Michael Yo Simmons is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and television host who co-hosted ''
The Insider'' on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
, and currently hosts ''Yo Show'' on
Yahoo! TV
Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present), Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds ma ...
. Yo also appears regularly on the comedy panel of ''
Chelsea Lately
''Chelsea Lately'' is an American Late night television, late night Television comedy, 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 ...
'', as a guest host for ''
The Talk'' on CBS, and as
pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* Pop (Gas al ...
commentator on ''
Showbiz Tonight
''Showbiz Tonight'' is a defunct American entertainment news program that aired from February 20, 2005, until February 6, 2014, on HLN. ''Showbiz Tonight'' was hosted by A. J. Hammer at CNN New York at the time of its cancellation. The show re ...
''. Michael played
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
for the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
, but his football career was cut short due to multiple concussions.
His stand up special debut “Blasian” was released November 27, 2018
His film credits include ''
Losing Control
''Losing Control'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Valerie Weiss about a female scientist who wants proof that her boyfriend is "the one." ''Losing Control'' was released theatrically on March 23, 2012 in ...
'', ''
The Cookout 2'', and
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...
’s ''
Bling Ring
The Bling Ring (also known as Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, The Burglar Bunch, and the Hollywood Hills Burglars) were a group of seven teenagers and young adults based in and around Calabasas, California, convicted of multiple thefts.
They bro ...
''.
Career
Yo previously worked as a correspondent for ''
E! News
''E! News'', previously known as ''E! News Daily'' and ''E! News Live'', is the entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and primarily reports ...
'', ''
The Daily 10
''The Daily 10'' (also known as ''The D10'') is an American daily television entertainment news show that aired on cable channel E! from March 2006 to October 2010. Hosts count down the top ten entertainment news stories of the day.
Segments
In ...
'', and ''
Extra
Extra or Xtra may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film
* ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film
* ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film
Literature
* ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper
* ''Extra!'', an American me ...
''. He coached
Kourtney and
Khloé Kardashian
Khloé Alexandra Kardashian (; born June 27, 1984) is an American media personality and socialite. Since 2007, she has starred with her family in the reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''. Its success has led to the cre ...
as radio DJs for their show ''
Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami
''Kourtney and Kim Take Miami'' (previously titled ''Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami'') is an American reality television series. It premiered on E! on August 16, 2009, as the first ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' spin-off. The series origina ...
'' on E!.
In 2001, he appeared in a season one episode of ''
Fear Factor
''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/ dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled ''Now or ...
'' in which contestants had to free fall from a hotel window hundreds of feet high, eat sheep's eyes and hang upside down in a water tank.
He started a podcast together with comedian
Jo Koy
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''. He has since had a number of Comedy Central and Netflix ...
on July 23, 2012 called ''The Michael Yo and Jo Koy Show''.
In November 2018, it was announced that his family comedy (inspired by his own life) was in development at Fox which he would star, co-write and produce.
On April 9, 2019, February 27, 2020, and May 12, 2020, Yo appeared on ''
The Joe Rogan Experience
''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It launched on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and producer until ...
''.
He appeared on
season 15 of ''
America's Got Talent
''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...
''.
Performing stand-up comedy, he received a yes from all 4 judges and advanced to the next round, but was eventually eliminated in the Quarter-Finals.
In 2022, he appeared on the Netflix baking competition ''
Is It Cake?
''Is It Cake?'' is a 2022 game show style cooking competition television series created by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, and hosted by Mikey Day. The series premiered on Netflix on March 18, 2022. Contestants create cakes that replicate comm ...
'' as a judge.
Personal life
Yo says that being a
biracial
Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...
person who is half
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
and half
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, he has "a uniquely relatable and American experience in life".
Yo said "Comedy is not about one-liners and punchlines, it's about story telling and a real connection with the audience."
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yo, Michael
21st-century American comedians
American people of Korean descent
African-American male comedians
American male comedians
African-American television personalities
Living people
People from Houston
1974 births
America's Got Talent contestants
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people