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Ronny Chieng

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Ronny Chieng
钱信伊
Chieng in 2018
Born (1985-11-21) 21 November 1985 (age 38)
Johor Bahru, Malaysia
EducationPioneer Secondary School
Pioneer Junior College
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne (BCom & LL.B.)
Australian National University (LPC)
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
Years active2009–present
Spouse
Hannah Pham
​
​
(m. 2016)​
Websiteronnychieng.com
Ronny Chieng
Simplified Chinese钱信伊
Traditional Chinese錢信伊
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinQián Xìnyī
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingCin4 Seon3 Ji1
Southern Min
Hokkien POJChîⁿ Sìn-i

Ronny Xin Yi Chieng (Chinese: 钱信伊; born 21 November 1985) is a Malaysian comedian and actor based in the United States. He is a senior correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show, and he created and starred in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation sitcom Ronny Chieng: International Student. He has also appeared in films such as Crazy Rich Asians and the English version of Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow.

Early life

Chieng was born into a Malaysian Chinese[1] family in Johor Bahru on 21 November 1985.[2][3] He grew up in both Singapore and the United States, living in Manchester, New Hampshire from 1989 to 1994.[4][5]

In his youth, he was a Singapore Sea Scout of the Singapore Scout Association.[6] When he lived in Johor Bahru, Chieng commuted to Fuchun Primary School in Woodlands, Singapore.[6] He subsequently attended Pioneer Secondary School and Pioneer Junior College in Jurong, Singapore.[7]

Thereafter, he attended the University of Melbourne in Australia, living at Trinity College and graduating in 2010 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree.[8] He also obtained a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University in 2012.[9][failed verification]

Career

Ronny Chieng in Singapore during the filming of Crazy Rich Asians.
Ronny Chieng's autograph

Chieng performed with Trevor Noah in 2013 at an Australian comedy festival in Melbourne.[10][11] In 2015, he was asked to audition for the correspondent role on The Daily Show, which Noah hosted from 2015 to 2022.[10] In July 2016, he was named one of 10 Comics to Watch by Variety.[12] Three months later, he had a segment on The Daily Show in which he gave an expletive-laden criticism of a Jesse Watters clip on Fox News deemed by many as racist. He also revisited New York City's Chinatown neighborhood, where Watters had mocked residents, and conducted more respectful interviews in Mandarin and Cantonese.[13] The video went viral and received coverage in The Washington Post and on Slate.[14][15]

In 2017, Chieng began co-writing and starring in the sitcom Ronny Chieng: International Student, based on his own experience as a Malaysian student in Australia.[16] It was developed for Comedy Central in America and ABC TV in Australia.[1][3] In 2018, he made his film debut in Crazy Rich Asians, as Eddie Cheng, an obnoxious banker.[17][18]

In 2019, his first stand-up special with Netflix, Asian Comedian Destroys America!, was released,[18][19] directed by his Daily Show collaborator Sebastian DiNatale.[20] In early 2021, Chieng signed a deal with Netflix for two additional stand-up specials and a "docu-comedy."[21] He also appeared as the original character Jon Jon in the Marvel Studios film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,[22][23] and it was announced that Chieng and DiNatale will co-write a martial arts action-comedy film for Sony.[20]

The new "docu-comedy", titled Ronny Chieng Takes Chinatown, was released in 2022 and co-stars YouTuber David Fung, with guest appearances from fellow Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu and professional NBA player Jeremy Lin.[24] Chieng's second Netflix special, Speakeasy, was released on 5 April 2022.[25][26]

In October 2022, Chieng commented on Rishi Sunak becoming Britain's first Asian Prime Minister during a Daily Show segment. He said, “I know everyone is excited that this is the first Asian prime minister, but let’s be clear: Indians are not Asians, OK? They’re still people — great people — just not Asian people.” Many internet netizens have criticized the joke, particularly Indians.[27][28]

In July 2024, Oahu mayor Rich Blangiardi signed a proclamation that 27 July will be known as Ronny Chieng Day for his contributions to the entertainment industry.[29][30]

Personal life

Chieng has lived in New York City since moving to the U.S. in 2015.[31] He is married to Hannah Pham.[32] The couple met and began dating while studying commerce and law at the University of Melbourne. Pham later obtained a Master's degree in law at New York University and worked as an attorney in the United States.[33] Although Chieng lived in Australia for a decade, he does not have citizenship or permanent residency status there.[34][35] He practices Brazilian jiujitsu and holds the rank of blue belt.[6]

