B (3:11)

So it's beyond anywhere where your dreams or expectations were. Where were your dreams? Like, you're starting out.

A (3:16)

And where was started in Seattle? Well, Tacoma, Washington. That's. But when you're from Tacoma, you say, I'm from Seattle. It just makes things easier, right? And then I saw Eddie Murphy delirious. I started listening to Richard Pryor tapes, and then I saw Eddie Murphy Delirious. There was just something about that performance, especially my age and hearing what he was talking about, I just related to it more. I just enjoyed it more. I thought the guy was Superman, you know, I think I was 11. And I was like, I'm gonna be a comedian. I'm gonna be him. I can't wait to get out of high school.

B (3:57)

Is it just the funny, or is it the prowling of the stage? Is it the way. The confidence that he. That he had?

A (4:02)

Yeah, he was 21 when he was doing that, and he was. He was acting like he's been doing it for 40 years. Like, the confidence on stage. Stage, and the look on his face. Like his facials, his. His act outs, his just everything about him. I just thought, like, man, I want to be this guy. And then. And then I went to see him alive when I was 15. Like, four years later, I'm in. Or. Yeah, five years later, I'm at. It was called the Seattle Coliseum back then. It's called. It's called Climate Pledge arena now. But back in the day, it was called the Seattle Coliseum, where the Sonics play. It was called Raw. That was the name of the tour. This is back in the day where you had to buy tickets on the phone. They didn't have a ticket master.

B (4:48)

And you're too young to be at that show.

A (4:50)

Way too young. And I used my mom's credit card. You know, this is when people on the phone had to have this incredible talent to know the voice would match the name of the card. You know, they just trust you. It's like. What's your name again? Josephine. Oh, okay. This is you, for sure. And then. And my name was Joseph. And I remember I bought the tickets. The kiosk for Ticketmaster was in this department store called Bomb Marche, and I had to go there after school. I picked up my tickets at this. At this kiosk, and I. I had tickets to see Raw and my mom drove me to Seattle that night. Well, not that night, but, you know, months later. Drove me to see Eddie Murphy. Life. I was in awe. I remember sitting there and just looking up at this Coliseum like, what? Everyone's here to see this guy.

B (5:42)

You knew right before then that it's.

A (5:44)

What you wanted to do.

B (5:44)

What was attracting you to Pryor and Eddie Murphy? These are outside. Did they seem like foreigners to you, given the way you were growing up?

A (5:52)

I think what it was was I was so funny. And, like, I was a military kid, so I traveled a lot, and I always had to rely on my funny to meet new people. Like, I remember I moved from the Philippines to Tacoma, and I remember my friends I had in the Philippines. I was so sad that day. But I remember telling myself, when I get to Tacoma, I'm going to be so funny. Like, I'm going to be so funny. Everyone's going to think I'm so funny. Everyone's going to want to be my friend. Like, I remember saying that to myself as a kid, you know, and that's the sixth grade, you know? Like, I remember at that point already I was funny. And then when I moved to Tacoma, our neighbors that were down the street even, they were like, oh, my God, you're so funny, and you should be a comedian. I didn't know what a comedian was. And they were like, have you ever heard of Prior? And they took their dad's Prior tapes, and that's how I got the Prior tapes. And I would listen to him in my room. Didn't know what standup was until that day. And that's when I kind of, like, fell in love with the art, the art form of being a comedian. And then, of course, that's Eddie Murphy. Eddie Murphy. You know, here's another thing that I loved about Eddie. Like. Like, I was already struggling with identity, right? Like, I'm half white, half Filipino. I'm just trying to figure out who I am. You know, every time everyone would ask me what I was, no one knew what a Filipino was. I had. It was hours of describing what a Filipino was. Food is. And. But for some reason, when I would watch, like, Eddie talk about his Aunt Bunny or his Uncle Gus, like, for some reason, I was, like, identifying. I was like, that's kind of like my family, you know? Like, this is. I'm getting this. And I don't know, that's what made me gravitate, like, gravitate towards Eddie, you know what I mean? Just hearing, like, those stories and describing how the aunt would act or how the uncle would act. I was like, yeah, I got aunts and I got uncles that act like that. So I think that's what drawed me into Eddie so much.

B (8:00)

So funny got you through childhood, though, all the transition?

A (8:04)

Oh, big time. Yeah. We. It was. It was. It was a lot of. A lot of dysfunction in our family, you know, so comedy helped me deal with it. Deal with, like, the trauma, you know, like, that's. That's. Those are my best memories, is laughing, as opposed to what was happening in the house.

B (8:29)

What was happening?

A (8:30)

Just everything. You know, we. We had a. My brother, he. You know, he had a. You know, he has mental problems. You know what I mean? He's. He's in a hospital, but when he was a kid, it was. It was pretty bad. You know, he was in and out of, you know, his mental hospitals. You know, he had a lot of problems growing up with my. My mom and my dad, A lot of cops, you know what I mean? A lot of my sister and my mom didn't get along, so there was a lot of That. A lot of fighting going on there. So it was just. It was just a very. On then my mom and dad divorced, so there was just a lot of things that a kid has to deal with and see and. And kind of just kind of bury it and not really see it in their head anymore. Right. So we would go to. I would go to comedy a lot. That was kind of like my escape.

B (9:22)

And laughter is something that you were taking out of the home, and it was medicine, like, because how do you separate these two things? You're living in a place that.

A (9:30)

Yeah, that's. Hell, yeah, it was crazy because I grew up with it. And so it wasn't that I felt unsafe. I just felt like that was what a house was like, you know, so I've saw it ever since I was a kid. Like, you know, I can go all the way back to Illinois when we first started experiencing problems with my brother. So I. And I was only, what, four then? But, like, for some reason, I still remember everything vividly in my brain, you know, so it's always been a part of my life. So it wasn't that I thought that my house was unsafe. I just thought that was my house. That's just how it is. That's what families do. And comedy was just my escape. You know, I was the youngest, so my mom kind of let me be me.

B (10:21)

I'll move away from this in a second. And your relationship with your mother, specifically. But when you Say you have stuff burned in from 4 years old at this time. Is the family communicative? Does this stuff have a name, the time, like a diagnosis of what it is that you're dealing with that at that point?

A (10:39)

It was just drugs when I was. You know, when I was 4, you know, and that's. That's my last memory of Illinois. And this is back in the day where they would give, like, these, like, foam slippers. When they would check you in, they would give you the foam slippers. And they just had small, medium, large. And I. You know, I always thought that was a cool thing because my brother would always like, hey, I got you some slippers. Slippers. And he'd give me some slippers. So I always remember that, too. So, yeah, it's just. I don't know. I don't know how to explain it. You know, that was just my life, and. And comedy helped me not think about it, you know.

B (11:17)

So you're traveling around a lot.

A (11:19)

Yeah.

B (11:20)

Your father's Air Force. And discipline. A lot of discipline is.

A (11:25)

No, no. We were. We were kind of a cool, relaxed family. I mean, my mom was cool. My dad was really cool. By the way, in no way am I like saying that it was, like bad parenting. You know what I mean? It was just. It was just. We were dealt a serious hand, you know, and we had to. We had to deal with it. So I always tell my dad this. I always go, you know, I. You know, I get mad. I'm mad at you for leaving. You know what I mean? But I also understand, you know, now that I'm a father, I see. I can. I can see just, like, how hard it was for him to be a. A young man at that time, at 24, you know, he was 24, 25 when he married my mom. And, yeah, it was a lot. It was a lot, a lot, a lot. So I get it. It's a lot. But.

