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.

'Beef' Wins Big at the Emmy Awards

Netflix series wins eight awards, including Outstanding Limited Series, Best Actor and Best Actress.

The Netflix limited series Beef was a big winner at the 75th Emmy Awards on Sunday night, taking home eight trophies including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Lead Actor for Steven Yeun and Lead Actress for Ali Wong. Series creator Lee Sung Jin also took home awards from writing and directing.

Beef is the first show created by and starring Asian Americans to win an Emmy for Outstanding Series. Ali Wong's win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology makes her the first Asian American woman to win an Emmy for a lead role. Steven Yeun's win is only the third Emmy for a Lead Actor of Asian descent.

'Beef' Wins Big at the Golden Globes

Netflix series wins Best Limited Series and lead acting categories for Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.

The Netflix road rage drama Beef cleaned up with historic big wins at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night, taking home trophies for Best Limited Series, and Best Actor and Actress for Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.

Ali Wong is the first actress of Asian descent ever to win in Best Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture for TV. Steven Yeun is only the third actor to win in the category. And Wong and Yeun are only the third duo in Golden Globes history to win both lead limited series acting categories.

Beef won the award for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Motion Picture -- the first-ever honor for a show created by and starring Asian Americans. Accepting the award, series creator Lee Sung Jin thanked the nameless driver involved in the road rage incident that inspired the show.

Asian American Woman's Home Vandalized in Hate Crime

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



"I wear my mask if I want F**KING ASIAN you create the virus"
In San Francisco, police are investigating a hate crime in the city's Sunset District, where a man vandalized an Asian American woman's home and left a letter saying, "I wear my mask if I want FUCKING ASIAN you create the virus." The hate incidents were apparent set off by an altercation in which the woman, who was outside her home with her infant twins, asked a passing man to wear a mask. The man later returned multiple times to throw a water bottle, then an egg and then to leave not only the letter but a mask with writing on it, which said "keep America without Asian." Police are investigating the incident as "racially motivated." Ya think?

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Vancouver. What in the fuck. pic.twitter.com/PKykQ55SAF

— Angry Asian Man (@angryasianman) October 23, 2020

Woman Pushed Off Vancouver Bus After Spitting on Man
Metro Vancouver Transit Police are investigating after a video was posted on TikTok showing a woman who appears to have been pushed off a bus after she spit on another passenger. In the video, the bus is stopped when a woman, who is standing in the aisle and not wearing a face mask, appears to spit on a man. The man, who is wearing a face mask, appears shocked and disgusted, gets up from his seat and appears to push the woman twice. After the second push, the woman can be seen falling onto a sidewalk. I can't say I condone physical violence, but hell, I'm not gonna fault this guy for losing his cool in the moment.

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Steven Yeun Could Become the First Asian American Best Actor Nominee
With Hollywood's upcoming awards season starting to take shape, A24 has confirmed that Steven Yeun will campaign as a lead actor for his performance in Minari. Co-star Yeri Han will also campaign for best actress, while his cast mates Alan S. Kim, Will Patton and Yuh-Jung Youn will look for consideration in the supporting categories. If nominated for best actor, Yeun would be the first Asian American to ever be recognized in the category. Written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Minari tells the story of a Korean American family who searches for a better life when they move to a small farm in 1980s Arkansas. The film is scheduled for release sometime by the end of this year.

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Jeremy Lin Drops First Ever Signature Shoe with Xtep
Chinese sports retailer Xtep has released the Jeremy Lin's first signature shoe: the Xtep JLIN ONE.

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Kelly Marie Tran Shirt
I don't care what anybody says. I'm totally rocking this Kelly Marie Tran shirt.

Why isn't this attack being investigated as a hate crime?

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



NYPD: Classify brutal attack against 89-year old Asian woman a Hate Crime.
Last month in Brooklyn, an 89-year old Asian woman was assaulted and set on fire by two people in masks. The police are not investigating the incident as a hate crime, despite the fact that there was no provocation, the assailants didn't know the victim, and they didn't try to take anything from her. It was just a heinous, violent act. This petition is calling on the NYPD and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez to classify the incident as a hate crime.

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James Hong Deserves a Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
With hundreds upon hundreds of credits to his name, James Hong is Hollywood's most prolific actor, hands down. If anyone deserves a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it's Mr. Hong, who has appeared in films from Chinatown to Big Trouble in Little China to Kung Fu Panda over a seven-decade career. So fellow actor Daniel Dae Kim has launched a fundraiser to get Mr. Hong his star. [UPDATE: The GoFundMe has reached its goal of more than $55,000 in just three days. The next step is the nomination process.]

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Benson Lee Set to Direct 20th Century Studios' Untitled K-Pop Film
Seoul Searching director Benson Lee is set to direct a K-pop-themed feature film from 20th Century Fox Studios. The untitled film follows a young Asian American college student from the United States who becomes a top competitor on South Korea's toughest k-pop competition show and chases her dreams of becoming a K-Pop star, despite the disapproval of her family.

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First Look at Character Designs From 'Invicible'
Here's a first look at the character designs from the upcoming Amazon animated series Invincible, based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman and starring the voice of Steven Yeun in the title role. It's a Walking Dead reunion, of sorts. Invincible follows a teenager named Mark Grayson whose father is the most powerful superhero on the planet. The series is set to premiere later this year.

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HAYAO MIYAZAKI PIN
"Children understand intuitively that the world they have been born into is not a blessed world." This 1-inch soft enamel pin from Super Yaki pays tribute to the smiling face of master animator, filmmaker, screenwriter, author, and manga artist Hayao Miyazaki. Get it here.

Fire Destroys Thousands of Chinatown Museum Artifacts

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



85,000 Pieces From Beloved Chinatown Museum Likely Destroyed in Fire
Officials at the Museum of Chinese in America said Friday evening that thousands of historic and artistic items it had carefully collected and curated over decades were most likely lost after a fire tore through New York's Chinatown building where most of its acquisitions were stored. The 85,000 items, some dating to the 19th century, told the rich story of the Chinese migration to the United States: textiles, restaurant menus, handwritten letters, tickets for ship's passage. The collection was one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable. And now destroyed.

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Oh no, Lizzo.
Popular and beloved music artist Lizzo is facing criticism for donning looks that sexualize and appropriate various Asian cultures in a recent cover photo shoot for Rolling Stone magazine. One of the photos features Lizzo nude, adorned with accessories associated with Southeast Asian ceremonial dance, while another photo features the artist sporting headwear reminiscent of geisha culture. This is not a good look.

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Yes, Sikh Soldiers Served in World War I. '1917' Got It Right.
British actor Laurence Fox has been offered a history lesson over his criticism of the inclusion of a Sikh soldier character in the Oscar-nominated World War I film 1917. Appearing on a podcast, the actor complained that the inclusion of a Sikh soldier -- Sepoy Jondalar, played by Nabhaan Rizwan -- in the movie had distracted him from the storyline, claiming, "there is something institutionally racist about forcing diversity on people in that way." No, dude. What's institutionally racist is history erasing the fact that every sixth British soldier serving in World War I was from the Indian subcontinent, with Sikhs comprising more than 20% of the volunteer army. Nobody's "forcing diversity." Nobody's forcing shit. Go read a book.

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FX is Going Through With a 'Shogun' Miniseries
FX's upcoming re-adaptation of Shōgun, based on the novel by James Clavell, is set to go as a 10-episode miniseries with aims to shoot in Japan this summer. According to Deadline, Justin Marks the first two episodes with supervising producer (and wife) Rachel Kondo. The series' writing team also includes co-executive producer Shannon Goss, consulting producer Matt Lambert, script editor Maegan Houang and staff writer Emily Yoshida. I honestly roll my eyes at anything related to this book, but this writing team gives me a little hope...

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Minari
Heads up: Steven Yeun stars in the indie immigrant drama Minari, which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend. Inspired by writer/director Lee Isaac Chung's own upbringing, the film follows a Korean American family whose lives are uprooted and turned upside down when they move from the west coast to chase the American dream on a plot of farmland in 1980s rural Arkansas.

When Harry Met Sally... starring Asian Americans!

Film Independent presents a live read of the classic romantic comedy, directed by Randall Park.


Steven Yeun and Maya Erskine (Photo: Getty Images/Film Independent)
The origins of the Netflix romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe, starring Randall Park and Ali Wong, can be directly and indirectly traced to When Harry Met Sally... Park, who also co-wrote and produced Always Be My Maybe, has cited the 1989 Billy Crystal/Meg Ryan rom-com classic as his favorite film.

More directly, in a 2016 New Yorker profile of Wong, the Baby Cobra comedian mentioned that she and Park had always wanted to make a romantic comedy together -- "our version of When Harry Met Sally..." Overhwelming fan reaction to that single line, near the end of a 4000+ word piece, is apparently what got the wheels turning to get Always Be My Maybe written, produced, and dropped into your Netflix queue.

The influence of When Harry Met Sally can be seen all over the blueprints of Always Be My Maybe and dozens of other films in the genre -- a genre that, let's face it, has been traditionally very very white. But what if When Harry Met Sally... had actually starred Asians? What if Harry and Sally, rom-com icons, had been played by Asian American actors? On Sunday, we got a glimpse of what that might look like, and it was amazing.

Steven Yeun to star in 'The Twilight Zone' revival

'The Walking Dead' actor returns to TV for Jordan Peele's reboot of the classic anthology series.


Steven Yeun in 'Sorry to Bother You'
Steven Yeun's post-Glenn career keeps chugging along. The Walking Dead and Burning star will lead an episode of director/producer Jordan Peele's upcoming Twilight Zone reboot for CBS All Access.

Steven Yeun cast in the new Twilight Zone series

Details are pretty slim, but according to Collider, Yeun will play the title character in the series' fourth episode "The Traveler," which follows two cops and a mysterious traveler. Say no more. I'm in.

Like Rod Serling's classic anthology series, which originally ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964, Peele's revival will tell self-contained stories in every episode, leaning on science fiction, fantasy and horror to spin tales that hold a mirror up to ourselves and our society.

Steven Yeun does not play all the Asians on TV

"We're getting to some real shit right now."



To promote his new movie Sorry to Bother You, actor Steven Yeun sat down with co-stars Jermaine Fowler and Armie Hammer for a couple of rounds of the WIRED Autocomplete Interview, in which they answered some of the internet's most searched questions about themselves. You might already know where this is going.

It starts off fairly trivial (i.e. "how do you pronounce steven yeun?" "where did steven yeun grow up"), but further down the list, the search questions reveal a sad truth about Yeun's career and the state of Asian representation in media: he is consistently mistaken for other Asians in movies and television. The former Walking Dead star takes the opportunity to drop some knowledge.

"We're getting to some real shit right now." Watch and learn a thing or two:

Steven Yeun to star in 'Sorry to Bother You'

'The Walking Dead' actor will appear alongside Tessa Thompson and Lakeith Stanfield.



We still cry for Glenn, but coming up, departed Walking Dead star Steven Yeun will star alongside Tessa Thompson and Lakeith Stanfield in the drama Sorry to Bother You from first-time director Boots Riley.

Tessa Thompson, Lakeith Stanfield, Steven Yeun To Star In 'Sorry To Bother You'

Written by Riley, the film centers on "a black telemarketer with self-esteem issues" who "discovers a magical key to business success, propelling him to the upper echelons of the hierarchy just as his activist comrades are rising up against unjust labor practices. When he uncovers the macabre secret of his corporate overlords, he must decide whether to stand up or sell out."

Fruitvale Station's Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker of Significant Productions are producing along with 6 Years' Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams, Charles D. King (Fences), George Rush (Bully).

No details on what Yeun will be doing in the film -- I'm going to assume he's not playing the black telemarketer -- but the talent involved, both in front and behind the camera, already has me interested. According to Deadline, Sorry to Bother You will start shooting later this month in Oakland.

