She Arrested For Standing Up at Trump's State of the Union

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

DHS Assault Victim Aliya Rahman Arrested at State of the Union Address

Rep. Ilhan Omar's guest for the State of the Union address Tuesday night said she was hospitalized and arrested during President Donald Trump's speech. Aliya Rahman was removed from the chamber and spent several hours in jail following what she describes as an aggressive arrest by Capitol Police -- all for silently challenging Trump during the speech. "There are only two things you can do at the State of the Union, and they are sit down and stand up," says Rahman. "I was arrested for standing up."

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KPop Demon Hunters | Hot Ones Versus

Arden Cho, EJAE, May Hong, Audrey Nuna, Ji-young Yoo, and Rei Ami -- the voices behind the Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated blockbuster Kpop Demon Hunters -- go head-to-head with the Wings of Death on the latest episode of Hot Ones Versus. They have two choices: tell the truth, or suffer the wrath of the Last Dab. Whoever eats the most wings, loses! Highly entertaining.

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May 17 could become 'Bruce Lee Day' in California

A member of the California State Assembly has authored a bill that would establish May 17 as Bruce Lee Day, an annual, statewide observance honoring the martial arts icon. If adopted, it would make Bruce Lee the first Chinese American commemorated with a day in California State Law.

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Korean Beauty is Booming. My Korean Beauty Brand Is Closing.

Not every K-beauty brand is benefiting from the category's viral success. In his own words, Good Light founder David Yi shares his story—and why, after five years, he's made the agonizing decision to shutter his brand.

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American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism by Scott Kurashige

Pre-order this book! Five years after the Atlanta-area spa shootings -- and amid renewed national debates over hate crimes, immigration, state violence, and American imperialism -- historian and activist Scott Kurashige offers a sweeping new history of anti-Asian racism in the United States in American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism. Hits shelves on April 7.

The Most Anticipated Book of the Year

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America

Cover Reveal: American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee

Behold, the freshly revealed cover for American Hagwon, the highly anticipated forthcoming novel from acclaimed Pachinko author Min Jin Lee. Described as "a panoramic and emotionally riveting portrait of one family’s pursuit of success in a perpetually shifting world," American Hagwon is set from Korea to Australia to Southern California and tracks the journey of a middle-class Korean family upended by the Asian financial crisis and hoping to regain its bearings. American Hagwon hits shelves on September 29.

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'Hamlet' Trailer: Riz Ahmed Leads Gritty Modern Shakespeare Adaptation

This looks awesome. Check out the trailer for Hamlet, a contemporary film re-imagining of William Shakespeare's play. Riz Ahmed takes on the titular role of a man avenging his father's death and taking on his family's corrupt empire. Set in London's elite South Asian community, Hamlet (Ahmed) returns home for his father's funeral, where he's shocked to learn his uncle Claudius (Art Malik) is marrying his newly widowed mother Gertrude (Sheeba Chaddha). During a visit from his father's ghost (Avijit Dutt), Hamlet discovers Claudius was behind the murder, sending him on a path of vengeance and self-reflection.

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'KPop Demon Hunters' Joining Criterion Collection

Didn't see this one coming! Kpop Demon Hunters has been added to the Criterion Collection, which publishes classic and contemporary films from around the world in editions that offer the highest technical quality, as well as special behind-the-scenes supplemental materials. Heck, it's cool enough that Kpop Demon Hunters will be available as a physical home release, but getting the prestigious Criterion treatment? Awesome.

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Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce sued for trademark infringement

Asian American shoe brand 1587 Sneakers has filed a lawsuit against Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, alleging trademark infringement. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, claims that the Kansas City steakhouse owned by the Chiefs' stars, 1587 Prime, is harming the sneaker's business. For what it's worth, 1587 Sneakers is named after the year 1587, to mark the year that Asians first arrived in America.

