Ken Jeong Fakes The Daily Show to Meet Park Chan-wook

And other items of note from Angry Asian America.

1. Director Park Chan-wook - Satirizing Capitalism in "No Other Choice"

Dr. Ken Jeong made a surprise appearance on The Daily Show -- crashing host Ronny Chieng's interview with acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook (who was on the show to promote his latest film No Other Choice) -- by his own admission, pretending to be Chieng's "translator" to get close to the legendary director and declaring Park "The Korean Scorsese"... before Ronny gave him the boot.



The shenanigans precede a full interview with the director (and his legit interpreter), whose credits including Oldboy, The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave, Joint Security Area, Thirst and more.

2. Deaths of Asian immigrants in ICE custody reveal a community under threat

"More than 30 people died while being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2025, marking it as the deadliest year for those held in custody by the agency in two decades. At least five of the detainees who died were Asian nationals: Chaofeng Ge, Nhon Ngoc Nguyen, Tien Xuan Phan, Kaiyin Wong and Huabing Xie. So far their deaths have received little public attention, even as ICE increases raids, expands capacity at its facilities and accelerates deportations across the country."

3. Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Kristina Wong of Koreatown Los Angeles

Our old friend, acclaimed solo performer and playwright Kristina Wong talks to VoyageLA about feeling and deserving love, her unique brand of theater performance, formerly held beliefs, food banks, and erroneously being identified by AI journalists as Jeremy Lin's wife.

4. 'Beef' Season 2 Gets Netflix Release Date

Season two of Netflix's critically acclaimed anthology series Beef will premiere on April 16, with creator Lee Sung Jin returning as showrunner and executive producer. The new season will star Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny as a young couple working at a country club, who witness an alarming fight between their boss and his wife, played by Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan. The first season earned eight Emmys, including acting awards for Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, who return as executive producers.

5. Balloon Varsity Sweatpants

I recently Insta-stumbled across this short video promoting, um, sweatpants by Pillar, a Toronto-based clothing lable inspired by an East Asian aesthetic. Thought it was kinda dope.

Lucy Liu, Rosemead and Our Battle Against Shame

And other items of note from Angry Asian America.

1. 'Rosemead' holds up a mirror to our battle against shame

Columnist Frank Shyong reflects on Rosemead, the Lucy Liu independent feature film based on his own 2017 Los Angeles Times article about the last days of a dying woman and her son. The story unfolds in the weeks after she learns her cancer is terminal and must decide what will happen to her son, who is undergoing treatment for schizophrenia. Shyong reflects on the shame that prevents our communities from receiving much-needed treatment for struggles with mental health.

2. Perfectly In Sync

After a cancer scare and a seven-year hiatus, Olympian-sibling duo Alex and Maia Shibutani are returning to competitive skating. In a new interview with Bustle, the Shib Sibs discuss Maia's physical health following her diagnosis, their goals for their comeback, the (dis)advantages of being a sibling duo, and answer the "legacy question" of how they hope to be remembered.

3. Do you think of the perfect comeback way too late?

"For Asian Americans... an ability to instantly spin up a powerful comeback to a hurtful or misinformed comment would prove useful. We are accustomed to hearing microaggressions about how well we speak English, where we're really from, and that we look just like Jackie Chan. A new game, Clapback: The Asian American Edition is rooted in the idea that would make our parents proud: We can get better at clapping back -- with practice."

4. The Rose Korean Rock Band Documentary to Get Worldwide Theatrical Release

The Rose: Come Back to Me, a documentary about the Korean rock band The Rose, will receive a Valentine's Day theatrical release from CJ 4DPlex. The documentary chronicles The Rose, which consists of Kim "Sammy" WooSung, Park "Leo" Dojoon, Lee "Dylan" Hajoon and Lee "Jeff" Taegyeom, tracing their rise from Seoul's Hongdae district to performing at Coachella.

5. Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse Stamps

The United States Postal Service will ring in the Lunar New Year with the seventh issuance of its popular stamp series, the Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse Forever Stamp. Featuring a contemporary take on paper-cut folk art, the stamps will be available beginning February 3.

Kpop Demon Hunters Wins Big at the Critics Choice Awards

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

1. ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Kicks Off 2026 Awards Season With Two Critics Choice Wins

Netflix's runaway animated hit Kpop Demon Hunters made its first awards showing of 2026 -- and kicked off what is likely to be a considerable awards season haul -- with wins for best song (for "Golden") and best animated film at the Critics Choice Awards.