B (12:22)

Well, I should make the clarification for you. When I said unsafe, it's just dealing with mental illness in the home. You've described your father as your hero, and you appear to be closer to your mother. Yeah.

A (12:34)

Yeah.

B (12:35)

Even still.

A (12:35)

Oh, for sure. Yeah.

B (12:37)

And so, I mean, that was, you.

A (12:39)

Know, you got to remember, like, you know, like, it's hard to explain to these kids now. Like, I hate when people say that older people. It's hard to explain to these kids now, but it is. It's like, you know, now, like, you can. You can move anywhere you want in this. In this world, and. And you can literally go to Facebook and just type in, I'm a young half white hat, blah, blah, blah. I would love to meet other people, you know, where can I go? And it computer will tell you where people are, where you can go get your kind of food at, and you know what I mean? It can help you build your community, right? Whereas my mom, you're talking about an immigrant that came into this country in the 60s where the climate, the racial climate was really hard and tense. And on top of that, here she is trying to find people that look like her, talk like her. I need friends that I used to have when I was a kid. And like, I do this joke on stage where my mom would literally go to church and just look around and just try and find people that look like her and walk up to him at the end of church, you know what I mean? And talk Filipino, you know, like, as funny as that is as a joke, but I saw my mom do it.

B (13:59)

Well, you felt like outsiders, right?

A (14:01)

We always felt. And I felt even more outside because I was half. You know what I mean? And here I am walking around with my Filipino mom and, you know, I got all these different looking features, but it's like this. My mom. So. So it's like, it's, it's. It's tough to be in a. In that situation where, you know, she's just trying to find herself. And then I'm also trying to find us. Where. Where are we? So that's why I always gravitated, like to an Eddie Murphy talking about his aunt, because I felt like, okay, that character is in my family, she's not black. But that obviously we can relate on that level. You know what I mean? Like, that black family has a funny, crazy aunt. I have a funny, crazy aunt too. So, like, that was my way of identifying.

B (14:50)

Was there anything that gave you the confidence during this time as an outsider? More than being able to make people.

A (14:57)

Laugh, was there anything more? No. Laughter was everything. Dance, you know, it was always entertainment for us. You know, my mom used to, like, I go right back to the church again. But that's where she found a lot of Filipinos. You know what I mean? A lot of Filipinos. And they all became friends. They're friends to this day, you know, and like, my mom's best friend to this day is where she met at the church. And what they would do is every Sunday, connected to the church was this thing called Knights of Columbus Hall. So it was like this hall that was like, you could rent it out, you could Throw parties, and they would rent it out. And, you know, there were no Filipino restaurants in town, so they would all bring potluck, you know, so we'd have all these, like, different Filipino food, you know, cuisines on the table. And then they would make the kids perform, you know what I mean? Then they would play mahjong. Like, it was this whole night of being Filipino, you know what I mean? And I loved it. And it was so cool because you're like, oh, here we are. And it was kind of like our thing every, like, not every Sunday, but, like, it'd be Sunday of us just being us and feeling, you know, seen. You know what I mean? And then, like, meeting these other families. And my mom would always make me dance, my sister sing. And. Yeah, that. That was. That was. That was kind of like my introduction into, like, performing.

B (16:26)

So what was going on with mom that she was putting you in talent shows? Is it because you wanted to be in talent shows?

A (16:31)

Well, she saw that I danced. I was a B boy when I was a kid. And, you know, I'd always dance in the living room. And she's like, oh, yeah, do that. Let's do that at the, you know, nights of Columbus. And she'd make me dance and make my sister sing, because my sister always loved to sing. And that was it. That was kind of like our intro to performance because my sister became a singer, you know, she went to Vegas and she became like a. Like a lounge act. You know, she was singing every single day. Like, that was.

B (17:02)

It also helps you in your romantic partnerships, right? You gravitate toward. You gravitate toward people who like arts.

A (17:11)

Yeah. Like, I don't understand people that don't like entertainment. You know what I mean? Like, I'm in love with all of it. And so it's kind of hard to date someone that's not into what I do. Like, I gotta. Especially laughter, man. Laughter is so important to me. Like, I just. I can't. I can't understand. I don't understand how people just don't like to laugh. I'm friends with John Lovitz, and I used to open for John, and we were eating at the. This restaurant on Melrose, and he just looked at me, he goes, you know what I don't understand? I go, what? He goes, you know, I don't see how people don't see things funny. Like, if someone falls, it's funny. If someone dies, it's funny. I immediately go to the funny, don't you? And I was like, yeah. He goes, I know we're not weird. They're weird. And he's right. Like, I always, when he said that, I was like, yeah, man. Like, I. I guess it's like our. Our coping device, I guess. I don't know. But, like, when someone. If some. Some bad trauma, like, if I see something on the news, I immediately think of the funny. I don't go to the oh, like, I'll do it. But, like, in my head, I'm like, oh, I got this one.

B (18:36)

And would you call it a coping mechanism?

A (18:38)

Would you? I don't know. Or a bless. I like to say a blessing as well, because I don't want to sit in that spot. I don't want to be in that mindset, you know? Like, I'd rather think of the funny. And I. And I even think, like, someone that is hurt or injured would also like to think of the funny because, like, when I got hurt, like, I literally just got into an accident, you know, I have, like, this electric motorcycle. I don't even like to say motorcycle because it's an electric motorcycle. So I don't even say it's a motorcycle.

B (19:09)

But it's a step beyond scooter.

A (19:12)

It's a little bit faster than a Vespa. You know what I mean? Want to say that either. But I don't want to say that either, even though I have four of them, so I really do. It's. It's ridiculous. Why do you need four? Because all of us like to ride them. Okay? So, like, even when I, like, I have visitors come over.

B (19:28)

Family.

A (19:29)

The family. We're a family. We're a family of Vespas and. And, yeah, but even the minute I crash, like, my whole arm is scraped up right now. My hip is killing me. But the minute I landed on the ground and I was with my. My son's uncle, it was like a joke right away, you know what I mean? Like, it was like, how did I look? You know what I mean? Or something. Something that had nothing to do with the blood coming out of my arm and the branch sticking in my pants.

B (20:01)

Would the people who love you accuse you of using it to avoid intimacy? Going a layer deeper because you just. You've gotten so good at, like, how do I make the funny thing make all of this light? Because I im. I imagine some of the funny that was born in your household was at least in part because the family could use it.

A (20:19)

Yeah, I. You know what? I just. I don't care if. If someone just doesn't get it, you know, like, I think my biggest turnoff is like, are you always joking around? I'm like. And I'm like, are you not like, yeah, man. Like, yes, it's God's medicine, you know? Like, when you laugh, like, it's. It's proven, like, you feel better, you live longer. It's the endorphins run through your body at that point. Like, it's euphoric sometimes. You ever laugh so hard, it's like, man, this is better than sex, man. Like, where you're crying, you just can't control it. Like, that's a. That's addicting, man. Bottle that up and sell that on the street.

B (21:02)

So where are the places where you've felt it most? Where you're moved with maximum gratitude because you can't believe you're connecting these people. I'll give people some of the history. You sold 23,000 tickets in Honolulu. 11 shows sold out.

A (21:19)

You.

