Jimmy O. Yang Opens Up About His Childhood Relationship with His Father

One time I was doing a Brad Garrett's club in Vegas, MGM. I was like, old Chinese people understand Vegas. I'm going to hook them up with a nice room. I was, I think, opening or middling years ago. I was like, finally, they're going to see me in MGM because they know that's a nice place going to comedy club. I crushed it that night. I could set and, you know, afterwards you and the headliner and everyone's out there shaking hands, meeting people. My parents walked out, right? My mom's all smiles. She's very just positive, you know, general. And then my dad walked out and then my my buddy Jack was next to me. He was the middle. I was the opener. Yeah, my buddy Jack Cohen, older comic. He he went up to my dad. He was like, oh, my God. Hey, Richard, aren't you so proud of your son? He's so good. Right. And then my dad just looked at me in front of the entire audience of everyone else shaking hands. Like, no, Jimmy's not funny. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. And and I don't know if he was years later, he said. That was a joke because because it's not. He said this, he said, it's not funny if I tell you you're funny, but it's funny if I tell you it's not funny. There's a story there. I was like, yeah, but yeah, you're my dad, though. Come on. Like, you're not you're not my buddy at an open mic. Yeah. And then he also said he was like, well, I honestly didn't think it was funny because I don't get the references. I don't get culturally like what you're saying about whatever. I didn't get it. So he's kind of just being honest also. So he's trying to be funny in his own way while being honest about his own take on it. I don't. Yeah. Yeah. He's honest, but he's also still being the ball breaker. Right. He's a funny guy. But sometimes it's hard to be his son. If he's using me in an expensive comedy. Is it like the style comedy like insult comedy? You say ball ball breaking like what kind of. Yeah. That's what he does. Yes, like older Chinese Don Rickles. Yes. Yes. That's it. Well, Chinese people, I think in general, I say this my stand up. And it's funny if I do it in front of a white audience or a non-Chinese audience, like what the fuck does that really happen? Like I do this bit about how Chinese people would tell you exactly what the fuck is wrong with your face like at Thanksgiving. You know, my mom would tell my girl cousin like, oh, Christina, you got so fat. Wow. Just straight. I was like, you can't say that. And then and then my mom or my dad would be like, oh, if we're not telling her, who would and like also being like a comedian? I mean, not not being a comedian, being fuck was I going to say? Oh, being Chinese, being fat or gaining weight is prosperous. It's good. It's auspicious or whatever. She's a girl. You can't just fucking say that, you know. And Christina is not fat. She's this beautiful young woman, you know. And and yeah, it's it's it's hard to grow up with a high self-esteem in an Asian household, you know, but there is a weird honesty to it. I don't know. I don't buy it. They say it's honest. I think it's me passed down trauma. They parents did that to them. And now they're doing it. Yeah. I don't know. Well, there's something about work ethic in Asian households. When I was young, one of my good friends was this kid. His name was Jung Sik, Jung Sik Chang. And he went on to be a national Taekwondo champion while while he was in its medical residency. Like, yeah, I always used to compare myself to him. If I ever thought I had discipline or I worked hard, I compare myself to that guy. Yeah, I was like, I'm a lazy fuck. This guy was he worked so hard. But he was telling me that this is just how it was with his family. Nothing he ever did is good enough. Like he's Korean. And he was like, my parents are so ruthless. It's like everything had to be better. Nothing was ever good. It didn't matter if you had straight A's. You could do better. You could always do better. You never never good enough. It's interesting. I think that that is more like the very stereotypical Asian parents, the helicopter tiger parents or whatever. Tiger parents. Right. Tiger mom, I think is a real term. Mine is, I guess, a little nuanced. Like they would give it up for academic and they always call me smart and stuff, but they will make fun of me. Like I remember after orchestra practice in high school once my dad came very proud of me, playing the violin, it's like, oh, you're great. You know, so that stuff, they'll give it up, you know. But then a girl, this really cute white girl came and talked to me after Tracy with her name that I kind of had a crush on. She just came and talked to me. She was like, oh, my God, you're so good. Hey, hey, I'll talk to you later. Gave me a hug and everything. And I was such a nerd. I didn't get any action. And then and then I just looked at my dad. I was hoping he'll be proud, you know, and then he looked at me and he's like, you and her. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. So certain things like he goes a little too far making fun of you. That's a confidence crusher from Pops. Yeah. But I mean, once again, it could be because he grew up. He never got no girls like that. So he's like, if I couldn't, like, why would my son, you know, do you think he's competing with you a little bit there in that way? I hate to think about that, but I think there's got to be a part of that. That's got to be a part of why he wanted to get into acting. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mm hmm. And maybe that's one of the reasons why he's so confident. Because he shits on you. And if you can do it, it's like this fucking guy can do it. Yeah. Yeah. It's a weird like he he picks and chooses what he gives it up and not. Oh, so it's manipulative. A little bit. So you never know. It's like, uh. Yeah. Yeah. Stockholm. Well, you know, I I called them out once and I was like that. Why don't you? What why didn't you first of all tell me the dating advice and also why did you never think I could like date cute girls or whatever? Right. Like that took me years to overcome. And he was like, sure. But like I always said you were smart, right? But he just gave me like a non-answer of like he's like, but I always said you were smart. That's what what's important to me. Mm. Yeah. So it's sort of like he's excusing the fact that he dismissed your ability to. I think whatever he wasn't good at, he projected it on me. Like I was as small as I was. I was a pretty good athlete. I could run pretty fast. I can jump pretty high. I used to play basketball, even though I was small. I was like the underdog. But I was athletic, you know. But my dad, like when I was trying out for the high school basketball team, my dad was like, no, you you can't do that. You're flat footed just like me. You can't come on. Oh, that's weird. So that's the opposite of what some weird like theater parents do or or coach parents do. Like the thing that happens when kids get into athletics where their parents failed at sports and then they get really invested in their kid being awesome. Yes. Yes. I'm not sure which way is healthier or both of them less healthy. Yeah, they're both gross. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, there's something really weird about like it's it's a burden to for the kids. Like I've seen it with kids with the overbearing parents that just want the kid to succeed so well, because it like that's my boy out there kicking ass. My boy, look how fast he was. Very selfish reason. You don't really care about the kid being happy or not. And it also fucks with the kid's head. And a lot of times it ruins their love of whatever the sport is. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I don't know, I guess me, you know, it's fine. It's fine. I'm fine. Joe, I'm fine. You're fine. I'm fine, dude. I'm fine. I've seen enough therapy. I'm fine. Dude, it's fine. It's fine. He's flawed. We're all flawed. Yeah. Yeah. No worries. It's like the scene in Goodwill Hunting. Like I'm afraid you're going to be like Robin Williams and be like, it's not your fault. Yeah, it's not your fault. And I just start bowling.