Joseph Glenn Herbert (born June 2, 1971
), known professionally as Jo Koy, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was a frequent panelist on
E!'s late night show ''
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 ...
''. He has since had a number of
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
and
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 ...
specials.
Early life
Jo Koy was born to a white American father who was in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
stationed in
the Philippines when he married Koy's Filipina mother.
His family moved from
Spanaway, Washington
Spanaway is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 35,476 at the 2020 census, up from 27,227 in 2010. Spanaway is an unincorporated area near Tacoma, and is often identified together with t ...
, to
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...
, and then to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
soon after he finished high school in Tacoma. He originally attended
Spanaway Lake High School
Spanaway Lake High School is a high school in Spanaway, Washington, for grade levels 9 through 12.
In 2007, 6 percent of 10th graders meet standard on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) writing test and 7 percent meet standard ...
and then moved to
Foss High School in Tacoma. They moved to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
to be near his ailing grandmother. Jo Koy enrolled in the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...
but dropped out to pursue stand-up comedy.
Jo Koy's stage name comes from a nickname his family gave him growing up. It was revealed during his stand-up routine in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
, on September 22, 2019, that back in 1989, he was talking to his cousin about making a stage name when his aunt called him to come to dinner, shouting "Jo Ko, eat!" (''
Ko'' means "my" in
Tagalog, so ''Jo Ko'' means "my Jo"). He misheard it and thought she said "Koy," decided it was a good name, and has used it ever since.
Career
Jo Koy credits his mother for his comedic and acting talents. He frequently tells stories about her in his comedy shows. She encouraged him to participate in school talent shows and to hold impromptu performances for his family and friends. This led to performances at a Las Vegas coffee house and inspired a move to Los Angeles.
The young comic began his stand-up career in 1994 at a comedy club in Las Vegas. Soon he moved from open mic night to a regular spot on the show ''
Catch a Rising Star'' at the
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
After performing at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, he rented the
Huntridge Theater and went door to door to sell tickets to his comedy shows.
A talent coordinator from Los Angeles spotted Koy and landed him his first television appearance on
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
's ''
ComicView
''ComicView'' is an American stand-up comedy show that aired on BET on Tuesdays and Fridays from September 1992 to December 2008. In May 2014, BET announced the return of ''ComicView''. The show has been the launching pad for such comedians as D. ...
''. He has appeared in two seasons of ''Comic View''.
The comedian has gone on to star in other TV stand-up specials like ''Jamie Foxx Presents: Laffapalooza!''. Jo Koy has won the ''Showtime at the Apollo'', performed in front of troops in the
USO Tour, can be seen on various VH1 ''
I Love the 70’s'', ''
80’s'', ''
90’s'',
Tru TV's ''
World's Dumbest'' and ''New Millennium'' episodes,
Amp'd Mobile phone commercials and received a second invite to the Montreal comedy festival ''
Just For Laughs'', the series for which he was awarded Canada’s prestigious
Gemini Award. Jo Koy was also a regular guest at Chelsea Handler’s roundtable discussion on E!'s ''Chelsea Lately''. Jo Koy has also appeared on
Carlos Mencia
Ned Arnel "Carlos" Mencía (born October 22, 1967) is a Honduran-American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race relations, Latin American culture, criminal justice, and social class. He i ...
’s Punisher Tour performing stand-up comedy in front of fans filling 10,000-seat arenas across the country.
[
In 2005, Jo Koy performed on '']The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
''. He became one of a select few comics to receive a standing ovation on the show.
He started a podcast together with comedian and TV host Michael Yo
Michael Yo Simmons is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and television host who co-hosted '' The Insider'' on CBS, and currently hosts ''Yo Show'' on Yahoo! TV. Yo also appears regularly on the comedy panel of ''Chelsea Lately'', as a guest ho ...
on July 23, 2012, called ''The Michael Yo and Jo Koy Show''.
Koy has also appeared on over 100 episodes of ''Chelsea Lately'' as a season regular roundtable guest. Other appearances include: ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'', @Midnight with Chris Hardwick, VH1, '' World's Funniest Fails'', '' The Joy Behar Show'', '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', ''Last Call with Carson Daly
''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''T ...
'' and ''Jamie Foxx: Laffapalooza''.
Today, the comedian tours across the US and can be heard as a weekly guest on the podcast, ''The Adam Carolla Show''. He joined the PodcastOne
LiveOne (formerly known as LiveXLive) is a music streaming platform that combines audio and (sometimes live) video available in the US and Canada. Users can access the service on the web through mobile apps on smartphones and over-the-air device ...
family and hosts the weekly podcast, ''The Koy Pond''. Koy has done two highly-rated and successful comedy specials on Comedy Central: ''Don’t Make Him Angry'' and ''Lights Out''. His third comedy special, ''Jo Koy: Live from Seattle'' is a 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 ...
Original was released on March 28, 2017 worldwide. Koy released another 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 ...
special titled ''Jo Koy: Comin' In Hot'' on June 12, 2019. On February 23, 2019, Koy performed two shows on stage at the Wheeler Opera House, Aspen, CO for the closing night of Aspen Laugh Festival.[Tusing, David (January 18, 2020)]
Jo Koy in Dubai: 'Netflix changed everything'
. Gulf News.
On June 12, 2020, Netflix released ''Jo Koy: In His Elements'', a comedy special featuring Filipino American comedians, DJs, and B-boys.
On July 28, 2022, Koy, alongside film producer Dan Lin appeared in the Rise for Comedy festival, where they raised a $75,000 donation to the nonprofit Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA).
Influences
Koy has named Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
, Billy Crystal
William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. ...
, Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
, Chris Rock, and Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...
as his comedy influences. In 2022, Blogtalk with MJ Racadio named him one of the "75 Most Influential Filipino-Americans".
Personal life
Koy has one son, Joseph Herbert Jr., born April 21, 2003, from a previous relationship with Angie King. Koy and his son reside in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California.
On September 27, 2021, Koy and Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Joy Handler (born February 25, 1975) is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She hosted the late-night talk show ''Chelsea Lately'' on the E! network from 2007 to 2014 and released a documentary series, ...
posted an official Instagram post of their relationship. In July 2022, they announced their breakup on Handler's Instagram, which occurred in June.
Charity work
On August 4, 2009, The Jo Koy Foundation hosted its first philanthropic event in "Hilarity for Charity" a stand-up comedy show featuring Koy, along with special surprise comedic guests. The show took place at The Jon Lovitz
Jonathan Michael Lovitz (; born July 21, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1990. Lovitz starred as Jay Sherman in '' The Critic'' and played a baseball scout in '' A League of ...
Comedy Club, located in the heart of Citywalk, Universal City, California. Proceeds from the ticket sales were donated to The Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
Comedy Central profile
Celebrity News : Who Is Jo Koy?
Joseph Herbert Jr. Biography 2022 - Jo Koy's S
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koy, Jo
1971 births
Living people
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
American comedians of Asian descent
American people of Filipino descent
American stand-up comedians
Comedians from California
People from Los Angeles
People from Spanaway, Washington
People from Tacoma, Washington
University of Nevada, Las Vegas alumni