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3.16.2018

Angry Reader of the Week: Jimmy O. Yang

"...better to disappoint my parents for a couple of years than to disappoint myself for the rest of my life."



Good people of the internet! It is time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Jimmy O. Yang.


Who are you?

I'm Jimmy O. Yang

What are you?

I'm an actor, comedian, writer and immigrant.

Where are you?

I live in LA.

Where are you from?

I grew up in Hong Kong before moving to LA with my family when I was 13.

What do you do?

Through my jokes, my characters and my writing, I try to create funny and relatable material for my audience. Sometimes it's more important to be relatable than just laugh out loud funny. It feels good to hear someone who went through the same things that you have; it makes you feel a little more normal about yourself. And there's nothing funnier than when someone says "Oh my God! That is so true!"

What are you all about?

In my book How To American: An Immigrant's Guide To Disappointing Your Parents, I share my story of being a Chinese immigrant fitting in in America, and straying away from my Asian parents expectations to become an artist. As my dad told me when I was growing up, "Study hard, get a real job. Pursuing your dream is for losers, being an artist will make you homeless." It's never easy to disappoint your parents and pursue your dreams, especially coming from an Asian family. But I figured it was better to disappoint my parents for a couple of years than to disappoint myself for the rest of my life.

What makes you angry?

Random people who bow to me because they think that's funny.