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Through 'K-Pops!,' Anderson .Paak sought deeper familial connection

"When the pandemic hit, and reality settled in that life would be isolated and mostly inside, Grammy winner Anderson .Paak found himself on the outside looking in, in a way he didn’t anticipate. "I was the odd man out. My son was 8, and BTS took over the whole house. It was a K-pop storm. Before that, me and my son were bonding off of my music."

KPop Demon Hunters Sweeps Annie Awards

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

'KPop Demon Hunters' Sweeps Annie Awards, Going 10-For-10

Kpop Demon Hunters continues its epic steamroll through awards season, dominating the 53rd annual Annie Awards -- honoring excellence in the field of animation -- on Saturday night, winning all ten of the categories for which it was nominated including Best Feature, Direction for Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans and Voice Acting for Arden Cho as Rumi. Don't want to jinx it, but an Oscar win seem like a pretty damn sure thing.

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HUNTR/X perform 'Golden' LIVE at the BAFTAs

Meanwhile, in their first-ever live performance outside the United States, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami -- the singing voices of HUNTR/X -- performed their smash-hit "Golden" at the British Academy Film Awards.

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Gold medal greats Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu face uncomfortable comparisons at Olympics

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu and Beijing-backed freestyle skier Eileen Gu woke up Friday morning to find themselves in a side-by-side contrast they never asked for, pitted against each other in a geopolitical battle they never sought. Hours after Liu's stirring performance in the free skate on Thursday won her America's first Olympic women's figure skating gold in 24 years, the Oakland native was suddenly thrust into association with another native Californian, Gu, the skier who is competing on behalf of China.

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Alysa Liu Shares the Backstory on Her Viral Hug with Japan's Ami Nakai

Of the many viral moments from Alysa Liu's joyous, triumphant Olympic gold medal win, one moment has gotten attention for being adorably wholesome. After the results were announced in the final at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Thursday, confirming that 17-year-old Ami Nakai of Japan had won bronze and Liu won gold, the American star rushed over to Nakai to celebrate with the biggest hug.

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Nike - The Great Chase

This funny Nike ad dropped last year, but I've been seeing it passed around again in celebration of the Lunar New Year. As we all know, you should never accept that money without a fight! Or a chase.

Gold. That's What Alysa Liu is Fucking Talking About.

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu said she didn't care if she medaled. She won gold

With a fearless, show-stopping performance, Alysa Liu won Olympic gold in the women’s single figure skating event, becoming the first American woman to medal in over two decades. What makes Liu’s win extra rewarding is not simply that she finished on the top of the podium, but that she did it on her own terms after having taken control of her career when she returned to the sport two years ago. The medal was almost an afterthought. And as she skated off the ice, the cameras caught her own triumphant assessment of her performance: "That's what I'm fucking talking about!" Because that's what she was indeed fucking talking about.

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Cambodian national dies in ICE custody in Indiana

A detainee died in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Indiana on Monday, with the cause of death under investigation, marking at least the seventh death in 2026 in federal immigration custody. Lorth Sim, a 59-year-old Cambodian national, was being held at the Miami Correctional Facility. According to ICE, staff found him unresponsive in his cell.

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Why the History of Japanese American Incarceration Matters Today

"On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which authorized what became the mass incarceration of my ancestors and over 100,000 Japanese Americans. With the current administrations shredding the constitution and rule of law to detain citizens and non-citizens based on racial profiling, the lessons from that shameful moment in U.S. history could not be more vital or timely."

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The Conflicting Joy of 'Here Lies Love'

"While sitting there watching this boldly and aggressively talented group of performers pour their heart and soul into a story rooted in their culture, there was a cloud of skepticism looming over me that I couldn’t avoid. It’s been there since the inception of this musical. This musical wasn’t made for the Filipino community."

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Netflix Orders 'Dang!' Adult Animated Series

Netflix has given a series order to Dang!, an adult animated comedy starring Stephanie Hsu, Poppy Liu and Andrew Law. The series follows a brother (Law) and sister (Liu) whose fun, messy lives in New York City are interrupted when their worst nightmare comes true: Their high-achieving older sister (Hsu) shows up and wants to hang out with them.

