They Call Us Bruce 203: They Call Us Hari Kondabolu

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome comedian Hari Kondabolu, whose latest standup special Vacation Baby is available on YouTube. He talks about how becoming a parent -- during the pandemic -- informed his act, why Father's Day should be observed on a leap year, making peace with Hank Azaria in the aftermath of his documentary The Problem with Apu, and why he's got no love for San Diego. Plus: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of being a dad. Hint: it involves poop.

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Opinion: Affirmative action isn't hurting Asian Americans. Here's why that myth survives
“Asian Americans, like all nonwhite students, do face implicit bias. Importantly, Asian Americans experience both positive and negative forms of bias in college admissions. The stereotype of hard work and smarts can provide an advantage in some instances. But research shows that those who view Asian Americans through that lens are more likely to view other people of color as lacking a work ethic. Indeed, the model minority stereotype has long been used to undermine demands for equality for all."

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The U.S. loves erasing Asian American history — including in the environmental justice movement
In electronics, garment work, farm labor, and more – Asian Americans have organized to achieve safer worker conditions in every industry they entered.

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Past Lives Captures What So Many Immigrants Feel
And that's only one of many layers in Celine Song's moving film. Here, the director speaks to Nancy Wang Yuen about what inspired the story—and what she hopes viewers take away from it.

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Opinion: 'Elemental' hit me hard in my feelings
"Elemental may not be a perfect film, but it's the perfect one for a moment when Asian Americans are finding the confidence and platform to dig ever deeper into the complicated and unruly aspects of our reality."

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Understanding Complex Asian American Stories With Author And DEI Consultant Nancy Wang Yuen
An interview sociologist, cultural critic, and DEI expert, Nancy Wang Yuen.

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How Chan Is Missing Led to Better Luck Tomorrow Led to Everything Everywhere All at Once
"During the past forty years in Asian American cinema there have been three premieres that took my breath away: Chan Is Missing in 1982. Better Luck Tomorrow in 2002. Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022."

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Maitreyi Ramakrishnan of ‘Never Have I Ever’ reminds us that she’s always been on one team
With the final season of Never Have I Ever hitting Netflix, star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan talks about where Devi finds herself by the end of the series, why she said she was on different teams to different outlets, and the one school club she's actually a member of.

They Call Us Bruce 202: They Call Us Elemental

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome Peter Sohn and Leah Lewis, director and star, respectively, of the new Disney/Pixar animated feature Elemental. They talk about drawing from Peter’s own immigrant family and upbringing to tell a deeply personal story, how even anthropomorphic fire and water can make moving and compelling narrative chemistry, and why computer animation still isn’t as simple as punching a button. Plus: The Good, The Bad and The WTF of making Elemental.

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What Reparations Actually Bought
In 1990, the U.S. government sent a letter of apology and a $20,000 to more than 82,000 Japanese Americans who, during World War II, were robbed of their homes, jobs, and rights, and incarcerated in camps. The redress program showed that the money matters. But it's not the only thing that matters.

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How Asian Americans got wrapped up in the affirmative action debate — and why many want out
Asian American college applicants have been cast as victims of affirmative action, often unwillingly, by conservative anti-affirmative action politicians who are leaning into people's biases and stereotypes to advance their own agenda. Higher education researcher Oiyan Poon breaks it down for WBEZ.

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Why I Don't Translate Non-English Words in My Writing
"We encounter the unfamiliar in all kinds of fiction, from historical epics to sci-fi to small-town Iowa realism. Yet there remains a particular insistence on maximum legibility when it comes to books set in worlds that aren't white, aren't Western, aren't lived in "standard" English."

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How Spam Became a Staple of Asian Cuisine
American G.I.s fought abroad in wars in the 20th century and left behind an unlikely legacy: canned meat.

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Tea Tea
Did you know that the word "chai" means "tea," so when you say "chai tea" you’re just saying "tea tea"?

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American Born Chinese: VFX Supervisor Kaitlyn Yang Breaks Down How Diversity Unites Communities
Kaitlyn Yang, visual effects supervisor for American Born Chinese, breaks down the power of diverse experiences in modern media and the surprises of the show.

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YouTube channel Wong Fu Productions reflects on 20 years of Asian American storytelling
Before there was Crazy Rich Asians or Everything Everywhere All at Once, there was a scrappy trio of college students making independent films that resonated with young Asian Americans.

They Call Us Bruce 201: They Call Us American Born Chinese

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome back Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese, and actor Ben Wang, who stars as Jin Wang in the Disney+ series adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel. They talk about some of the tricky considerations when it came to bringing this beloved book to life, how they updated the story for contemporary television (and contemporary Asian America), and how toy robots and Panda Express can bring people together.

They Call Us Bruce 200: They Call Us 200

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we celebrate 200 episodes of They Call Us Bruce by welcoming back some good friends and returning guests from Episode 100: actor Daniel Wu, who stars as the Monkey King in Disney's adaptation of American Born Chinese, and comedian/filmmaker W. Kamau Bell, whose HBO original documentary 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed explores multiracial identity though conversations with kids and families. They discuss why the kids are all right, the meme-ification of Bruce Lee, and The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of having a foot in two worlds. Plus: Phil and Kamau engage in an impromptu Daniel Tiger sing-off.

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'Past Lives' is a what-if love triangle in two languages
Celine Song's feature film debut Past Lives is a romantic drama inspired by a real-life love triangle.

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We Should All Believe in Ourselves as Much as Filmmaker Celine Song Believed in Her 'Past Lives'
Celine Song didn't have any of the things that usually allow producers to trust a first-time filmmaker. But she believed that her script for Past Lives was so good that it would be the build-it-and-they-will-come of screenplays. She was right.

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New documentary about Korean liquor store families starts messy, necessary conversation
"In the quest to articulate an Asian American political identity over these past few years, I wonder if we plan to include our parents. More than half of Asian Americans are immigrants who were born speaking a different language. And in large part, these are the people who need the most help."

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This Is the Vibrant Future of Night Markets in Los Angeles
Inspired by immigrant-run street markets, a younger generation of Angelenos is organizing events to encourage entrepreneurship and community preservation.

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Reflecting on Four Decades of Houston's Asiatown
Since taking root 40 years ago, Houston's vibrant Asiatown neighborhood remains a refuge for food and family.

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An Asian American Comedy Milestone Riffs on a Kung-Fu Icon
For Criterion's series on Asian American cinema of the 1980s, Oliver Wang writes about the somewhat forgotten fish-out-of-water comedy They Call Me Bruce, starring pioneering comedian Johnny Yune.

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Daniel Wu's Journey to the West
"Americans think I'm just a kung fu star, and that's not really indicative of my whole career."

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Ronny Chieng Is 'Asian-Mom Famous'
Actor/comedian Ronny Chieng has made you laugh, made you cringe, and he's been chased by a scary robot doll -- but Chieng's biggest roles are still ahead of him.