B (21:19)

You sold out Madison Square Garden. You sold out what I will forever call the Forum and just the Forum. Like, which are the ones.

A (21:26)

Six forms.

B (21:28)

Six. Excuse me.

A (21:28)

Let's go.

B (21:29)

Forgive me. I'm sorry.

A (21:30)

Yes.

B (21:31)

Six times. So what were the. What. What are the ones you look at? And you can be moved to tears by gratitude at the idea that the journey has ended up here. And you never. Because when I was asking you. The Dr. I was asking you what your dreams look like, not when you're listening Eddie Murphy, but what you thought success would look like and if you'd exceeded it.

A (21:50)

Yeah, I think the big. The big moment that. That made me really emotional is sitting in the same seat that I sat in when I watched Eddie Murphy at the Coliseum, which is now Climate Pledge. And I literally go, joe. Because I sold out Climate Pledge. And I literally took my son to my seat, and I go, joe, this is where I sat when I watched Eddie Murphy when I was literally, like, your age. I was literally 16, I think, and I was sitting right here, and I remember looking up in that section going, I can't believe those people are here too. Like, that's crazy that they're way up there and they're gonna watch this as well. And it was just. That was that moment where I was like, wow, I was 16, looking up at that. At the roof. And here I am looking up at the roof, and it's my show now, so that was cool.

B (22:49)

And being able to share it with your son.

A (22:51)

With my son as well, who would.

B (22:53)

Understand or would try to understand, but how could he possibly understand? You've made an easier life for Him.

A (23:00)

I think he understands now, but when I was coming up, when he was a kid, that was the heart. Like, telling someone you're a comedian to this day is like, man, it's like saying you're. I don't even know, like, you're from Middle Earth. It's literally the equivalent the minute you go, I'm a comedian. So it always starts off with a little chuckle. Oh, oh, well, how's that going? It's like. It's like they, you know, it's like. It's very, well, man, like, I'll buy your house, cash if you want. Like, what the. That's aggressive. Yeah, but it's just. It's almost like. Like, you're laughing at my career choice. It's like, really? Like. But it's. It's always like that. And. And I get it, but, you know, but it's been my whole career since I started in 1989. It's. I've been. I've been telling people I've been a comedian since that day, and it's. It's always been like, oh, all right, well, okay, where do you do this at? It's like. But, you know, now. I mean, it's different now. It's like, you know, people know me now, and, you know, but it's just comedian. When I had my son as a father, it almost is like. It's a. It hurts. It hurts when you get a response like that, because it's like, hey, I'm providing for my son. And. And it's a really amazing job. I see the world. I'm going to places that people, you know, save up all year. I'm literally being flown out to tell a joke. I'm just saying. And I'm just saying. And then. But on top of that, I also have a son that doesn't know what the hell I'm doing. You know, like, here he is on career day, you know, and he doesn't want dad to come because he doesn't know what that is. You know, he's got, you know, we'll go to Target, and we got, you know, customers walking up and, you know, saying punchlines to my son. And my son's like, what? Like, what is that? Like, what is that, dad? Like, I remember clearly. Like, ah, I. He doesn't know what I do. I, like, you know, and it hurt, you know, and then he got to this, you know, when he graduated, when he got out of high school, you know, I was just like, hey, why don't you come on the road with me. I'll pay you. You know, dad needs help with the. With the merch. And he started doing it, and then that's when he saw it. That's when he was like, oh, my dad grinds.

B (25:36)

So how old is he at this point?

A (25:38)

When I took him on the road, he just got out of high school, so he was 18.

B (25:41)

All right, so the first 18 years of his life, every time you're telling someone you're a comedian who doesn't know who you are, your feeling, their reaction requires almost an apology from you because they're condescending you on that. That's not a real job. You're not. You're not an adult.

A (26:00)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you're a dad, you know, And I'm also getting that from my mom as well. You know, my mom's also like, okay, when's this going to stop?

B (26:08)

Really?

A (26:08)

Of course. It's like, when is this going to. You don't have benefits, you don't have insurance. You're, you know, your son. Are you thinking of his future? Like, you know, I say that stuff on stage, but that's really my mom. That's literally what she'll say to me. And it's like, no, this is what I'm gonna do. Believe me, this is what I want to be. I can't be a nurse. I barely passed high school, so I'm not gonna be a nurse, Mom. So let's get rid of that dream of your kid being in the hospital business. And now I'm in the business of sending my nieces and nephews to nursing school. I just want you to know that. Big shout out to Jamie. She Grad. August 23rd. I just want everyone to know you've.

B (26:53)

Made it in a career.

A (26:54)

This comedian has paid for a lot of tuitions.

B (26:58)

Is that why you did the documentary Nurse Unseen? Is it because it was close to home somewhere?

A (27:05)

Nurse Unseen? Well, one Michelle is an amazing director, Filipino director that, you know, she self funds a lot of her own stuff, but she puts out things that, you know, that talk about our community and our culture. And I just saw a woman that, you know, put her blood and her sweat and her tears into a very meaningful project that represents not only our people, but, you know, like, I have people in my family that are nurses. I have a lot of nurses in my family. So when that project came on my table, I was like, I gotta help, you know, I mean, I got the money, like, let me help her. And so, yeah, I had to. I had to be a part of that because it's, It's. It's us. It's who we are. And if people. More people see it, more people will be more aware. And, you know, it's nothing worse than not being seen, man. Like, just like, you ever go to work and just be like, hey, how are you? It feels good when someone says that to you. You know what I mean? What'd you do this weekend? Like, imagine, like, growing up in a country where your job is to save lives, help people when they're sick, take care of them, make sure they get their medicine on time. And then you go home and you turn on the TV and you watch a TV show about a hospital. You don't see any of your people being represented on tv. You know, from General Hospital to St. Elmo's Fire to whatever it is, er, like, whatever it was when I was growing up, I remember just going, where's the Filipinos? Where are they? Because I know I got 40 of them in my family, so I just want to know why they're not here. So that to me is like, another reason why I was so, like, of course I'm going to support this. You know what I mean? Like, I got to get behind this.

B (28:57)

So I'm.

A (28:58)

And it's a great story, by the way. There's also a story that that's. That's told. So if you could watch it, it'd be great if you could watch. But that's another reason why I did it. Look, every football game is a grind. And if you're like Dan and the crew, you know there's no such thing as one size fits all.

B (29:14)

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B (31:15)

I'm Cuban, and I identify with some of what it is that you're talking about, although there was Cuban representation on television. I don't identify, though, with your mother not supporting what you were doing, even though with immigrants and exiles, often you have to choose the safer paths of law and, and go do something serious. Go be an architect.

A (31:36)

Go so that you do understand.

B (31:37)

Dr. Well, my mother supported and my father wanted me to be an engineer. It's the safer route to go. But my mother supported that. I wanted to do writing and the arts, and so I was allowed to do something. I I got enough support at home. I'm surprised to hear you say, as close as you are to your mother and, and as much success as you've had, that she's like, when you're gonna move it along and do something serious with your life, son?

A (32:01)

Yeah, well, you know, I think that's a cultural thing, right? Like, I think just in our culture alone, I think our generation was a little bit tougher and school was more, you know, that was their way out of the situation that they're in, Right? So it's like school, nursing. Get, get, get out and help the family when you get out.

B (32:25)

No, ma, I'm gonna drop out and do jokes.