Slanted: Think Mean Girls Meets The Substance

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Slanted

The award-winning feature film Slanted, written and directed by Amy Wang, is a genre-bending sci-fi horror satire that interrogates beauty standards, assimilation, and the cost of belonging. The film follows Joan Huang, a high school outsider who idolizes the popular girls and dreams of becoming prom queen, but fears the only way to win is to look like every past queen whose portraits line the school halls. Enter Ethnos, a mysterious cosmetic surgery clinic that makes people of color appear white. Joan undergoes the procedure and wakes up as a blonde girl destined for the crown... but at what cost? Slanted hits theaters on March 13.

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Why Rev. Jackson's Appearance at the Vincent Chin Rally Matters

We mourn the passing of civil rights pioneer Jesse Jackson by remembering a moment of solidarity with the Asian American community. In May 1984, Jackson appeared in San Francisco Chinatown with Vincent Chin's mother, Lily Chin. As he took the stage, he said, "Our hearts are made heavy by a mother who sits here with us, whose son was brutally killed, just because he was. What can we do in the aftermath?" In his speech, he drew parallels between Emmett Till's lynching and Vincent Chin's murder, showing just how similar the struggles of both communities were and the need to "redefine America."

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'Here Lies Love' finally lands in L.A. — with its musical take on corruption as relevant as ever

Here Lies Love, which opens this week at the Mark Taper Forum, three years after its Broadway debut, is arriving in downtown L.A. at a prescient moment right here in the United States. The musical, which follows former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos and her family's rise to power and subsequent fall from grace, considers how corrupt leaders often appear charming at first.

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Postal Service Celebrates Bruce Lee

The U.S. Postal Service honors and celebrates the life of Chinese American martial artist, actor and filmmaker Bruce Lee with a new stamp featuring an eye-popping image of his iconic flying kick. The stamp was dedicated at a ceremony Wednesday at the Nippon Kan Theater in Seattle. I ordered mine!

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Kpop Demon Hunters Collectibles

I am obsessed with these Kpop Demon Hunters sixth scale figures from Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles. These are highly-detailed, meticulously designed action figures that come with a variety of interchangeable face sculpts, hands and accessories to enable a wide range of gestures and poses. I must have them! But they cost close to $300 each. So... I am contemplating donating plasma in order to fund my action figure budget.

The Women of Kpop Demon Hunters

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

The Women of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ on Overcoming Rejection, 'Golden's' Success and Breaking Boundaries for Korean Culture

Variety's stunning cover story features the women of Kpop Demon Hunters -- EJAE (the singing voice of Rumi), rapper and singer Rei Ami (the singing voice of Zoey), singer Audrey Nuna (the singing voice of Mira), and actors Arden Cho (the speaking voice of Rumi), Ji-young Yoo (the speaking voice of Zoey) and May Hong (the speaking voice of Mira), who talk about how the success of the movie has changed their lives.

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The Second Most Famous Shirtless Asian Man in Cinema History

Check out this fun clip from the documentary Beam Me Up, Sulu, in which I declare that George Takei as Sulu in the Star Trek original series episode "The Naked Time" is the Second Most Famous Shirtless Asian Man in Cinema History. The movie is now available digitally for rent/purchase.

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On Healing Land, Birds Perch

Behind one of the Vietnam War's most iconic Pulitzer Prize–winning photographs lies a story resonant with today’s global crises. Woven through voices of survivors, Naja Lockwood's documentary short On Healing Land, Birds Perch meditates on memory, loss, and renewal confronting the enduring scars of war and the resilience of refugees rebuilding their lives.

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Chinese American restaurants question why Chinese cuisine can’t get the chef’s table treatment

In an industry where diners rarely question high prices of French haute cuisine or Japanese omakase, Chinese restaurateurs often contend with resistance in getting customers to pay fine-dining tabs. But upscale Chinese American restaurants are redefining perceptions of Chinese cuisine and insist their food, labor and cooking techniques are just as worthy.

