I'm used to taking risks - my career was a risk. Being a stand-up comic is not something that's normally accepted when your mother is Filipino. Jo Koy More Quotes by Jo Koy More Quotes From Jo Koy I get the worst compliments all the time. 'Oh you're Asian? I love orange chicken.' Jo Koy orange asian compliment Just keep following your damn dreams, it just costs a lot of damn money. I'm broke, but I have a dream. Jo Koy broke cost dream I got a big Filipino family. That's what I love about being Pinoy: we all gotta surround ourselves with family; we all gotta laugh and do things together. I love it! It's family first. Jo Koy laugh family together love What I enjoy the most about being Filipino is our culture. Jo Koy being filipino enjoy culture Whenever I talk about my culture, I want to shine a light on it. Even though I'm having fun, I want to make sure it's uplifting. I'm proud of it, and that's always been the foundation of my jokes. Jo Koy shine proud light culture My mom raised us like we were still in the Philippines. She tried to cure everything at home like a real Filipino woman. You had to die to go to the hospital. My mom cured everything with Vicks VapoRub. I should've died nine times when I was a kid! Jo Koy woman die you home I always wanted to let people know I was Filipino, but I didn't want to go up on stage and make it so you wouldn't understand my jokes because you're white or black. I always wanted to let people know I was Filipino through my mom. That was always my goal. That way, everyone got it. You don't have to be Filipino to understand my mom. Jo Koy you black mom people Everyone is where they are at because they worked hard for it. Don't ever hate on someone's hustle. Just figure out how you can get there. Jo Koy someone you hustle hate Comedy is just an unspoken language. Everybody understands it. Funny is funny. When it's not funny, they'll let you know. Jo Koy you comedy language funny Right around 11 or 12, when I saw Eddie Murphy's standup special 'Delirious,' and I taped it on a VHS tape - I think I watched it every single day. I lived and breathed Eddie Murphy for that whole year. Jo Koy day think single special I learned from my dad's mistakes. I think that's why I'm so into my son. I bring him lunch every day: McDonald's, Taco Bell, whatever junk food a kid likes, I will bring it for him. I've canceled gigs so I could be at moments for him. That wasn't a big thing for my dad. Jo Koy day dad food son I love being a friend to my son. We go to the mall together. We shop. He picks out my clothes. We hang out. We go to different cities together. We like the same music. I think that's why he appreciates his mom and me so much - we treat him like a friend. Jo Koy me music love son I can't stop working! Jo Koy stop working It's so crazy: my mom and dad divorced when I was 11, and my fondest memories are in the Philippines and being raised by my mom. It's such a big part of my life. Jo Koy my-life crazy memories life A lot of people ask why I don't talk about my dad, and I want to, I just don't have that many stories. When he moved out, he moved to a different state, so it was just my mom and I. Jo Koy dad mom want people I love storytellers. When I was growing up, my inspirations were watching Eddie Murphy, Dennis Wolfberg, and Louie Anderson. These guys were great at telling stories, and I made that my own style, talking about things that happened to me and trying to make them funny. Jo Koy me style love funny I have so much history with Just For Laughs. My career took off there. Jo Koy off career just history There's nothing more fun than seeing the things that you dreamed about when you were a kid come true. I'm headlining an iconic theater in New York City during the New York Comedy Festival. When you're starting off as a comedian, you don't think that's ever going to happen. Jo Koy city think you fun New York is always claiming East, and Los Angeles is always claiming West. It's in everything: acting, hip-hop, sports. But I love it. That rivalry makes you work harder. Jo Koy you work love sports What makes me laugh is hearing the stuff about my son or the stuff about my mom. I was a big fan of Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy; they talked a lot about their moms and their kids. Those are the things that inspired me to do stand-up. Jo Koy laugh me mom son
