Alexandra Dawn Ali Wong (born April 19, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She is best known for her
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
stand-up specials ''Baby Cobra'' (2016), ''Hard Knock Wife'' (2018), and ''Don Wong'' (2022).
She starred in the film ''
Always Be My Maybe'' (2019), on which she also served as a writer and producer.
Wong was also a cast member on the
ABC show ''
American Housewife
''American Housewife'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 11, 2016, to March 31, 2021. It is created and written by Sarah Dunn and co-executive produced with Aaron Kaplan, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, and for the ...
'' and has previously appeared on ''
Inside Amy Schumer
''Inside Amy Schumer'' is an American sketch comedy television series created and hosted by Amy Schumer. The series aired on Comedy Central from April 30, 2013 to June 16, 2016 and was revived in 2022 for a new season on Paramount+. Schumer and ...
'', ''
Black Box
In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...
'', and ''
Are You There, Chelsea?
''Are You There, Chelsea?'' (formerly known as ''Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea'') is an American television sitcom created by Dottie Zicklin and Julie Ann Larson for NBC. It is based on Chelsea Handler's 2008 best-selling book '' Are Y ...
'' She was a writer for the first three seasons of the sitcom ''
Fresh Off the Boat
The phrase fresh off the boat ''(FOB)'', off the boat ''(OTB)'', are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior, ...
''. She voices the title character Roberta "Bertie" Songthrush on the animated series ''
Tuca & Bertie
''Tuca & Bertie'' is an American animated sitcom created by cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt for Netflix. It began streaming on May 3, 2019. It stars Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, with a supporting cast including Steven Yeun, John Early, Richard E. Gra ...
'' and Ali on the animated series ''
Big Mouth''. She was included in
''Time''s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
Early life
Alexandra Dawn Wong was born in the
Pacific Heights
Pacific Heights is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It has panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, and the Presidio.
The Pacific Heights Residents Association defines the neig ...
neighborhood of
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, on April 19, 1982,
the youngest of four children.
Her Vietnamese mother, Tam "Tammy" Wong, relocated from
Huế
Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...
in 1960 to work as a social worker in the U.S.
Her Chinese-American father, Adolphus Wong (1937–2011), was an
anesthesiologist
Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine ...
who worked for
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente (; KP), commonly known simply as Kaiser, is an American integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield. Kaiser ...
for 30 years.
In 2000, Wong graduated from
San Francisco University High School,
where she was student body class president.
She enrolled at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
, where she majored in Asian-American studies and discovered her love of performing as a member of the university's LCC Theatre Company, the country's largest and oldest Asian-American collegiate theater company.
She spent a summer working at The Lair of the Golden Bear, a
UC Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...
alumni summer family camp and, during her junior year, spent time in
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
.
She graduated ''
summa cum laude'' with a
BA in Asian-American studies in 2005.
After college, she studied in Vietnam through a
Fulbright program.
Career
After graduating from college, Wong first tried stand-up comedy at the age of 23. She soon moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to pursue comedy, and began to perform up to nine times a night.
In 2011, ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' named her one of the "10 Comics to Watch".
Soon after, she appeared on ''
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'',
''John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show'' and
Dave Attell
David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's ''Insomniac with Dave Attell'', which earned him a cult following. His work has drawn admiration from many comedi ...
's ''Comedy Underground Show''. She was also cast as series regular in the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
comedy series ''
Are You There, Chelsea?
''Are You There, Chelsea?'' (formerly known as ''Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea'') is an American television sitcom created by Dottie Zicklin and Julie Ann Larson for NBC. It is based on Chelsea Handler's 2008 best-selling book '' Are Y ...
'' and appeared on ''
Chelsea Lately
''Chelsea Lately'' is an American late night comedy talk show created by Brody Stevens and hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler which was broadcast on E! The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and was produced by Handler's production company, Border ...
''.
After that, she was in
VH1's ''Best Week Ever'' and
MTV's ''Hey Girl'' in 2013. Additionally, she starred in
Oliver Stone's ''
Savages'', opposite
Benicio Del Toro
Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (born February 19, 1967) is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen ...
and
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...
, and as Kate in the film ''
Dealin' with Idiots
''Dealin' with Idiots'' is a 2013 American film written and directed by Jeff Garlin, who also stars. It was distributed by IFC Films and released on July 12, 2013.
Synopsis
According to a press release from IFC Films
IFC Films is an American ...