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Everything Everywhere All at Once Mahjong Set

A24 Shop just dropped this amazing-looking Everything Everywhere All at Once Mahjong Set featuring original art by Manshen Lo. It includes a wooden carrying case with gold-foil stamped googly eye logo, 160 black tiles with hand-painted engraved icons, four racks, and a set of dice. Alas, it'll cost you $320.

They Call Us The Year of the Horse

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 ring in the Lunar New Year and welcome journalist Kimmy Yam to talk about trial runs, fresh starts, and the Year of the Horse. We discuss the unfortunate and untimely shutdown of NBC Asian America -- and the loss of representation, trust, and cultural power; the incredible depth of reporting and coverage of the Asian American community that Kimmy was able accomplish during her tenure at NBC; and what the future looks like now for authentic and sustained news coverage of marginalized communities. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of the new year. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans, a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.

Why the Adidas 'Chinese New Year' Jacket Has Gone Viral

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America

Why the Adidas 'Chinese New Year' jacket has gone viral

Every Lunar New Year, brands release zodiac animal-themed merchandise and items in the lucky color red. This year, there's one product that has cut through all the noise: the Adidas Chinese Track Top.

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How the Visa Debate for Foreign Workers Fuels Racism Against South Asians

The H-1B program allows up to 85,000 foreign workers to fill specialized roles in the United States every year. But important policy debates about H-1B visas have been increasingly overshadowed by what Asian American advocacy groups say is a surge in hate speech directed at South Asians.

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Alysa Liu Comes of Age

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu retired in 2022, at sixteen years old. Now she’s back at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a newfound confidence and sense of control -- in her skating and in her life.

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A Day With the Last Dim Sum Cart Servers of NYC

Dim sum cart service is a dying tradition. But at Golden Palace in Brooklyn's Bensonhurst neighborhood, Pik Chan and Cheong Yin Ho -- who have worked together for nearly two decades -- are keeping it alive.

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'Take Me Home' Filmmaker Liz Sargent On Making Movie About Her Sister

Filmmaker Liz Sargent talks about this scene from her drama Take Me Home, which follows Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability. "This movie is all about Anna, my sister, who plays a version of herself, filmed in the home she lived in with our aging parents. Sisters are complicated and annoying and best friends. I love this scene because Emily (Ali Ahn) and Anna (Anna Sargent) capture all that love. Keeping Anna exactly as she is, we see her take back her power, ignore the system, and show Emily who’s boss. Her awesomeness is the heart of this film and these lives."

Twenty-five Angry Years

Happy Angryversary.

Damn, I almost forgot. Happy Valentine's Day, to all who tolerate it. By coincidence, today also happens to be the anniversary of this blog. And it's not just any old Angryversary. On this day 25 years ago, I flipped the switch and launched the very first iteration of Angry Asian Man. I did not know what I was doing. There was no plan, and could not have known where this website would take me. But here we are, 25 years later.

Yeah, still here. It's true, I'm nowhere near as prolific as I was in my youth. (Man, you try doing this for 25 years.) Time, gravity, capitalism, metabolism have all taken their toll. Plus, you know, everything. I'm pretty damn tired. The blog fell into a slow slide into inactivity over the years (honestly, the pandemic really knocked me out), and I've shifted my energy to things like podcasting and other writing. But I've recently started posting on this blog again with small, regular updates, sharing links and items of note from Angry Asian America. I just missed being helpful in this way. So I'm going to try to keep that going. Hell, I might even start, yup, a newsletter.

So let me just thank everyone who's stuck with me. All of the folks who have supported my work on and off the blog. I've always said the best, most unexpected part about running this thing has been all of the incredible friends and collaborators it has put in my path, and continues to do so. Also, big thank you to everyone who has maintained their financial support of my endeavors over the years. Thank you to my family for being my foundation through all of it. And no thank you to the haters. Still not here for it.

Twenty-five years. We've done the math correctly, but it doesn't feel real. Well, anyway, Stay Angry.