What's Up Fool? Podcast

Ep 519 - Jiaoying Summers

·1 hr 23 min·5 clips
Jiaoying Summers reveals her son had to 'man up early' after his father left, speaking like an adult as a child.
Felipe Esparza welcomes Jiaoying Summers to the podcast. The episode opens with casual banter about Jiaoying's children and family background. Jiaoying explains her viral video where she parodied a Latino ICE agent, which many viewers mistakenly believed was real, leading to hateful comments and discussions about racial slurs like 'coconut'. She shares her journey into comedy, starting in 2019, and buying a comedy club on Melrose Avenue just before the pandemic hit. Jiaoying recounts growing up in China and moving to Kentucky for college at age 18 to pursue acting, though her limited English hindered that path. She describes a brutal fight in high school where she defended her sister by attacking another girl, resulting in broken teeth and a hospital stay, with her mother paying off the victim's family. The conversation shifts to her abusive marriage, where her wealthy ex-husband mentally abused her, controlled her finances, and tried to stop her from doing stand-up comedy. Jiaoying discusses building her social media following by posting authentic content about her personal failures, trauma, and cultural contrasts between Chinese and American life. She talks about her upcoming comedy special taping in New Orleans and an Asia tour, while avoiding performances in mainland China due to censorship concerns. The episode also touches on topics like parenting, gang culture in her high school, fan interactions, and her thoughts on comedy's role in addressing sensitive topics like immigration and race.

As heard by us

A childhood butter-knife story gives way to a hard-cover dictionary story and a detour through Latin American geography.

A family memory turns into a comic survival exercise as a mother hands two brothers butter knives, has them strip, and leaves them hiding in the bushes while people pass by drinking beer.

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Why you'd press play

You get a childhood knife story that swerves into an A-minus calculus punishment, hard-cover dictionary impact, and a messy Latin American geography riff.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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