He is an avid collector of watches, an interest that first began with a Seiko 5 that he purchased during his university years in Australia. His watch collection was featured on an episode of the Hodinkee series Talking Watches and includes a rare variant of the Seiko Chronograph Ref. 6139-6010 (widely acknowledged as being worn by Bruce Lee) and a vintage GMT-Master Ref. 16753 "Root Beer".[36] Another of his watches, a two-tone Rolex dated to 1984 that he inherited from his late father, appeared on an episode of Antiques Roadshow and was valued at $5,000.[37]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Crazy Rich Asians Edison "Eddie" Cheng
2021 Wish Dragon Pipa God (voice) Animated film
Bliss Kendo
Long Story Short Sam
Trust Adam
Godzilla vs. Kong Jay Wayne
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Jon Jon
2022 Helvellyn Edge AC Sloan [22][38]
M3GAN David
2023 Shortcomings Mr. Wong
Joy Ride Chao
Vacation Friends 2 Yeon
2024 Kung Fu Panda 4 Captain Fish (voice)
Unfrosted Chuck

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Problems Mr. Meowgi 4 episodes
2013–2014 Legally Brown Various 13 episodes
It's a Date Winston 2 episodes
Have You Been Paying Attention? Himself 3 episodes
2014 This is Littleton Various Characters 4 episodes
2015–present The Daily Show Himself (correspondent)
2016 Comedy Showroom Himself 1 episode
The Katering Show Himself 1 episode
2017 Ronny Chieng: International Student Himself 7 episodes
Fancy Boy Accountant TV series
2018–present Scissor Seven Seven (voice) 20 episodes
2019 Asian Comedian Destroys America! Himself Netflix comedy special
2020 Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun Himself (voice) Episode: "'Lympics"
2021–2022 Young Rock Greg Yao 6 episodes
2021–2023 Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. Dr. Lee 17 episodes
2021 Ten Year Old Tom Pete (voice) Episode: "Tom Urinates on Boston/First Responder"
2022 Speakeasy Himself Netflix comedy special
2023 History of the World, Part II Kublai Khan 3 episodes
Mulligan Johnny Zhao (voice) 3 episodes
American Born Chinese Ji Gong 4 episodes
Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens Arthur Episode: "Car Fished"
The Daily Show Himself (guest host) Episode: "Jordan Jonas"[39]
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Consultant 2 Episode: "McKinsey"[40]
2024 Grimsburg (voice) Episode: "The Flute Show"
The Daily Show Himself (guest host) 7 episodes
Interior Chinatown Fatty Choi
Gremlins: The Wild Batch TBA Voice[41]

Awards

Melbourne Comedy Festival

Year Award Result
2012 Best Newcomer Award Won
2014 Directors' Choice Award Won

Sydney Comedy Festival

Year Award Result
2013 Best of the Fest Nominated
2014 Won

ARIA Music Awards

Year Title Award Result Ref.
2014 The Ron Way Best Comedy Release Nominated [42]
2015 Chieng Reaction Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b Hunt, Elle (27 April 2016). "'Watch it before I get sued': The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng on his new pilot". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  2. ^ @ronnychieng (21 November 2015). "My 30th birthday cake is making it rain..." – via Instagram.
  3. ^ a b DiClaudio, Dennis (5 October 2016). "The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng lands his own Comedy Central series". AV Club. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016.
  4. ^ Greenough, Jason (8 February 2019). "Ronny Chieng's 'Daily' grind leads him back to Boston". Vanyaland.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Ronny Chieng: 'This Is For The Rich People'". NPR.org. 2 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Singapore or Malaysia? We made Crazy Rich Asians' Ronny Chieng choose | CNA Lifestyle". Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ 林佳憓, 文 / (20 April 2017). "这里是否留下你的光辉岁月？". zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Ronny Chieng hits the Big Apple!". Trinity College, Melbourne. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  9. ^ "About Me". RonnieChieng.com. Ronny Chieng. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  10. ^ a b Ronny Chieng on "Crazy Rich Asians" and Representation in Hollywood | Amanpour and Company, archived from the original on 19 February 2020, retrieved 15 January 2020
  11. ^ Marikar, Sheila (2 December 2019). "Ronny Chieng Defends Dangerous Comedy". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  12. ^ "10 Comics to Watch 2016". Variety. 20 July 2016. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  13. ^ "The O'Reilly Factor Gets Racist in Chinatown". Comedy Central. Comedy Central. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  14. ^ Wemple, Erik (7 October 2016). "'The Daily Show' raps Jesse Watters, Fox News for racist segment on Chinatown". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  15. ^ Martinelli, Marissa (7 October 2016). "The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng Went to Chinatown, Delivered the Perfect Corrective to Fox News' Racist Segment". Slate.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  16. ^ Brown, Simon Leo (31 March 2016). "The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng returns to 'home ground' for Melbourne comedy festival". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  17. ^ Ford, Rebecca (24 April 2017). "'Crazy Rich Asians' Adds Awkwafina". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  18. ^ a b Kuga, Mitchell (17 December 2019). "Ronny Chieng Can Even Make This Year's News Funny". T. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  19. ^ Sherman, Elisabeth (20 December 2019). "The Best Part of Ronny Chieng's Netflix Comedy Special". Vulture. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  20. ^ a b Galuppo, Mia (15 July 2021). "Ronny Chieng Sets Martial Arts Comedy at Sony (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  21. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (24 February 2021). "Ronny Chieng Inks Netflix Deal for Three Comedy Specials (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  22. ^ a b "Ronny Chieng joins 'Shang Chi And The Legend of the Ten Rings' (Exclusive)". Discussing Film. 7 April 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  23. ^ "'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Pushes Back Release Date as Part of Massive Disney Shuffle". TheWrap. 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  24. ^ Cai, Delia (21 April 2022). ""Let's Just Be Funny. Let's Not Teach People Anything": Ronny Chieng Will Use His Platform However He Sees Fit, Thank You". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  25. ^ Reese, Ashley (30 March 2022). "Ronny Chieng Cleans Up Nicely In the Trailer for His New Special". Netflix Tudum. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  26. ^ McCarthy, Sean L. (5 April 2022). "'Ronny Chieng Speakeasy' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It?". Decider. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  27. ^ "'The Daily Show' faces backlash after segments about Rishi Sunak". NBC News. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  28. ^ "'Indians are not Asians, okay?' Ronny Chieng draws ire for segment on The Daily Show". AsiaOne. 28 October 2022. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  29. ^ Ako, Diane (25 July 2024). "Saturday is Ronny Chieng Day on Oahu". KITV Island News. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  30. ^ "July 27 is now Malaysian comedian Ronny Chieng's Official Day…in Oahu (VIDEO)". Malay Mail. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  31. ^ "Ronny Chieng | Bio". Comedy Central. Comedy Central. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  32. ^ Luisa Paúl, María (15 April 2022). "Ali Wong announces divorce from her husband — but media got the #WrongAsian". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022. In 2019, "Crazy Rich Asians" actor Ronny Chieng called out People magazine for confusing him and his wife, Hannah Pham, as Park and Jae W. Suh.
  33. ^ Belus, Amber (10 January 2023). "Meet Ronny Chieng's Hot Successful Wife, Hannah Pham!". Distractify. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  34. ^ Taras, Nick (April 2015). "Ronny Chieng". beat.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  35. ^ Maddox, Garry (3 September 2015). "Ronny Chieng named as correspondent on the new Daily Show". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  36. ^ Bues, Jon (23 September 2021). "Talking Watches With Ronny Chieng, Actor, Comedian, And 'Daily Show' Correspondent". Hodinkee. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  37. ^ "Appraisals: Actor Ronny Chieng Celebrity Edition, Hour 3 Antiques Roadshow PBS", The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, 23 June 2021, archived from the original on 3 October 2021, retrieved 3 October 2021 – via YouTube
  38. ^ Paige, Rachel (10 December 2020). "'Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings' Reveals Additional Cast". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  39. ^ "The Daily Show Guest Host Lineup". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  40. ^ LastWeekTonight (22 October 2023). McKinsey: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). Retrieved 1 September 2024 – via YouTube.
  41. ^ Taylor, Drew (26 July 2024). "'Gremlins: The Wild Batch' Adds Simu Liu as Series Regular, Sets Season 2 Premiere Date". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  42. ^ "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
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