Jo Koy

Many comics imitate their immigrant mothers onstage. But when Chelsea Lately regular Jo Koy tells a story about his Filipino mom playing Wii or mocking him for losing his car keys, not only is the attention to detail closer to a short story than a caricature, but he, not his mother, becomes the ultimate butt of the joke. When he describes picking his girlfriend up from the bar, the physical imitation of her peeing in public transitions into a dissection of sexual politics that’s more likely to leave men squirming uncomfortably. Koy, a family nickname and now his stage name, suits him well. The Los Angeles-based stand-up performs at Laugh Out Loud in support of his new Netflix special Jo Koy: Live from Seattle.