Jo Koy Biography – Jo Koy Wiki
Jo Koy born Joseph Glenn Herbert Sr is an American stand-up comic. He was a frequent panelist on E!’s late-night show, Chelsea, Lately. He has since had a number of Comedy Central and Netflix specials.
He credits his mother for his comedic and acting talents. He frequently tells stories about her in his comedy shows. She encouraged him to participate in school talent shows and to hold impromptu performances for his family and friends. This led to performances at a Las Vegas coffee house and inspired a move to Los Angeles.
He started his stand-up career in 1994 at a comedy club in Las Vegas. Soon he moved from open mic night to a regular spot on the show Catch a Rising Star at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. After performing at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, he rented the Huntridge Theater and went door to door to sell tickets to his comedy shows. A talent coordinator from Los Angeles spotted him and landed him his first television appearance on BET’s ComicView. He has featured in two seasons of Comic View.
The comedian has gone on to star in other TV stand-up specials like Jamie Foxx Presents: Laffapalooza!. He has won the Showtime at the Apollo, performed in front of troops in the USO Tour, can be seen on various VH1 I Love the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, Tru TV’s World’s Dumbest and New Millennium episodes, Amp’d Mobile phone commercials and received a second invite to the Montreal comedy festival Just For Laughs, the series for which he was awarded Canada’s prestigious Gemini Award. Jo Koy is also a regular guest at Chelsea Handler’s roundtable discussion on E!’s Chelsea Lately. Jo Koy has also appeared on Carlos Mencia’s Punisher Tour performing stand-up comedy in front of fans filling 10,000-seat arenas across the country.
In 2005, he performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He became one of a select few comics to receive a standing ovation on the show.
He started a podcast together with comedian and TV host Michael Yo on July 23, 2012, called The Michael Yo and Jo Koy Show. He has also appeared on over 100 episodes of Chelsea Lately as a season regular roundtable guest. Other appearances include The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, @Midnight with Chris Hardwick, VH1, World’s Funniest Fails, The Joy Behar Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Call with Carson Daly, and Jamie Foxx: Laffapalooza.
He tours across the United States and can be heard as a weekly guest on the podcast, The Adam Carolla Show. He joined the PodcastOne family and hosts the weekly podcast, The Koy Pond. He has done two highly-rated and successful comedy specials on Comedy Central: Don’t Make Him Angry and Lights Out. His third comedy special, Jo Koy: Live from Seattle is a Netflix Original that was released on March 28, 2017, worldwide. Koy released another Netflix special titled Jo Koy: Comin’ In Hot on June 12, 2019. On February 23, 2019, he performed two shows on stage at the Wheeler Opera House, Aspen, CO for the closing night of the Aspen Laugh Festival.
On June 12, 2020, Netflix released Jo Koy: In His Elements, a comedy special featuring Filipino American comedians, DJs, and B-boys. On August 4, 2009, The Jo Koy Foundation hosted its first philanthropic event in “Hilarity For Charity” a stand-up comedy show featuring Koy, along with special surprise comedic guests. The show took place at The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club, located in the heart of Citywalk, Universal City, CA. Proceeds from the ticket sales were donated to The Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
He completed high school in Tacoma. He originally attended Spanaway Lake High School and then moved to Foss High School in Tacoma. They moved to Las Vegas to be near his ailing grandmother. He enrolled in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, but dropped out to pursue stand-up comedy.
Jo Koy Age
He was born on June 2, 1971, in Tacoma, Washington, United States.
Jo Koy Girlfriend
He is in a relationship with his girlfriend, Chelsea Handler. She is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She hosted the late-night talk show, Chelsea, Lately on the E! network from 2007 to 2015 and released a documentary series, Chelsea Does, on Netflix in January 2016. Between 2016 and 2017, she hosted the talk show, Chelsea, on Netflix.
In 2012, Time named Handler one of the 100 most influential people in the world on its annual Time 100 list.
Jo Koy Children
He has one child, a son, Joseph Herbert Jr.
Jo Koy Family
He is an American-Filipino. His American father, Josie Harrison was in the United States Air Force stationed in the Philippines when he married Koy’s Filipino mother. His family moved from Spanaway, Washington to Tacoma, Washington, and then to Las Vegas soon after he finished high school in Tacoma.
His stage name comes from a nickname his family gave him growing up. It was revealed during his stand-up routine in Phoenix, Arizona on September 22, 2019, that back in 1989 he was talking to his cousin about making a stage name when his aunt called him to come to dinner, shouting “Jo Ko, eat!” (Ko means “my” in Tagalog, so Jo Ko means “my Jo”). He misheard it and thought she said “Koy”, decided it was a good name, and has used it ever since.
His siblings are Rowena Cook, Robert Herbert, and Gemma Herbert.
Jo Koy Height
He stands at a listed height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.8 meters) tall.
Jo Koy Instagram
He is on Instagram at his handle @jokoy.