"When writing this song, I found myself living vicariously through my character Rumi. Her life and journey in the movie felt deeply familiar to me," co-songwriter and Rumi's singing voice EJAE told the crowd when accepting best song. "The song needed to be an expression of hope to convince herself that she could write and reach for her dreams. In many ways, it did the same for me, but most importantly for it to be giving hope so many people around the world is truly the greatest honor."

2. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu takes oath of office for second term

In other Asian American big city mayoral news... Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was sworn into her second term as mayor of the city Monday morning at Symphony Hall. Wu ran unopposed in the General Election after Democratic candidate Josh Kraft suspended his mayoral campaign in September.

In her opening remarks, Wu criticized the Trump Administration for cutting funding for housing, education, and health care.

"We will not appease or abet any threat to our city, and we will not wait for permission to build the world our families deserve,” Wu said. “Over the next four years, Boston will be the proof that the nation we fought for is possible — a place where we take care of each other and take on the challenges that matter the most."

3. Call Her mayor: History made as St. Paul swears in new leader

And yet in more Asian American mayoral news... Kaohly Her is the mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota. On Friday afternoon at St. Catherine University, Her was sworn in as the 56th mayor of St. Paul, becoming the first woman and first person of Hmong ancestry to hold the title.

4. Authors Kate DiCamillo and Kelly Yang Announce New Podcast StoryKind

Award-winning childen's book authors Kelly Yang and Kate DiCamillo have teamed up for a new podcast which will focus on writing and creativity for kids, parents and educators. StoryKind, which will release new 15 minutes episodes weekly starting January 19, will share "tips for writing, answer questions they receive from young readers, celebrate the hard work of teachers and librarians in literacy spaces and spread the magic of real, human storytelling."

5. The Rip

Is it me, or is Steven Yeun always appearing in the most interesting shit? He's come a long way since Glenn, and I will say it now (though I cried at the time), getting killed off The Walking Dead was probably the best thing that could have happened for him. Burning? Beef? Minari? He's not always the number one, but his supporting roles are sometimes just as intriguing. Anyway, spotted him in the trailer for this Matt Damon/Ben Affleck crime thriller The Rip, and got a kick out of seeing him in the mix. Hell, I'll watch it for my dude Steven.

The Art of Kpop Demon Hunters Available for Pre-Order

Behind-the-scenes book from Netflix and Gallery Nucleus

For the fans! I've been waiting for this book to exist from the moment I saw the movie.

Published in collaboration with Netflix, The Art of a Kpop Demon Hunters is now available for pre-order from Gallery Nucleus. Inspired by the vibrant world of K-pop magazines and fan books, this deluxe soft-cover “mook” is jam-packed with behind-the-scenes pre-production artwork, creator interviews, and insights from the writers, directors, and key artists who brought the film to life. Packed with fun facts and visual treasures, it's essential for fans of Kpop Demon Hunters and art enthusiasts alike.

Pre-order it here: Gallery Nucleus.

New Year. New York. New Mayor.

Zohran Mamdani sworn in as mayor of New York City. And other items of note from Angry Asian America.



1. Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor, capping historic rise

On Thursday, just after midnight, Zohran Mamdani was officially sworn in as mayor of New York City in a modest private ceremony held in a historic decommissioned subway station under City Hall. The oath was administered by New York state Attorney General Letitia James.

"Congratulations, Mr. Mayor," she said, to cheers.

2. For Some Asian Americans, There’s No Such Thing As a Casual Drink

After a night of partying, new year reveler, oh, you know it well. For many Asian Americans, a single cocktail -- or hell, a sip of wine -- can cause their faces to turn red. Known as the "Asian glow" or the "Asian flush," the condition can stir up mixed emotions. Here is the paper of record's perennial journalism on said condition.

3. The ABBA song that’s huge in Vietnam at year's end

While it's far from one of the Swedish pop supergroup's well-known hits, ABBA's "Happy New Year" has a poignant, unexpected popularity in Vietnam, becoming a sort of traditional new year song in its own right.

4. K-Pop Group NewJeans Faces New Uncertainty After Member Is Dropped

You don't understand how bummed I am to hear that ADOR has dropped Danielle from the five-person lineup of NewJeans -- the latest flashpoint in the more than year-long legal battle between the label and the band. My favorite Kpop group! [Shakes fist.] Look, if you know, you know. But I just someone had given these gals some good advice early on. This is why we can't have nice things.

5. Angry New Year!

Use the code NEWYEAR26 for 26% off all "Stay Angry" shirt orders. Good through January 5, 2026.