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Salon
Salon
Lifestyle
D. Watkins

Why Jo Koy gave up on Middle America

This year marks comedian Jo Koy's 33rd year as a stand-up. He's currently on his "Funny is Funny" world tour, but Koy admits that his success has been a long journey from starting out in Las Vegas coffee shops to now selling out arenas. During his set, he talks about his come up story as a Filipino-American comedian and letting Gen Z know that "it's just not as easy as you think."

Beyond his four Netflix stand-up specials, Koy starred in the comedy film "Easter Sunday" and was a regular roundtable guest on E!'s "Chelsea Lately." When I saw him perform in Washington a few weeks ago at Capital One Arena, the crowd was packed with people representing every racial and ethnic group imaginable. (Picture a rally for Barack Obama's first presidential campaign in 2008.) Reaching a wide audience isn't easy or even achievable for every comic.

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