biography

short version: Jenny Yang is a Taiwan born, Los Angeles-raised standup comedian and tv writer who was named one of Variety's Top Ten Comics to Watch. She recently starred opposite Michelle Yeoh as an assassin in the Netflix action comedy-drama series, The Brothers Sun. Find her online at jennyyang.tv and at jennyyangtv on Instagram and TikTok.

longer version: Named one of Variety's Top Ten Comics to Watch and New York Magazine’s Vulture Comedians You Should Know, comedian Jenny Yang tours her unique blend of personal storytelling and social commentary through her standup comedy and hit monthly stage show SELF HELP ME, a competitive self-care comedy show. She has been featured at Just For Laughs Montreal, headlined at San Francisco Sketchfest, and has shared the stage with such legendary comedians as Maria Bamford and Margaret Cho.

As an actor, Jenny stars opposite Michelle Yeoh as XING in the Netflix action comedy-drama series, The Brothers Sun. She also voices Carissa, Beef’s love interest, on Fox's The Great North.

As a television writer, Jenny has sold original shows to Paramount+, Prime Video, 20th Television Animation, and penned scripts for Netflix’s The Brothers Sun, HBO Max’s “Gordita Chronicles,” Netflix’s Peabody-award winning animated show, City of Ghosts, two seasons of Fox’s “Last Man Standing'' and E!’s late-night talk show “Busy Tonight” with Busy Philipps. 

Her perspective as a food-obsessed, former labor organizer, and Asian American community activist working in comedy and entertainment is a sought-after voice in media projects covering the most pressing political and cultural issues of the day.

Taiwan-born and Southern California-raised, Jenny was honored by President Obama as a “White House Champion of Change” for her leadership in “Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling." Jenny has lived in Taiwan, Japan and Chile, speaks Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, and can curse you out in Korean and Japanese.

Subscribe to her Substack newsletter “everything’s fine with Jenny Yang” for stories and essays to find joy in an unjust world. Find her online at jennyyang.tv and on all social media at @jennyyangtv.

more about Jenny Yang

Jenny is the creator and host of “Comedy Crossing” a hit standup comedy show held inside the Animal Crossing video game and watched live in the funnest Zoom meeting this side of the pandemic. During the height of the pandemic, “Comedy Crossing” raised nearly $40,000 from audience donations for #BlackLivesMatter-related causes and funds. In May, 2020 Jenny was a featured performer in the Comedy Central “Covid Is No Joke” comedy special. The Hollywood Reporter featured Jenny’s March, 2020 satirical video rebutting Andrew Yang’s plea for Asian Americans to fight anti-Asian racism by being “more American.”

Jenny has created digital videos totaling over 80 million views at JennyYang.TV and with Buzzfeed, Comedy Central, Fusion, Funny or Die and Cracked.com. Between 2012 and 2018, she has produced over ninety sold-out shows for the first-ever, mostly female, Asian American stand up comedy tour, “Disoriented Comedy.” Jenny is also the founder and festival director of “The Comedy Comedy Festival: A Comedy Festival,” a comedy festival showcasing the best in Asian American comedic talent, which ran from 2014-2018.

credits

Self Help Me comedy show featured at San Francisco Sketch Festival 2024 and Netflix Is A Joke Festival 2024
The Brothers Sun, Actor, “XING,” Netflix action comedic drama series starring Michelle Yeoh, 2024
The Great North, Voice of "CARISSA", Fox’s hit animated sitcom
San Francisco Sketchfest 2023, Sketchfest Dozen
Opened for Maria Bamford, Margaret Cho
Variety’s “10 Comics To Watch” 2020
Vulture’s “Comedians You Should Know” 2020  
TV Writer, The Brothers Sun
TV Writer, HBO Max’s “Gordita Chronicles"
TV Writer, Netflix’s "City of Ghosts"
TV Writer, two seasons of Fox’s “Last Man Standing''
TV Writer / Actor, E!’s late-night talk show “Busy Tonight” with Busy Philipps