A (32:27)

Yeah. Ain't no one's gonna do a joke. I didn't give birth to you to be a clown. You know what I mean? So go to college and help. And, you know, in her brain that was, you know, you go to college, you're gonna have a safe, secure job, and financially you'll be, you know, okay. And you'll be able to help the family so that there's nothing wrong with her way of thinking. I get it. But it takes someone like me to be like, no, I can't. I can't, like, not do this dream. You know what I mean? And there's a lot of people in my family that even right now I get, you know, I'm not going to say any names, but there's people in my family right now that are, you know, that are very talented, but they are going into the nursing business or going into the, you know, going to college and going deep into college and. And I'm supporting it. And I love it. I love you. Okay? Your uncle loves you. I'm gonna support it. I love the master's program. Let's do it. I thought it would stop after the first degree, but you want the master's, so get the master's. Does it come with a belt? Does it come with something?

B (33:46)

You are providing for everybody because the, the funny makes for good business. But you didn't imagine sold out shows all over the world, did you?

A (33:57)

Not like this. Not like, not. Not to this degree. I don't know, man. I was, I was, I was driven. I remember when I did the Tampa Improv and, and this is kind of like my third year as like, like a touring improv comic. This is when I started touring heavily. Heavily. And, and I was at the Tampa Improv and it was a Thursday night and the manager held out, was handing out two for ones, and I, and I. And this is crazy. Like, I tell all my comic friends this, but I literally looked at him, I go, don't, don't hand those out. And he goes, why? And I go, he goes, we should fill the room. And I go, yeah, but we're going to fill them up with two for one, which means they'll always be two for ones. Like, I'd rather just win them with my funny. And if they come back next year, they'll bring another person with them and then that's how we'll build. But it'll be a slow build. But if we do two for ones, and I'm always going to be the Thursday night two for one comic, he Goes, are you sure? And I go, don't do it all weekend. Don't do two for ones anymore. Just let me go out and do it myself. If they come back, they'll bring people. And I literally. That Thursday night, I think I had, like, I'm not even making this up. Probably 15 people paid. You know what I mean? And I remember the. The. The Friday show was maybe 40 people, like, but I didn't care. I was like, we're not gonna. We're not gonna. Two for one. It. I'm going to build this on my own. And I used to make my own merch. And on Sunday, if I had leftover merch and I didn't sell it, I would give it to everybody because it's like, what good is it going home with me? Like, let's leave it in this town. Let's leave my merch in this town, in Tampa. Let's leave it here. Whoever. These people are like me. So if they wear it, they're going to talk about me. They're going to be. So I would literally, I would make sure I didn't go home with. With any merch. So did I see this happening? I don't know if I did. Not to this extent. But do I think that there was potential of it happening by what I was doing? Yes. I knew I could build this massive fan base if I just did it this way and not the other way. The two for ones would not sell out in an arena.

B (36:25)

So take me to 2016, 2017, where you're making the decision to pour all 27 years of your savings into. I'm gonna make my own special. Then if people aren't gonna believe in me the way that I believe in me, I'm just gonna do it all myself.

A (36:41)

Big shout out to my manager, Joe, because don't get me wrong, I was. I was extremely. Let me. Can I just. Let me. Let me tell you why I was a little hurt. Let me. Let me. There's. There's some. So 2017, I. I decide to shoot my special myself with my own money, and I had to, because I had no other option. Netflix turned me down. And by the way, I love you, Netflix. And, you know, they don't like hearing this story, but, you know, it's a part of my life. But Netflix has been nothing but good to me. They've been great to me.

B (37:12)

Been good to comedy as well.

A (37:13)

Yeah, they've been great to comedy. And not only that, it's also a business decision. Like, you know, why are you gonna get offended when this big giant corporation doesn't want to buy whatever product that you're selling. There's nothing wrong with that. That's what makes them successful. You can't get mad at someone for, for why you can get emotionally hurt. Yes, I get it. But it also should drive you, you know what I mean? Like, to think that you're, you know, just, I'm entitled to this. It's like, okay, yeah, you can say that all you want, but you don't own the company. You know what I mean? You don't. Like, you could be the best basketball in the play basket, Best basketball player on the planet. You can't go, can I get some Nikes?

B (38:00)

Eight years of perspective. It's not how you felt when you're trying to sell your first special. You have to pay for everything yourself.

A (38:06)

That's true. And so now I'm gonna give you why I was upset. Because I'm doing these improvs and I'm breaking records, you know, I mean, like, there's plaques on the walls right now. Like, to this day, if you go to certain improvs, you'll see, you go to Chicago, you can go to, you can go to Irvine, Brea, Houston, you'll see, like these things where they say, jo koy. You know, 20 shows sold out in a row. You know, 30 shows, 107 sold out shows. So, like, there were some places where I would fly there for two weeks. Like, I had to, I had to. I couldn't do just four days worth of shows. I had to do 10 days worth of shows and stay there on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, when there is no show, when the room is dark. And then so, like, I, I didn't understand what, why I was like, wait a minute, hold on, man. Like, I'm selling out the country right now. Like, and I, I, you don't want this. And I have to shoot it myself. Like, that's why I was mad. That's what lit the fire. And yes, I was sad, of course. Who wouldn't be? You know what I mean? All of it. I was offended. I was mad. I was. But I took that anger and instead of, like lashing out and going public, I was like, you know, thank God I have my manager. You know what I mean? Because even he was like, and my great agent, Matt, they were both like, no, we can do this. You make it, let's do it. You know, and we invested, we put the money in, got these cameras, you know, I don't know what this is, you know, What? I mean, you got lights. I was like, what? And I became an editor. You know, we invited Michelle Caputo and Shannon. That's my director, my producer, and even I had to convince them to shoot me, like, in D.C. so they came out to D.C. and watched me perform. They walked backstage and like, yeah, we're gonna do this with you. Let's go. And. And that was the team. And we went. Shot that. You know, there's another little piece of story that I'm not telling you, but there was another. You know, there was something else that happened that made me just like, wow, are you kidding me right now? And.

B (40:29)

Can you give it up? You don't have to give any names.

A (40:33)

There was a part where, you know, everything was up and running, and they were like, hey, we heard your, you know, Netflix is like, oh, we heard you. You have it. That you're getting ready to shoot it. We just really want you to know that we're not interested. So you know how heartbreaking that is to tell you that right now. Like. Like, wait, what? We just spent so much money on this camera, you don't even want to see it. Like, so just to reiterate, we're not. We really don't want it. We're not interested. Like, I don't know what part. We're just clarifying. And I remember backstage, like, what? And Matt and Joe are like, just go out there and kill it, man. Like, yo, they. If you kill it, there's no denying. Like, just go do what you do. And literally, I remember I did this one joke, and it was off the top of my head, and I just remember, I go, oh, I got this. Like, it was at the beginning of my set. I was like, oh, it's over. Like, I knew right when I said nerves dissolved. Well, yeah, not only the nerves, but I knew they were gonna buy it. I was like, this is undeniable. Like, this is an undeniable set. Like, I just remember I was like, oh, Everything was hitting on, like, everything. My routine, but, like, my ad libs. Like, I was making stuff up off the cuff, and it was blending with the. With the routine. And I was like, ah, this is. This is. They have to buy. And I remember I went in. I even helped edit. I've never edited before. And that's the cool thing about Michelle and Shannon. They were like, come in. Show us what you don't like. And cut. Let's go. And I was like, all right. And I was in there, and now I'm an editor. And I knew how to edit. And I started piecing things together and we put together this special and then we brought it in. And literally the minute we brought it in, like 30 minutes later, after they watched it, you know what I mean? They called like, don't shop around. We want it. And I was like, why you tell me that a year ago? Why you tell me that a year ago? But they bought it and it's been history ever since. And I love you, Netflix. Thank you for making me become what I am now. Because if they would have said yes, I probably would have never been this editor that I am now. Now I know how to direct. And they opened up a can of worms for me.

