Chef chooses the place to be. Even though John is cool, he'll never be as cool as Larry. Went to Taiwan where some weird stuff goes on Never fell from a window and splat. That tree's where someone hung a dead cat.

[B]

What's with that?

[D]

You serious about that cat? Absolutely. They hung a dead cat from a tree on the morning of Wicked and this ain't no joke he was dressed in his suit his wife said her water had broke Went to the hospital had to miss the premier Watch the coverage on TV Witnessed the sum of all his fears Cause his family, they still went they love a flashy event A power vacuum is where they'll be. On the green carpet livestream and on et it was no surprise. It was. Happens every time. Cause when he shoots a movie, John Chu's wife always has a baby baby. One movie, one baby baby. Five movies, five babies. Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby.