Comedian Jimmy O. Yang recently sat down with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay, where he spoke about the cultural overlap between Asian and Black communities in America. He talked about his own experience as an immigrant from Hong Kong who learned English in an unconventional way, by watching BET.
Yang credited Black Entertainment with teaching him not just the language, but the nuances of American culture. “I learned English by watching BET because when I came here, first of all, I never heard of standup comedy,” he said.
He explained that understanding the humor became a personal benchmark. “I wasn’t just learning about the language. I thought like whatever they were saying on BET, I couldn’t understand anything. I was like, if I can understand this, I can understand not just the language, but also American culture,” he added.
He recalled how comedy exposed him to cultural references and stereotypes he had never encountered before. “All the stereotypes and stuff like that, I didn’t know why people like skydiving,” he said.
Yang then shared a specific joke that stuck with him: “There was this comedian and he was like, y’all know black people all got bad transmissions. I was like, I didn’t know that. I was like, black people have bad transmissions in their cars.”
He admitted he wasn’t even sure whether the stereotype was accurate, but the experience still felt educational. “I don’t even know if that’s a true stereotype, but I was learning new things and learning about the culture,” he said.
Yang also spoke directly about what he sees as a genuine connection between Asian and Black communities, rooted in a shared sense of being outsiders in America.
“I find black people and Asian people do have a lot in common,” he said, pointing to similarities like respect for elders and the feeling of not always fitting in. He suggested that this shared perspective helps explain certain cultural crossovers.
“That’s why I think black people gravitated towards kung fu movies. Asian people gravitate towards rap music because there is a rebellious outsider point of view almost,” he said.
Yang summed it up bluntly: “This America is white America and we’re the outsiders looking and trying to fit in, get a piece of this.”
His friendship with his former Black roommate, Terrell, a comedian from Detroit, gave him insight into how environment shapes mindset.
“Growing up, I don’t think I have that mentality because there’s safety in Hong Kong,” Yang explained. He contrasted that with Terrell’s upbringing. “But I think for someone like Terrell who grew up not in the best neighborhood in Detroit, tomorrow is not promised. People get ki lled, people go to jail, bad stuff happens,” he said.
That difference, he noted, influenced how they approached life. “You live life more in the moment and you spend money more in the moment… Maybe he teaches me to live in the moment a little more, and I teach him maybe to save some money,” he said.
For Yang, these shared experiences represent the kind of connection that can form when people come together through humor. “Within the comedy club, you see the most diverse, beautiful friendships,” he said.