''.
In 2014, Wong played Dr. Lina Lark in the
ABC medical drama series ''
Black Box
In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...
'', opposite
Kelly Reilly
Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly (born 18 July 1977) is an English actress. She first appeared on screen in 1995 on the series '' The Biz''. Her other television work includes starring roles in the British crime drama '' Above Suspicion'' (2009– ...
and
Vanessa Redgrave
Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...
.
Since then, she has guest-starred in several episodes of ''
Inside Amy Schumer
''Inside Amy Schumer'' is an American sketch comedy television series created and hosted by Amy Schumer. The series aired on Comedy Central from April 30, 2013 to June 16, 2016 and was revived in 2022 for a new season on Paramount+. Schumer and ...
''. Wong has been a writer on ''
Fresh Off the Boat
The phrase fresh off the boat ''(FOB)'', off the boat ''(OTB)'', are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior, ...
'' since 2014.
Randall Park Randall may refer to the following:
Places
United States
*Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community
* Randall, Indiana, a former town
*Randall, Iowa, a city
*Randall, Kansas, a city
* Randall, Minneso ...
, who is on the main cast, had suggested Wong for the writing role.
[
On Mother's Day 2016,] Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
released a stand-up special called ''Baby Cobra''; the special was filmed in September 2015, when Wong was seven months pregnant with her first child at the Neptune Theater in Seattle. According to ''New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
'', "The special's arrival on Netflix is the sort of star-making moment that unites the tastes of the unlikeliest fans." On September 11, 2016, Wong spoke at, and walked the runway during New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...
for Opening Ceremony's show. In October 2016, Wong began starring in the ABC sitcom ''American Housewife
''American Housewife'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 11, 2016, to March 31, 2021. It is created and written by Sarah Dunn and co-executive produced with Aaron Kaplan, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, and for the ...
''. On May 13, 2018, Wong's second Netflix special, ''Hard Knock Wife,'' was released. It was filmed in late September 2017 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto when she was seven months pregnant with her second child. In 2018, she voiced the character Citrus Twisty, a soda genie, in an episode of '' OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes''.
Wong starred with Randall Park in the 2019 Netflix film '' Always Be My Maybe'', a film directed by Nahnatchka Khan
Nahnatchka Khan (born June 17, 1973) is an American television writer and producer. She created and executive produced the ABC comedy series '' Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23'' (2012–2013) and '' Fresh Off the Boat'' (2015–2020), a ...
, and written by Wong, Park, and Michael Golamco. Wong voiced a titular character Bertie in the Netflix animated show ''Tuca & Bertie
''Tuca & Bertie'' is an American animated sitcom created by cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt for Netflix. It began streaming on May 3, 2019. It stars Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, with a supporting cast including Steven Yeun, John Early, Richard E. Gra ...
''.
On October 15, 2019, Wong came out with a book entitled '' Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets and Advice for Living Your Best Life''. She dubs it as a life guide for her two daughters to read when they're adults.
In February 2022, Wong released her third Netflix stand-up special, ''Don Wong''. This is her first stand-up special in which she is not visibly pregnant.
Personal life
Wong met Justin Hakuta, vice president of product at healthcare company GoodRx and the son of inventor Ken Hakuta
Ken Hakuta (born 1951), known as Dr. Fad since 1983, is a South Korean-born Japanese-American inventor and television personality. Hakuta, as Dr. Fad, was the host of the popular children's invention TV show ''The Dr. Fad Show'', which ran from ...
, at the wedding of their mutual friends in 2010. They married in 2014. They have two daughters named Mari and Nikki, and Wong has been open about miscarrying twins prior to becoming pregnant with her first daughter. She stated that making jokes about her miscarriage has helped her cope.
In April 2022, Wong and Hakuta announced they had filed for divorce.
Filmography
As actress
As herself
Further reading
* (2016) �
Interview with Wong on
''Fresh Air with Terry Gross
''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...
''
* (2019) �
Excerpts from her book ''Dear Girls''
References
External links
Ali Wong
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Ali
1982 births
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American comedians
Actresses from San Francisco
Actresses of Vietnamese descent
American actresses of Chinese descent
American film actresses
American stand-up comedians
American television actresses
American television writers
American women comedians
American writers of Chinese descent
American writers of Vietnamese descent
Comedians from California
Living people
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Writers from San Francisco
American women television writers
Screenwriters from California
21st-century American screenwriters
American comedians of Asian descent