Joe Wong
Wong in October 2009
Birth name	Huáng Xī
Native name	黄西
Born	(1970-02-16) February 16, 1970 (age 54) Baishan, Jilin, China
Medium	Stand-up
Nationality	American
Years active	2001 – Present
Genres	Deadpan, sarcasm, observational comedy, satire
Subject(s)	pop culture, everyday life, marriage, self-deprecation, racial stereotypes
Notable works and roles	2010 Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner

Joe Wong (simplified Chinese: 黄西; traditional Chinese: 黃西; pinyin: Huáng Xī, born February 16, 1970) is a Chinese American biochemist and comedian.

Background

He was born in Baishan, Jilin, China, into an ethnic Korean family.^[1] His family had emigrated from Korea three generations previously. He graduated from Jilin University and studied a master's degree at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, before he went to further study chemistry at Rice University in Texas in 1994.^[2] He graduated from Rice in 2000 with a PhD in Biochemistry.

Career

Wong moved to Boston in 2001 and began to perform his comedy at All Asia Bar, at Stash's Comedy Jam. Although he had won numerous awards, he did not attract American nationwide attention until after his appearance on Late Show with David Letterman on April 17, 2009.^[3] His multiple appearances on TV, courtesy of Ellen DeGeneres, boosted his reputation further. On February 10, 2010, Wong made his second appearance on the Late Show,^[4][5] and appeared again on March 30, 2012. He returned to the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on December 14, 2018.

On St. Patrick’s Day, 2010, he headlined the annual dinner hosted by the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association.^[6][7] On June 19, 2010, he placed first in the Third Annual Great American Comedy Festival.

In 2013, he moved back to Beijing, hosting television shows, such as Is it true? (Chinese: 是真的吗?), a MythBusters-like program, on China Central Television.

Awards