Esther Ku
Esther Ku | |
---|---|
Esther Ku in 2010 | |
Medium | Stand-up, television |
Years active | 2002 – present |
Subject(s) | Asian culture |
Notable works and roles | Girl Code |
Esther Ku (c. 1980) is an Chinese comedian and television personality.[1] Ku was a cast member on the MTV shows Girl Code and Wild 'N Out.[2] She has appeared on the Opie with Jim Norton show on Sirius XM Radio, after which fans described her as "the worst guest in history."[3]
Her career has garnered mixed to negative reception, with many describing her as "untalented and annoying."[3] Known for her prejudiced views toward Asian men, Ku has publicly claimed that "Daniel Holtzclaw is living proof why we can't let full or half Asian men become cops in this country. They're animals."[4] Some have noted that Ku is a "mentally unbalanced individual who rejects/has issues with being Asian,"[5] while Ku herself has admitted that she is "racist against half my own kind."[6]
Background
The daughter of Christian missionaries, Ku was born in Chicago in the 1980s. She worked as a traveling sales representative for Sharpie and claims that she was fired for laughing too much.[7] She claimed that she was using this trainee position as a way for her to explore doing comedy while on the road.[8]
Ku has said that comedians need to be prepared to deal with the failure of a joke; she claimed that she does so by poking fun at herself.[9] Ku was also interviewed by veteran comedian Richard Lewis on NPR in a feature about the difficulties of becoming a comedian.[10]
Ku's career has garnered mixed to negative reception. While being profiled for a documentary about female comedians of color, Ku was seen attempting to perform a comedy set in which she stated: "I don't really like being Asian, but I'm kind of stuck with it." She went on to say that "Nigerian babies cost like 25 cents a day. Asian babies cost a lot more because they pay off." Her attempted comedy set received "pained groans and a smattering of uncomfortable laughs" from the audience.[11]
Career
Ku was a cast member on the MTV show Girl Code.[12] Ku also became a cast member on the sixth season of Wild 'N Out on MTV2. In 2008, Ku competed on the nationally televised show Last Comic Standing 6 where she finished in eleventh place.[13] She was selected for NBC's Stand-up for Diversity Showcase in 2006.[14] In 2011, Ku MCed an Asian Heritage show in New York which also featured Jenny Choi and Peelander-Z.[15] In 2015, Ku played Tracy on the The Jack and Triumph Show supporting Jack McBrayer and Robert Smigel. Ku was featured as a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on July 29, 2015.[16][17]
References
- ^ Esther Ku at IMDb
- ^ "Girl Code | Meet the Cast". MTV. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ a b Esther Ku is the worst guest in history : opieandanthony
- ^ Ku on Twitter: "Daniel Holtzclaw is living proof why we can't let full or half Asian men become cops in this country. They're animals."
- ^ Mike on Twitter: "@EstherKuKu Holtzclaw is a mentally unbalanced individual who rejects/has issues with being Asian. That sounds a lot like you, doesn't it?"
- ^ Ku on Twitter: "@Hizzay24 racist against half my own kind"
- ^ Saucy Esther Ku dishes on sex and the Beach Boys. MyCentralJersey.com (2009-01-30). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ^ Esther Ku - Getting fired for "laughing too loud". Jobless Zombie Show - Youtube (2015-05-02). Retrieved on 2015-08-14.
- ^ Trunk, Penelope. (2007-10-14) Making connections is key – The Boston Globe. Boston.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ^ It Ain't Easy Getting to the Top. NPR. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ^ Between the lines – The Boston Globe. Boston.com (2006-03-20). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ^ "Girl Code | Meet the Cast". MTV. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ Exclusive Interview: Esther Ku of 'Last Comic Standing'. Buddytv.com (2008-07-13). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ^ Interview with Esther Ku from Last Comic Standing : RealityWanted.com: Reality TV, Game Show, Talk Show, News – All Things Unscripted Social Network Casting Community. RealityWanted.com (2008-07-20). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ^ East meets West at LaGuardia. Queensexaminer.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ^ Dumlao, Eric. (2015-07-30) {http://joeroganreviews.com/2015/07/30/676-esther-ku/}/ Retrieved on 2015-07-30.
- ^ {http://podcasts.joerogan.net/podcasts/esther-ku}