Next up, you can see Steven Yeun in Bong Joon-ho's Okja, which premieres on Netflix on June 28.

Bong Joon Ho, Steven Yeun and a Giant Super-Pig Named 'Okja'

'Snowpiercer' auteur's latest film premieres on Netflix on June 28.



Fresh from its world premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, here's the crazy new trailer for Okja, the story of a little girl trying to reunite with her genetically engineered super-pig pet.

Director Bong Joon Ho, the Korean auteur behind such films as The Host and Snowpiercer, has assembled an international ensemble that includes the likes of Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Seo-Hyun Ahn, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins and Jake Gyllanhaal, who all cross paths in the battle to control of this monstrously giant pig.

Check it out:

Why Steven Yeun’s ‘Entertainment Weekly’ cover is such a huge deal

'The Walking Dead' star is one of the few Asian Americans ever to be featured on the magazine's cover.



This week, in light of the brutal torture porn that was the Walking Dead season premiere, Entertainment Weekly is featuring Steven Yeun as its cover star. Makes sense -- he has portrayed one of the show's most beloved characters, and (SPOILER ALERT) it's a pretty big deal that after six season’s he's finally leaving the show. But his cover is a little groundbreaking in itself.

Read more at Fusion: Why Steven Yeun’s ‘Entertainment Weekly’ cover is such a huge deal.

Steven Yeun already has a new job after 'The Walking Dead'

Yeun was back on 'Conan' to debrief his departure from 'The Walking Dead.'



It's been a pretty big week for Steven Yeun. Sunday kicked off with the much-hyped (and now very much likely spoiled -- sorry) death of his beloved character Glenn on The Walking Dead. Since then he's been making the post-mortem rounds, including a stop back on Conan to hang out with his old pal and debrief his high-profile departure from AMC's popular zombie drama -- and what comes next.

It turns out that Steven already has a new job to follow-up his exit from The Walking Dead. That was quick. Steven's got a sweet new gig as Conan O'Brien's rehearsal stand-in. Here's the behind-the-scenes footage.

Newspaper runs obituary for Glenn of 'The Walking Dead'

"His bravery in the face of both the Undead and the Brutal Living inspired all who knew him."



By now, if you didn't watch Sunday night's shocking season premiere of The Walking Dead, the internet has already surely somehow spoiled it for you within the last 48 hours. So... there's no way to share this without revealing that one of the hit zombie drama's beloved, fan-favorite characters, Glenn, did indeed die. It was brutal, it was gruesome, and it was deeply upsetting. People are going to be talking about this one for a while.

And people are mourning Glenn Rhee, played by Steven Yeun for six seasons. One Walking Dead fan, paying homage to the fallen hero, wrote an faux obituary (fauxbituary?) for the Batesville Daily Guard, based in Batesville, Arkansas. The piece, which ran in Tuesday's print edition, praised the former pizza deliveryman for his "impeccable moral grounding" and "bravery in the face of both the Undead and the Brutal Living."

So That Was The Worst Episode of The Walking Dead

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER


I hate this guy.
It's been an excruciatingly long summer for fans of The Walking Dead. The season finale of AMC's hit undead drama ended with our favorite zombie apocalypse survivors in their darkest hour, literally on their knees facing the much-hyped introductory wrath of the villainous Negan. This was six seasons in the making, ending on the cruelest of cliffhangers. We would have to wait until next season to find out who got eeny-meeny-miney-moe'd to meet their bloody end, courtesy of Negan's barb-wire covered baseball bat, "Lucille."

On Sunday night's season seven premiere, we finally found out.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER.

Steven Yeun’s Guide to Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse (at the Office)

Also: Looking cool as hell for GQ in a tweed suit.



It's been a long summer for fans of The Walking Dead, but we'll only have to wait a few more days to learn which character met their bloody end at the hands of the villainous Negan. Fans know that Glenn, played by Steven Yeun on AMC's hit undead drama, [SPOILER] dies in the comics, but maybe our favorite Asian American zombie apocalypse survivor will be spared? Hell, I don't even want to know. Put us out of our misery.