B (42:56)

I made the mistake of interrupting you. You were in the middle of saying so you were going adlif off the top. You felt something. You remember thinking up there immediately, oh.

A (43:04)

Yeah, I got it.

B (43:05)

First joke. But was there. Are you remembering the joke because I interrupted you before?

A (43:09)

No, it's all good. I just said, elevate the feet. Elevate the feet. And when I did that, I was like, oh. I was like, that's good.

B (43:18)

When you look.

A (43:19)

So when you see it, I'm sorry, When you see it, if you watch it, it's called Live from Seattle. I say elevate the feet. Elevate the feet. What are you stupid? When I said that, I was like, oh, that was good. That was good.

B (43:32)

Take me through the fear and the doubt, though, of the spending all the savings and having to do it yourself.

A (43:40)

Yeah, it was a lot. It was a lot of. I didn't, to be honest, I didn't care. Like, the money didn't even matter to me. I knew I was going to be able to pay them back. I knew I was going to. You know, I knew in the books already, like, my, how much money I had. You know what I mean? I knew this was going to be gone now, but it will come back fast. You know what I mean?

B (44:04)

You had that much confidence in what you were making.

A (44:07)

Yeah.

B (44:08)

No doubt in what you were making, even though you were being told no and you had to finance it yourself. It seems foolhardy to not have any doubt. Delusional confidence. And I'm not saying it's not earned, but it seems foolhardy to not have any doubt.

A (44:23)

Yeah, I, I had no doubt. Like, I, I knew, like, like I knew my routine was I'm crushing everywhere. You know what I mean? Like, I gotta document this. So I, I, I looked at it as are you. We even remember saying, we'll put it on YouTube. Like, I remember that was our option. Like, you know what? If. If no one takes it, we'll put it on YouTube. And we were like, I remember, we were like, things blow up on YouTube, we'll put on YouTube. We started, you know, looking at all the people that blew up on YouTube. We were like, oh, you blew up on YouTube? And you blew up on. Yeah, it'll be fine. Like. So I was like, you know what? As long as I can get a professionally made, like a very beautifully made special, an hour special, like, I'm gonna be all right. And I knew I could pay the money back because I already knew the rest of my year, my calendar year. I was like, okay, this is what I need right here. I need at least six months. And I'll get it all back, you guys. I promise. I'll get it all back. But, yeah, it was a lot. It was a lot. I had zero. There was nothing left after that.

B (45:31)

But no fear, no doubt.

A (45:33)

That's crazy.

B (45:34)

Please explain it to me. I don't understand how you're looking at a zero. You're investing in your future and comedy, which is rife with insecurity and variety of different places. Yeah, the business of it is really hard. It's three decades of your life savings that's going down to zero.

A (45:51)

Yeah, yeah, I. Yeah, I didn't. I didn't care. I didn't. I don't know. I was always into, like, putting money back into the business. You know what I mean? So it's like, even like my merch, it's like I didn't care. I looked at it as, it's gonna pay me back. That's all that was. And I knew I needed it. I needed this hour, especially this one. Oh, and I knew there was a time crunch because the jokes, you know, the stories about my son, he's getting older now, you know what I mean? So it's like, these aren't gonna make sense. Like, if I do this in two years, my son's gonna be seven, you know what I mean? But right now, we're on the cusp of four or five right now, which means the two year old jokes are gonna work, but if I wait another two years, it's gonna be like, what are you doing?

B (46:48)

But you're just telling me that you're so resolute in the conviction of knowing that the universe has ordained. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. There are no other choices for me. Laughter's what I've got to chase. You understand why? I'm a little befuddled by the amount of conviction you before others have told you. I know you got the sold out places, but you need the corporate support or could feel like comedy to that point has always needed corporate support. Cause it doesn't come with health insurance.

A (47:17)

Yeah, I knew how important Netflix was at that point because this is when Comedy Central was still on the air. Kind of like, still kind of like the standup capitol, you know what I mean? Like, they were standup comics, wanted to have a Comedy Central special. But Netflix was just coming up like 2015, 2016. They started doing this thing where they were licensing. I'm only saying this because I investigated, but they were licensing stand up. They didn't have their own. They didn't own it. You know, I mean, they weren't in the. They weren't in the area of producing stand up specials. They were licensing at that point. And I noticed that they licensed mine from Comedy Central. And Comedy Central didn't have like a streaming platform yet. I don't think I'm talking nonsense right now. I don't know the logistics, but let's just say they didn't have the platform that Netflix had.

B (48:18)

I felt when you talk nonsense with a jazz hand in the air, it's distracting.

A (48:22)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's magic. It's magic man. Logistics. So, so, so they got my special and they put it on Netflix, right? So they licensed my special. It was the one. It was don't make them angry. Yeah, it was don't make them angry. And they played it. And I didn't know what was going on, but I think Twitter was still a thing back then. And I remember looking at my Twitter and I'm just seeing all these areas of the world asking when I'm coming to perform. Just all your special, when are you coming? Blah, blah, blah. Just saw your special when you come in Australia. Just saw your special when you go to Zimbabwe. I'm making these up, by the way. When are you coming?

B (49:11)

Not all of them.

A (49:12)

You're not making all of them? Not actually, to be honest. But. But yeah, they were saying that, you know, when are you coming to da da da, when are you coming? And I would say, what is this? And I noticed my following was getting bigger. I didn't know what was going on. And then I was like, is Comedy Central playing my special again? Like, what's going on? Like, what is all this love? And it was happening for weeks. Like, just this thing of people DMing me and talking about, don't make them angry. I didn't have Netflix at the time. And then my sister had Netflix. And I. I remember when I moved into my place, that's how I got the Netflix. And that's when I saw my Jo Koy on, and I was like, oh, my God. That's where this is coming from. It's Netflix. And then it stopped. All of a sudden, it just stopped. Like, everyone stopped DMing me, like I wasn't getting the following. Like, it was. And then I was like, what the hell? And then I went to Netflix, and it was gone. I was like, oh, my God. Why is it gone? Like, why. Why did. And then I found out that Comedy Central went into the streaming world and they took their content back, and I was like, oh, man. And that's that. That's why I knew, I have to get on Netflix. I have to. This. This is a must. So when they announced, I think it was 2016, that they were gonna have original specials, they were going to make specials. I remember talking to Joe and Matt. I go, we have to be on that first leg. We have to be in the first run. It's a must. Not the second run. We need to be in the first block that they make. And that's. Sorry. And that's why it was so important to me. I think that's why it was just like this thing. There was a drive where I was like, no, I have to be in the first block, and I have to be in it.

B (51:08)

What do you know about your connection with your audience that the rest of us don't or couldn't know based on whatever is the most meaningful kind of compliment that you get most often from your audience. Beyond. He's funny.

