Tad Nakamura's Third Act Premieres May 25 on PBS

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Third Act - Independent Lens

Generations call Robert A. Nakamura the godfather of Asian American film. Tadashi Nakamura calls him Dad. In his documentary Third Act, Tad turns the camera on his father as they confront art, activism, and aging. From World War II incarceration to cultural awakening and a Parkinson's diagnosis, the film is a tender portrait of legacy, inherited trauma, and the final chapter of a shared creative life. Third Act premieres May 25 on PBS' Independent Lens (check local listings) and will be available to stream on pbs.org.

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Jonnie Park - Finding a Rap Voice As Dumbfoundead in "SPIT: A Life in Battles"

Rapper, actor, and writer Jonnie Park, aka Dumbfoundead, joins Ronny Chieng on The Daily Show to discuss his new memoir SPIT: A Life in Battles. They talk about getting his start in battle rapping at 14 years old in Los Angeles, evolving from freestyle battles to prepared matchups, developing a thick skin as the only Asian in the rap battle arena, dabbling in other mediums like acting in Nemesis and writing for season 2 of Beef, and chronicling his story through the different family, immigration, and career battles he’s faced.

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Deli Boys Season 2 | Official Trailer

Deli Boys returns! In season two of the acclaimed crime comedy series, the Dars are drowning in dirty cash and Philly's sketchiest crooks are circling. Enter Max Sugar: casino king, money launderer, and Lucky's new crush who turns laundering into a chaotic situationship. Raj plots revenge on Ahmad, Mir tries to expand DarCo without blowing it up, and Philly D.A. Andrew Chadwater hopes one big bust will make him mayor. Season two, starring Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, and Poorna Jagannathan, premieres May 28 on Hulu.

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US university's commencement speaker reveals he will pay off students' final-year loans

Anil Kochhar, a North Carolina State University donor, gave graduates of the school's Wilson College of Textiles a lot more than just words of wisdom when he delivered their keynote commencement address earlier this month. The entrepreneur also announced that he would pay off any student loans taken out by the college's graduates during their senior year. "I hope that all of you leave... today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives that you've worked so hard to achieve," Kochhar said, prompting loud cheers, applause and a standing ovation from the class of 2026.

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How 'A Grain of Sand' amplified Asian American identity

A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle of Asians in America was one of the first recognized musical albums expressing Asian American identity. The 1973 work -- preserved at the Smithsonian Institution -- combines elements of folk, jazz and blues. It's often considered a blend of political statements within a collective art project. Sojin Kim, curator of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, details the album's legacy and place in American history for WBUR.

Oh Shit: The New Last Airbender Movie Got Leaked Online

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

The Last Airbender Leaked Online

Over the weekend, a full version of the highly anticipated animated feature Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender leaked online -- about six months before the film was scheduled to officially premiere on Paramount+.

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Bao Nguyen - "BTS: The Return" | The Daily Show

Acclaimed filmmaker Bao Nguyen sits down with Ronny Chieng on The Daily Show to discuss his latest documentary, BTS: The Return. They talk about following BTS' creative process as a fly on the wall, the big reunion after the band completed their national military service, the documentary narrative around honesty rather than facts, and the band's vulnerable moments when living out their normal lives.

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Valarie Kaur’s Sage Warrior Reframes Love As A Tool For Justice In A Divided America

"Revolutionary Love is not passive. It is disciplined and asks us to see no stranger, be brave with grief, harness rage as information and not as destruction, listen across difference, and reimagine institutions that were never designed to hold all of us. Through tools designed for classrooms, homes, and communities, the movement translates these ideas into practice and invites individuals not just to believe in love, but to operationalize it."

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How An NFL Cheerleader Became One Of America's Most Exciting New Chefs

As executive chef at Perry's, an award-winning Japanese fusion restaurant in Washington, DC, Masako Morishita has made it her mission to introduce diners to a broader range of Japanese cuisine. But her path into the culinary world was far from traditional -- including corporate jobs and a five-year stint as a cheerleader for the Washington Commanders.

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THE BLADE (1995): The Edges of Wuxia

In this video essay, Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou, the filmmakers behind Every Frame a Painting, reveal how Tsui Hark radically reimagines the wuxia genre in the 1995 tour-de-force martial arts movie The Blade.

Jenny Han talks rom com representation on 'The Daily Show'

'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' author explains why she put her foot down on casting the film's lead.



Since its release on Netflix last month, it's safe to say that To All The Boys I've Loved Before, the teen romantic comedy based on the young adult novel of the same name, has become a legit cultural phenomenon, turning star Lana Condor into an adored leading lady and even boosting sales of Yakult.

Author Jenny Han appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah the other night to talk about the adaptation of her book, explaining why she insisted on having an Asian American actor play the lead character -- an insistence that actually delayed the film, because producers couldn't understand why it was so important.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 45: They Call Us Ronny Chieng

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. 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.

On this episode, we welcome "international" comedian Ronny Chieng, who talks about going from law school to standup (because he couldn't find a job), getting a correspondent gig on The Daily Show, and being back in his home country to be part of a major pop culture moment: Crazy Rich Asians.

The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng rips the shit out of Fox News

"If you’re gonna be racist, at least get your stereotypes right, you ignorant sack of shit."



Soooo... you may have heard of that piece of shit segment on Fox News' O'Reilly Factor, in which unfunny asshole Jesse Watters sauntered into New York City's Chinatown to do "man-on-the-street" interviews and mock the shit out of Asians using every stereotype he could summon in his limited imagination. It's pretty infuriating.