In the meantime, check out Steven suiting up in this fun feature for GQ, in which he outlines some important tips for surviving a zombie apocalypse at the office -- and looks sharp while doing it:

If you should ever find yourself fighting off walkers at the workplace, take note of Steven's tips. The guy has survived six season of The Walking Dead (so far), so I think he knows what he's talking about.

We still have no idea who Negan killed on 'The Walking Dead'

But here's a trailer and some images to agonize over.



Over the weekend at the geek fan mecca known as San Diego Comic Con, the cast and crew of The Walking Dead gathered for a panel at Hall H in which nobody was able to say a damn thing about the upcoming season.

When we last left AMC's hit zombie drama, one of our beloved survivors was getting beaten to death by the villainous Negan in a moment that fans had been anticipating and dreading for some time. The season ended on the cruelest of cliffhangers, with most of the core characters -- including Glenn, played by Steven Yeun -- on the possible receiving end of Negan's barbed wire-covered baseball bat.

Yes, there is a strong possibility that it's Glenn, if the show chooses to remain faithful to The Walking Dead comic book's most infamous moment. If you're like me, you're praying to the TV deities that this fate would befall someone, anyone else besides our favorite Asian American zombie apocalypse survivor. But the show's panelists remained tight-lipped, talking about the show in broad strokes out of fear of giving away anything.

They did unveil the Season 7 Comic-Con trailer, which reminds everybody that our heroes are in a pretty bad situation, before revealing some non-Negan-related footage from season seven.

Steven Yeun spotted helping out at the scene of a car crash

Yeun and 'Walking Dead' co-star Norman Reedus pull over to help out auto accident victims in Georgia.



He plays a hero on The Walking Dead, and he's apparently a hero in real life. Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn on AMC's hit zombie drama, was recently spotted with co-star Norman Reedus helping victims of a car crash.

Stars from 'The Walking Dead' help accident victims

On Thursday, Yeun and Reedus were apparently riding motorcycles in Peachtree City, Georgia when they witnessed an auto accident and pulled over to help out. A witness snapped a photo of the two actors, who appeared to be trying to help, next to wrecked cars at the site of the crash.

Watch the new trailer for 'Voltron: Legendary Defender'

DreamWorks Animation's new take on 'Voltron' premieres June 10 on Netflix.



Ohhhhh yes. Hell yes. Netflix just dropped the trailer for Voltron: Legendary Defender, its upcoming revival of the classic 1980s cartoon. Like the original series, Legendary Defender follows a group of intrepid heroes who command five mechanical lions to defend the universe against evil, uniting to form the giant robot Voltron.

The voice cast includes Kimberly Brooks as Princess Allura; Rhys Darby as Coran; Josh Keaton as Shiro, Black Lion; Tyler Labine as Hunk, Yellow Lion; Jeremy Shada as Lance, Blue Lion; Bex Taylor-Klaus as Pidge, Green Lion; and Steven Yeun as Keith, Red Lion.

Check it out:

Steven Yeun joins the cast of Netflix sci-fi feature 'Okja'

'The Walking Dead' star rounds out Bong Joon Ho's anticipated follow-up to 'Snowpiercer.'



Steven Yeun, who may or may not or may or may not be back on the next season of The Walking Dead, has joined the cast of the sci-fi feature film Okja, director Bong Joon Ho's anticipated follow-up to Snowpiercer.

'Okja': 'Walking Dead's Steven Yeun, Lily Collins & More Round Out Cast Of 'Snowpiercer' Follow

Written by Bong and Jon Ronson, Okja centers on Mija, a young girl who befriends a genetically manufactured pig named Okja. When the pig grows up to gigantic proportions, the corporation that created him takes him, thrusting the girl, now a teen, into a mission to take it back.

No word on Yeun's role in the movie, but Tilda Swinton is playing The Ancient One the head of the corporation (and her twin sister), while Jake Gyllenhaal is a zoologist, and Paul Dano is an animal activist looking to expose the corporation's dastardly dealings.