A (51:22)

I just love it when people that aren't Filipino. You know what I mean, Identify, you know, with the stories that I tell about, you know, my childhood. And they go, my mom. My mom's just like, your mom. I fucking. I love it, man. Like, it just. It turns me on. It's my favorite compliment. It's because it's exactly what I wanted. Like, when I talk about my mom, I'm not making fun of my mom. You know what I mean? I'm doing the best impersonation of my mom. Like, no one sounds like my mom better than me. You know what I mean? I have her down. I've been doing it for 50 years.

B (52:06)

I'd love to see you talk to her. Yeah, I'd love to see you as.

A (52:09)

Her talking to her mannerisms, her. Her facials, her hands. Just everything her over the top confidence, how strong she is, you know, I mean, she got a, she got a mouth on her. And she'll, she'll take anyone down in this room. She'll take anyone down. You can never belittle her. You can never down talk her. She will always be the bigger person. I got all that. And when I tell those stories, they're all real stories. Yeah, they're embellished. That's what comedy is. But like talking about my sister's, you know, and her getting into a fight and her kicking my sister out of the house, that's not a funny topic. That's something I really had to witness and watch and you know, I had to talk about it, you know, so, you know, talking about her disciplining me, her making me lunch, like all those are real stories. Her getting into a fight with a shoe salesman, like those are all real things. Her putting Vicks on my eyes, you know, like those aren't, like, I'm not making that up. That's really what happened. And I'm doing the best version of what happened. And to hear like someone that's other. You know what I mean? Like a black woman coming up to me or a Puerto Rican man coming up to me, or like this white kid walking up to me with a, a video game controller going, my mom plays video games the same way your mom plays video games. That, that makes me so happy. Because it's not about the race, it's not about the ethnicity or the culture. It's just a mom being a mom. It's like, my mom's Filipino, his mom's white, and they both talk shit when they play video games. That's it. That's what the world's all about. And I was all met through laughter. That's it. There's no difference. There's no difference between the two. They're both moms raising kids. That's it. That's all you need to hear. And that's why I love, when I, when I look at the cosmetic makeup of my audience, I'm like, this is beautiful. You know what I mean? Here I am at the form and I see every color of the rainbow.

B (54:19)

Just six times sold out. Not once. Six times sold out. I am surprised to hear a couple of things in what it is that you said. I would think that you understand that the greatest compliment you're getting is the origin story of where your love of comedy began. Where a black man's family is. What introduced you to. Wait a minute. My family's like that. But I'm also surprised that the Filipino connection doesn't resonate for you first there, just because I would think you would take great pride from tattoos on being able to be representation for your people in a way that's. That's hugely fulfilling. Beyond, like, laughter is one thing, but. But in terms of legacy and whatnot, to be representation for your people is also pretty special.

A (55:14)

Oh, I love it. I love it. I think that's my biggest joy is I'm vicariously living out my mom's. How am I trying to say this? Her going to people and asking them Filipino is like, I'm now doing that for her. You know what I mean? Like, she don't have to ask anymore. You know what I mean? Like, they're coming out of the woodwork now, Mom. You know what I mean? You're seeing a lot of us now. And, yeah, it had to get that Netflix special out there to be able to do this. But, yeah, I love being able to say, I'm Filipino. And now I got people like this generation going, yeah, that's us right there. That's us. And instead of my mom going, are you us? You know what I mean? Like, that's the difference. You know, she lived in a time where she couldn't turn on the TV and see someone like me doing the jokes that I'm doing. And now she is. And not only is she, but there's a lot of people. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from EBGLIS. After an initial dosing phase, about 4 in 10 people taking EBGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year, with monthly dosing. EBGLIS Librekizumab LBKZ, a 250mg 2ml injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of and age older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. EBGLIS can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be. Severe eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Searching for real releases? Ask your doctor about epglis and visit epgliss.lilly.com or call 1-800-lilyrx or 1-800-545-5979. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Life gets easier with great assists and State Farm is here to dish one your way. Get in touch over the phone or on the app to get the teammate you need State Farm with the assist. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Coverage options are selected by by the customer. Availability and eligibility vary by state.

B (57:51)

I read some quotes from you that said for 14 years, you didn't discuss either your mother or very much about Filipino. Why is that about being Filipino?

A (58:03)

Because, you know, you gotta look at the generations, right? Like, you know, you always see, like a comic go, oh, well, you know, it was a different time back then. Well, it was a different time back then, you know what I mean? And so, you know, I came up during a time when, you know, the Friday and Saturday night show at the comedy club was labeled the White Night. That was called White Room. That was the white night. That's when, you know, that's when the white people come out. That's when the white, you know, I mean, oh, the comics are going to be white, you know what I mean? And that's not even. I'm not even making that shit up. You know, you can ask any comic, you wanted a ethnic night, you had to do an off night when they turn the lights off, you know what I mean? Oh, Tuesday night. Tuesday night, when there's no business here, we have a black night there. It's called Fat Tuesday, spelled with a ph, you know what I mean? You know, that's at the Comedy Store. And we were knocking it down, by the way. That's why my name's on the door. Like I was doing Fat Tuesday Tuesdays, you know what I mean, at the store. Or chocolate sundae.

B (59:09)

It wasn't that long ago.

A (59:10)

Yeah, it wasn't that long ago. And people think, well, and now, you gotta remember I started 89. So it was even. It was even harder to get in, you know, look at the. So. So that. That's just how it was to get into comedy. But just imagine what I saw on TV as a kid, you know what I mean? And what I had to sit and laugh at as a kid because my representation with my cartoons, like, I still have some where the old Looney Tunes cartoons, you'll see a little Asian guy holding two buckets of water on his thing with his teeth bucked out and, you know, glasses and just walking. And then here I am watching it with, you know, my friends that aren't Asian, and they're laughing, and of course I'm like, yeah, that's. I guess we're laughing at that. And, you know, subliminally, I'm being programmed to think that's what. But that's how I'm supposed to be represented. You know what I mean? You take on all those things, and then now I'm trying to get into these rooms where it's like, oh, you're Asian. Sorry. Well, then what makes you laugh? Oh, I know what makes you laugh, because you programmed me to know what makes you laugh when I was a kid. So let me do those, right? Is it my fault? No, that's. That's. I mean, you can go back with any ethnicity. How are you programmed? You know what I mean? Look how Latinos were represented. We're not. I'm not mad at it, but it was like, that was the only opportunity they had to get on tv, you know what I mean? They had to do it. You know what I mean? You think they. You know, like, it's just that. That's why when you first go in, it's like, look, I'm just happy to be in this club. You know what I mean? You know, even though Thursday night is Asian invasion night at the. I'm not making this up, you gu. If you guys think I'm being racist, I'm not the one. It was called Asian Invasions at the. At the la. At the Laugh Factory. Or was it the improv? Either one. It didn't matter.

B (61:08)

But one of the institutions had an Asian invasion because Asian rhymed with invasion and that.