That's why this Daily Show segment, in which correspondent Ronny Chieng rips the absolute shit out of Jesse Watters, is so incredibly satisfying to watch. Chieng tells Watters to "go fuck yourself," and advises him that if he's going to be racist, "at least get your stereotypes right, you ignorant sack of shit."

Chieng then goes to Chinatown himself to have actual conversations with local Asian Americans and seek out their actual opinions and political views on the elections. Instead of, you know, approaching every Asian as a slant-eyed punching bag for tired-ass cheap shot Karate Kid jokes.

"It's just not an option for us to throw another community under the bus."

The Daily's Show's Hasan Minhaj talks to Sikhs about how Islamophobia is affecting their community.



Since 9/11, the rise of Islamophobia has targeted groups indiscriminately with hate speech and violence. Sikhs, who wear a turban as an article of faith, have often been mistaken for Muslims. But as this Daily Show segment demonstrates, you won't find the Sikh community throwing Muslims under the bus.

Hasan Minhaj -- aka "Brown Ryan Seacrest" -- recently sat down with designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia and other Sikhs to find out how Islamophobia is affecting their community. Despite Hasan's urging to Sikhs to attempt to blend in, deflect and declare "We're not Muslim!" the group of individuals gathered here says they won't compromise their values -- as Sikhs and as Americans.

The Daily Show's Tips for Flying While Muslim

Hasan Minhaj demonstrates how Muslims can fly without terrifying their fellow travelers.



Ah, Flying While Brown. After a college student was recently kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight simply for speaking Arabic -- shout out to all you racist, idiotic air passengers who get freaked by the sight of a brown face and the sound of a "foreign" tongue -- The Daily Show with Trevor Noah's Hasan Minhaj made a handy pre-flight video demonstrating how Muslims can fly without terrifying their fellow travelers.

"If you speak Arabic, don't. It's a scary language." Hasan advises. "But don't not speak either, because that's also super suspicious."

"Donald Trump is White ISIS."

The Daily Show's Hasan Minhaj breaks down the frightening truth.



I am now consciously trying to refrain from contributing to Trump-related noise, because fuck that guy. But I couldn't resist sharing this segment from The Daily Show, in which host Trevor Noah, in response to the Republican presidential candidate's call for the United States to ban all Muslims from entering the country, bestows Donald Trump with a pretty damn great new moniker: "White ISIS."

Daily Show Senior Political Correspondent Hasan Minhaj, who happens to be Muslim himself, broke it down.

"I think this is where the evidence points: Donald Trump is an extremist leader who came out of nowhere," Minhaj explained. "He's self-financed, recruits through social media, attracts his followers with a radical ideology to take over the world, and is actively trying to promote a war between Islam and the West."

It all points to a frightening truth:

'The Daily Show' adds Ronny Chieng as correspondent

Australian comedian joins new hires Desi Lydic and Roy Wood Jr. on Comedy Central



Hey, look! An Asian dude on The Daily Show! Australian comedian Ronny Chieng has joined on as a correspondent for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, along with new hires Desi Lydic and Roy Wood.

The Daily Show adds Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic, and Roy Wood Jr. as correspondents

Chieng, a rising standup comedian, joins new host Trevor Noah, who was named to the desk after Jon Stewart announced he was stepping down from Comedy Central's long-running late night news satire show.

Born in Malaysia and raised in Singapore and New Hampshire, Chieng embarked on a standup career after graduating with a degrees in commerce and law from the University of Melbroune. He was recognized as one of the "Top 10 Rising Comedians in Australia" by several publications in 2012, and has opened for the likes of Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr. He made his U.S. television debut this year on The Late Late Show.

Meet 'The Qu'osbys' - America's Favorite Muslim Sitcom Family!

Aasif Mandvi's comedy webseries aims to change the conversation about Muslims in America.



America, get ready for The Qu'osby Show. Actor/writer/filmmaker Aasif Mandvi, who you know and love in his role as Senior Brown Correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, is putting together a webseries to combat anti-Muslim hate and have some fun while they're at it, classic sitcom style. And he needs your help.

Aasif explains:

File Under Badass: Malala Yousafzai on The Daily Show

16-year-old stood up to the Taliban, schools Jon Stewart.



On Tuesday, Comedy Central's The Daily Show welcomed 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai, one of the most badass people to walk this earth, for one the most inspirational television interviews ever.

A year ago, Malala was shot in the head by a gunman after her public fight for the right of girls to get an education put her in the crosshairs of the Pakistani Taliban. But she survived. Today, she is the youngest person ever to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and her memoir, I Am Malala is out this week.

Like I said, badass. Watch this extended, unedited interview as host Jon Stewart is visibly moved, humbled and at points left speechless by this courageous young woman:

'The Daily Show' investigates Chinese language programs

Aasif Mandvi interviews Jay Chen about the brainwashing conspiracy in Hacienda Heights.



Not too long ago, I wrote about the controversy over a China-funded language program for students in Hacienda Heights, California. Basically, critics are concerned that the language/culture curriculum could somehow be used to brainwash our precious American children.

Could this all be a nefarious scheme to indoctrinate young American minds with the ways of communism and general evil-ness? The Daily Show recently sent correspondent Aasif Mandvi to investigate, in this awesome segment: