In 2010, Chinese American comedian Joe Wong headlined the annual Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington with American Vice President and other dignitaries at hand. Performing in front of Vice President Joe Biden, Wong said that he had recently read Mr. Biden’s biography; however, after meeting Mr. Biden, he joked, “I think the book is much better.” Luckily for Wong, Mr. Biden does have a sense of humor. Wong continued to roast the Vice President: “If (I’m) elected (President), I will eliminate unemployment in the country by reducing the productivity of the American workforce. So, two people will have to do the work of one, just like the President and the Vice President.”

Joe Wong was born in Jilin province in northeastern China. He went to the U.S. in 1994, where he earned a PhD in biochemistry. After graduation, Wong landed a job at a company that makes DNA chips and received a patent for his research into ways to halt the growth of some cancers. However, Wong never felt satisfied with what he considered a run-of-the-mill life and found himself drawn to the open platform of stand-up comedy. He saw that there was no lack of Chinese biochemists in the U.S., but Asian faces in the public media were few and far between. He believed that Chinese people should break through into other, less stereotypical areas.

Wong grasped every performance opportunity that came his way, attending auditions and competitions. But over six to seven years on the circuit, his comedy career didn’t really take off. Kevin Knox, a veteran comedian, used to watch Wong’s shows in bars and became an avid supporter. He bolstered Wong’s confidence by assuring him that he would achieve success one day; Hollywood was always looking for new stars and new performances.

The facts today prove that Knox’s prediction was right. In 2009, Wong appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, an American talk show with the highest audience rating in the U.S., and became the first Asian to perform stand-up comedy on U.S. television. His short, six-minute performance earned him a standing ovation and after the show, he was inundated with autograph requests. At that moment, Wong’s wife burst into tears – she understood how much effort her husband had put in to this day and was overcome with happiness for him.

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