A (61:13)

And now. And we were invading comedy. It was just like, what, though? Yeah, man. So it's just like. That's what. That's. Those were the. Those were our boundaries. Those. Those were the doors that were in front of us that we had to knock down. So it's like you're trying to. You're trying to tell me to get into this room and talk about my mom. At this point, it's not. It's not gonna work, you know what I mean? But I will slowly introduce Asian comedy. You know, me, I was doing it. I was doing the easy Asian comedy, you know what I mean? The stuff that I grew up watching. And then it all came down to the Wii. It was the Wii controller that. That Set it off. I was a regular at the Laugh Factory, right? And when I was a regular at the Laugh Factory, I think I was about. I don't know, about 13 years in at that point, because I started in 89 and I was a regular at, like 2002, so I'm not good at math, so I think that's 13 years. Yeah. So right around 13 years, I'm a regular at the. The Laugh Factory. 2002, 2003. And my story's all messed up. Whatever. Let's just say my son has a Wii at this point. So whatever year that is. 2005, I guess. I'm 54. You guys, chill.

B (62:34)

Nobody. Nobody cares.

A (62:36)

I know.

B (62:36)

I'm trying to do the math. You're getting stuck on the map. The story, the we is.

A (62:42)

The important part of the story is I'm a regular at the Laugh Factory and I buy my son a Wii. And my mom never played a video game in her life, you know what I mean? Because. But this one was easy for her because it was just hand movements. So she was like, oh, I like this. And she started bowling with my son, and she's killing him. Now she's playing tennis with my son. She's killing him. And she's talking like, she's talking shit. And I'm watching my. I remember sitting on the couch watching my mom play the Wii with my son. And like, my son is just, like, getting mad and she's talking shit. She's throwing the. She's throwing the controller down and like, oh, next game, who's the. I need someone better. Better competition. And then. And I remember I went and performed and I just did that. I just talked about it. I didn't even, like, write anything. I just ad libbed start to finish.

B (63:37)

It takes you a year to write a special, roughly, right? Because you're gonna be meticulous about every word here. You're totally free, talking about her telling stories. And now you're.

A (63:48)

I remember her doing tennis and she said, game over. And I remember I did that on stage and the crowd went crazy. And I was like, what? I go, really? Okay, Well, I got. I got a lot more than that. And that's when it just started. I just started doing all kinds of stories about my mom. Just like, here, you like that one? Oh, you're gonna love this one. You like that one? You're gonna love this one. And then that's when that all started, was with the Wii.

B (64:15)

Did it also loosen up your process? Where you go from, you know, sculpting every sentence to your ad living.

A (64:23)

I was always an ad libber. Like, I always wrote like that. So, like, whatever it was I was talking about, it was just like. Like, loose. It was always loose. Freestyle. Like, that's how I always came up with it.

B (64:35)

But it wasn't act. It wasn't actually loose. The performance, if it's taking you a year to write a special, it's because you're making it look natural and organic is rehearsed. In this case, you're talking about going on stage and feeling something open in your process because you're just telling stories about your mom, and it doesn't require a year of practice.

A (65:01)

Yeah, yeah.

B (65:02)

Did it open anything up there? The ability to be free? Talking about it?

A (65:06)

I think that. What that. Well, no, no. I always ad libbed my routines. What I'm trying to say is that was when the stories about my mom, that's when that became, like, a thing where I was like, ooh, I'm gonna do more of these. And that process opened up.

B (65:23)

Because you were intentional for 14 years about not talking about that stuff, right?

A (65:28)

Well, I just. Y. I didn't. I didn't want to do. Don't get me wrong, I was doing jokes about my mom, but they were the easy jokes, you know what I mean? I wasn't doing any storytelling jokes. I was doing, like, more like Filipinos talk like this. Filipinos do that. Like, it was the easy basic. Everyone, anyone that is Filipino will do that joke. You know what I mean? They do it at home. Like, the uncle introduced you to that joke. You know what I mean? But the stories were like, this is like, I would have never in a million years talked about my mom. Like, I just wasn't there yet. I didn't know how to do that yet. Just, like, to this day, I'm still struggling on my brother. Like, people always. They always go, oh, you got a brother? And I'm like, my brother's the funniest one in the family. Like, he is so damn funny. If I were to call my brother, he would literally knock out two jokes. And then it'll be a hard talk after that. You know what I mean? It'll turn into like. Like this thing where it's hard to talk to my brother. But his initial. Like, the minute. Like, the minute he answers, it's like, oh, Joe, I gotta tell you this. You're gonna love this one. And then he'll do this thing and we both die laughing. But he's always been the funny one. He's he's funny, so he's been the funny one. He. He was always funny. He's just, like, quick, witty. He's like my mom, very quick. You know? I mean, and. And I am, too. I'm very quick. But it's just my. My brother just has this quick wit. And, you know, he was always cool. My brother was always cool. He always dressed fly, you know, and he was just that guy. And so I want to talk about that. I want to, but I don't know how. I'm trying to figure that out. It's very touchy for me. You know, I've done it a couple times where I get emotional on stage. I don't want to do that. You know what I mean? I still want to make sure people laugh, but also go, hey, we have someone like that, too, in our family.

B (67:19)

So it can't be both. Huh? What an interesting connection point that might be in terms of vulnerabilities, but you don't want to get emotional.

A (67:27)

I don't mind getting emotional, but it's the kind of emotional that happens with my. Like, I talk about my stepdad all the time. I get emotional. I love it, you know, And I still knock it out of the park. You know, his stories are great, too. You know, my stepdad is from West Virginia. It. So I do a joke on coming in hot where I go, you know, he's the most indirect racist. You know what I mean? He's indirectly racist. He'll compliment, you know, my mom and say, like, the most racist thing in the world. Like, you know, I married your mom. I'm like, why? Because I love Chinese food. I'm like, she's Filipino. Whatever. Ras is wrasse. Like, that is literally Fred Sergeant Fred Harrison. He literally would say stuff like that. Like, that's his joke, by the way. Rice is rice. He always said that. Oh, whatever, man. Rice is rice. But he's from the mountains of West Virginia. All his uncles died in the coal mine. Like, you can't explain his journey, man. Like, you can't tell him that that's wrong. Like, he obviously loves my mom. Like, he will kill anyone that came close to my mom. Like, that's the man I want next to my mom. You know what I mean? He loves sports. He's a Lakers fan. He's a Magic Johnson. Like, he just says, Chinese food is why he loves my Filipino mom. Like, all right, I get it. You're the most loving racist I've ever met, and you're my stepdad. I love you, so. But talking about him. Like, you know, I'll get emotional. You know, he just passed. But, like. But I love it because, like, I love talking about him, but my brother's a different kind of emotion, you know what I mean? Because I know he's. You know, he's. He's. He's been dealt a tough hand, and it. And it's like. And it's. You know, I just want to be very careful when I talk about my brother, because I love my brother. He's. He's amazing. I mean, he bought me my first pair of kung fu shoes. Like, I remember him taking me on the bus when I was like. Like 11 years old, and we went downtown to Chinatown. He bought me kung fu shoes with his. With his, you know, his government money. You know what I mean, that he was getting from the government. And. Yeah, I remember all those things.

B (69:32)

Talk to me about this, though, the relationship with your brother now in adulthood, because I did it. I just buried my brother two years ago. My younger brother, an artist, never expected to have to do any of that. And at the end, we were fighting with some things that were. Had conflict in it because there was some mental illness stuff happening at the very end that made him somebody different than the person I'd known all my life. You now have an adult relationship with a brother that. That caused a great deal of turmoil, but you also have a lot of happy memories. So now, as you try to evolve your comedy, you're trying to be more vulnerable. You're trying to grow. And didn't talk about mom stuff, except superficially for the 14 years, but now you have this challenge in front of you. How could you explain it to a stranger? The entirety of it? And I'm not. I'm not. I don't know how you find the funny.

A (70:26)

Yeah, I don't know how to find the funny either, you know, but he is a funny guy, you know, like, you know, just the. The character description of my brother is fun to talk about. The, you know, the things he does, the way he dances, you know, is. Is fun to talk about, but I also don't want to leave out the fact that he's dealing with this hand that he's been dealt with. You know, I want to also talk about, you know, that and get that awareness out there, because people like to hear that. You know, I do. You know, I always talk about, like, I go to therapy, but, like, my best therapy is, like, realizing that when I would tell my traumas to my therapist, and we would always end up laughing about things and relating. And I'm like, well, I might as well tell these same stories on stage and see them laugh and relate and then respond to me DM me and go, oh, my God, thank you for telling that story about your sister. I went through the same thing with my mom, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, well, why am I paying this guy to hear it when I could pay. I could tell them and they could pay me. Like, you can indirectly be my therapist. So telling those stories on stage, people love it. And it also makes me feel good, like, because I bottle those things up, you know, like, who doesn't? I bottle. I'll keep it in and I'll store it.

B (71:47)

Men.

A (71:47)

Men.

B (71:48)

Men particularly get at it. And. And it's been culturally handed down in a lot of instances.

A (71:54)

Yeah. But I. I love impressions.

B (71:56)

To not. To not talk about that stuff.

A (71:58)

Yeah, it'll hurt you. And so I love. I love saying those stories on stage because it's kind of like, it felt good to say that, you know, I felt good, you know, So I did this movie, Easter Sunday, where I talk about. You know, I told the writers. I was like, you know, my mom and my aunt have not talked in, like, 35 years. They live five minutes. They literally live, like, 10 minutes away from each other, like, five miles apart in Vegas. They don't talk. Just don't. It's been so long. They don't even know what they're fighting about. Up. It's like, it's that bad. And I don't get it. And I was like, we got to write this in. We just got to show this stubbornness between these two sisters that just want to be mad but don't know why they're mad, and they're just angry, and they will fight, and it's going to fight till the end. And literally, that's what the. The whole premise of that movie was. It was based, loosely based on, you know, my mom and my. And my aunt just not talking. It just doesn't make sense to me. But it felt good for me to say it, and it felt good to put that out there.

B (73:12)

Felt good to share it with your audience.

A (73:15)

Oh, yeah. Feels good to just put it out there. Yeah. Look at that. Because I know there's people out there. There's people that come up to me and say the same thing. Oh, my God. My mom and my aunt don't talk. And it's like, you're not alone. Yeah. There was many years where I was alone. You know what I mean? There's a Lot of years where the family was separated because of it. Because I was too young to make a decision. Oh, don't go over there. Why? Because I'm not talking to her. All right, well, then let me stay here, talk to my cousins for some reason, because you have a beef that I don't know why. But let me not talk to my cousin and not have a relationship with my cousin. So, like, if you could just put that out there and let other people go. Oh, you go through the same thing. Well, all right, well. Well, you're on your own, Mom. I'm gonna go talk to my cousin. Cause this is something that's normal, I guess. And this isn't a personal beef between our families. It looks like this is a cultural thing or something. There's other people that go through this, so I'm not gonna deal with your bs. This is just two adults being stupid.

B (74:19)

Well, you don't do a lot of politics in your comedy, but your mom is political. She's a radio personality in Las Vegas. How do you navigate all of that?

A (74:29)

I, you know, she does what she has. She's her own. She's her own person, you know, I mean, like, let her speak her own voice, say whatever she wants to say. I don't do it because, you know, you look at comedy the same way you look at music, right? You're not going to go to Ozzy and go, when's your next rap album coming out? Doesn't make sense. Because he's a metal. He's a metal God. You know what I mean? And he's not a rap art artist. It's the same thing with comedy. Comedy is all based on, like, your own genre. It's, what genre are you in? Are you a political comic? Because we have them. They're all out there. You know who they are. You got your storytellers, you got your puppeteers, you got your physical guys, you got your clowns, you got every single style of. You got your impersonators that they literally go up for an hour and a half and just impersonate, you know, so it's the same thing. We're not under one umbrella. I mean, we are comedians, but we're also. There's different styles. There's rap, country, rock. There's. There's impersonators, there's puppets, there's political, there's storytellers. There's everything. So it's a different genre. It's like, I never. I always enjoyed watching storytellers. I always tell people my favorite comics were Eddie Murphy Richard Pryor, gosh, Louie Anderson, Dennis Wolfberg, Brian Regan. Just anyone that would tell a story about their childhood and act it out. For me, I couldn't stop watching it. Dennis Wolfberg was one of my all time favorites. Like he was all, he would always talk about being a teacher or whatever. Like I loved it. Like I just identified with that, that so much.

B (76:20)

If you want his book, if you want tickets, if you want dates, Jocoy.com is where you go. And I had mentioned earlier you're about to sell out a football stadium and the preparation that goes into that. How did that collaboration come together and what is it that you would want people to know about the idea that you're the, going to be the first comedy act ever to play SoFi.

A (76:44)

That's crazy to even think about, you know, the first, the first like nine, 10 days, I guess. I think we sold 30,000 tickets in 10 days. It was, it was maddening. And then to, to see that this stadium is being shared with, you know, these acts that are just insane like Green Day and Journey, you know, I mean, just like these massive acts that are just going in there and you're just like, we're doing comedy. Like I literally bands, I get it. They, you know, we need, we need two drummers, we need three guitars, we need blah, we need all the pyro, we need everything. Yeah, they need a stadium. You know what I mean? I have a stool, bro. I have a stool and a microphone. So I have to build this thing, we have to build this elaborate stage, this massive stage. And, and I can't wait, man.

B (77:42)

Is it all exciting? Is it 100% exciting or is there some daunting in it? Is there? It's all positive.

A (77:48)

It's a win no matter what.

B (77:50)

I can't wait.

A (77:50)

The minute I walk out, it's a win. It's a win. And I, yeah, because then you show everyone that it's possible. You know, I said this on AOL one time, I forget you remember aol? I think they had this thing where they were doing these interviews. It was in New York. But I remember he goes, what's next? I go, kevin Hart showed everyone that, that you could do a stadium like he showed me, you know, I mean, like here's a guy that I start, I was bowling with, you know, we would do this, the, the Comedy Store and then, and then we'd go to, we would go to Mel's and eat at 2 in the morning, you know, I mean, and then we go to Jerry's and bowl like this. This is my, my cat, you know, these, this is my peer. This is my, my dude next to me, you know what I mean? And boom, he's in a stadium. I'm going to be in a stadium. He showed me, you know, I mean, we came from ground zero together and, and now look like it's possible. So, you know, when you, when you doubt, then, then you might as well not do it if you're going to doubt it. But you should always just walk in and be like, yeah, I can walk through this. I can do this. And then if you fall, you fall. You just get right back up, you're fine.

B (79:04)

Joy.com is where you go. Thank you, sir. Appreciate you sharing so much with us here.

A (79:08)

Thank you. Man, that was fun. This episode is brought to you by FX's alien Earth, the official podcast. Each week, host Adam Rogers is joined by guests, including the show's creator, cast and crew. In this exclusive companion podcast, they will explore story elements, deep dive into character motivations, and offer an episode by episode behind the scenes breakdown of each terrifying chapter in this new series. Search FX's alien Earth. Wherever you listen to podcasts.