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REVIEW: Ronny Chieng’s Asian Comedian Destroys America is funny as h*ll

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 25: Ronny Chieng attends the 2019 International Emmy Awards Gala on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 25: Ronny Chieng attends the 2019 International Emmy Awards Gala on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

SINGAPORE – It would be a disservice to my fellow countrymen and women if I don’t share my thoughts about Malaysia-born, Singapore-raised Ronny Chieng’s debut of his Netflix show, Asian Comedian Destroys America.

In short, it’s funny and witty as h*ll.

I first encountered Chieng’s slice of comedy when he appeared on The Daily Show in 2016 to interview actual Asian Americans in Chinatown, United States, on how they felt about politician Donald Trump.

The idea stemmed from Chieng watching a segment on Fox News O’Reilly Factor, where a TV reporter found a few basic Asian stereotypes to interview on camera. The elderly folks didn’t speak English, while the reporter basically shoved the mic up to their faces with the intention to embarrass them in front of the camera.

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“This is just lazy comedy,” Chieng retorted, and proceeded to spend three hours filming and speaking to Asian Americans with informed opinions about the then-elections. According to Comedy Central, that video, which was aired on The Daily Show and social media reached 23 million people on Facebook. I was one of the many, who caught that viral video, and thought to myself, ‘wow, who is this guy, and boy, isn’t he making a difference!’

Of course, Chieng now needs no introduction; he’s gone on to star in hit movie Crazy Rich Asians, toured around the US, Australia and Asia with his comedy show, Tone Issues, and today, has his very own comedy show recorded for Netflix.

Ronny Chieng. (PHOTO: Netflix)
Ronny Chieng. (PHOTO: Netflix)

Though the original slated name was Tone Issues, which is also the name of his tour, Netflix thought nobody would know him, so the 34-year-old comedian had to change the title to Asian Comedian Destroys America to appease them. In this one-hour long show, Chieng took on topics like immigration, how the Internet is making all of us dumber, to Japanese occupation in Asia and traditional Chinese wedding ceremonials with aplomb and aggression. It’s in his method delivery of ‘aggression’ that permeates the show, from a dig on US state mottos (“Live Free or Die”) to a dig on planning three expensive wedding ceremonies (no one cares about the groom’s opinions, right?).

I turn to my partner, who has lived in New York for six years, for any sense of familiarity from watching the show, and he chuckled at the segment where Chieng, with his Bruce Lee-like fists and kicks in the air, perpetuated the cliche of a subway brawler. “Yes, you do get that one guy who holds the whole damn train with just his foot,” he added. In Asia, if you do that, you get yelled at by commuters who are trying to get to work, I told him.

When my team members and I met Chieng at our Yahoo Southeast Asia office in Singapore last month, Chieng was just a jolly, calm person, unlike the other character he plays on stage. If there was any hint this comedian was going to destroy America, it must have been through his witty observations and good storytelling flow. We can’t wait for more new material from this guy.

Ronny Chieng’s Asian Comedian Destroys America is now streaming on Netflix.

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