Shoes Off Inside with MKT

New York's Broadway has been referred to as the Great White Way since the early 1900s because of the spectacle of bright lights and dazzling theatre marquees. But that term could also describe, quite literally, the dominance of shows that have been written and led by white playwrights, directors, composers and performers. Broadway is one of the final frontiers when it comes to more diverse re...

Richard Lui is a familiar face in television news. He currently serves as weekend anchor on MSNBC, but a role that he has played for years without compensation or awards is that of caregiver first to his ailing father and now to his mother. This is something that millions of people, at least 50 million in the U.S., do every day. Richard is also a filmmaker and has come out with his second document...

When the first trailer of "Joy Ride" came out with a little Asian girl telling a racist playground bully "F*K YOU" followed by a punch in the nose, we all knew this was a movie like no other. The stellar cast of some of today's most talented API actresses and comedians is a dream team that takes audiences on a hilarious, raunchy and, at times, touching journey. The added b...

For the first time in U.S. history, a former president is facing federal charges. On Tuesday, June 13, Donald Trump was arrested, booked and arraigned in Miami. He pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents, including 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information. This is, yet, another unprecedented event involving the former...

The old nursery rhyme did a real number on a lot of us as kids growing up in America..."First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes (insert name) in a baby carriage!" That is apparently how it's supposed to go, but not for everyone...not by a long shot! The concepts of dating, relationships, marriage and family have and continue to evolve. The narrow guidelines of what all of...

“Vaginal Rejuvenation” is a term tossed around in movies, TV shows and social media, but how many of us actually know what it is? Some think it’s all about nipping and tucking for better sex. Others think it’s a procedure to beautify the outer and inner parts of female genitals for that “Barbie-effect”. But A LOT of us have no clue what vaginal rejuvenation entails. In general, it’s a broad term t...

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains sexual references that some might find disturbing. Netflix series "BEEF" came out of the gates in early April with such explosiveness that everyone who watched it was breathless, especially the API community who has been championing media representation that doesn't feed into stereotypes and tropes. But then, a story so disturbing and horrific...

Shoes Off Inside with MKT celebrates a historic night at the 95th Academy Awards with a special episode recorded at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco with a live audience! We gathered together for a celebratory viewing party sponsored by Asians Are Strong to cheer on API nominees with many of the golden statues going to "Everything Everywhere All at Once", including Michelle Yeoh, K...

This is an episode that May, Kelly and Tamlyn have been wanting to do since the inception of "Shoes Off Inside" because of how misrepresented, misreported and misunderstood this topic is...Menopause! It will happen to every single woman at some point in her life, but it's still treated like a dirty little secret that women should be ashamed of. There is so much suffering in silence...

In this latest episode of "Shoes Off Inside with MKT", May, Kelly and Tamlyn kick off the show with some hot topics on their minds. The use of Ozempic, a diabetic drug, by celebrities and others to lose weight has May hopping mad! Kelly reveals how she got ready to shoot an intimate scene for her TV show and shares the tricks of the trade. Tamlyn gives us a hint about what's she&apo...

Happy New Year, both Gregorian and Lunar! It's 2023 and the Year of the Black Water Rabbit! May, Kelly and Tamlyn kick off the new year with an open, honest, hilarious and tearful conversation about EVERYTHING, including "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star Michelle Yeoh and her view of how older women should be seen by their capabilities and NOT their age. They also talk about...

Welcome to another "beta" episode of the brand new show "Shoes Off Inside with MKT"! Once again, May, Kelly and Tamlyn dive into several hot topics including the multiple Golden Globe nominations for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and the controversial abrupt closing of "KPOP" on Broadway.  They also tackle the on-going and very important issue of menta...

Welcome to another 'beta' episode of a brand new show with May Lee, Kelly Hu and Tamlyn Tomita, or MKT!* On this episode, we unveil the official title of the show and why we chose it! We also catch up on our recent travels, which include a serious sailing adventure, a festival in Okinawa that only happens every 5 years and wine tasting in Paso Robles with the fur babies. We also try and...

Something’s brewing and it’s pretty damn exciting! A brand new show is in the works with hosts May Lee, Tamlyn Tomita and Kelly Hu!! Details coming soon, including an official name so for now, it's the "No Name Show". In this episode, we talk about the news of a sequel to the beloved film “Joy Luck Club”. Tamlyn, of course, was in the first, groundbreaking movie in 1993 so she tells...

This is a mini episode featuring TV, Film and Theatre actress Jully Lee who will be starring in the new broadway show K-POP!! The show has an all-Asian cast and opens in November! Theatre still lacks AAPI representation so this production is helping to break down those long-standing barriers! Jully shares her thoughts on being part of K-POP and how the traditional theatre is slowing making progres...

Ageism is no joke, especially for women and CTV news anchor Lisa LaFlamme is the latest victim who was punished for embracing her true self by going gray. As a fellow silver-haired broadcast journalist, this story got May really fired up so she called up her fellow fabulous silver sisters, Kelly Hu and Tamlyn Tomita, to break down the stereotypes of what women are supposed to look like, according...

This is the story of a girl and her car. That girl is me, May, and the car is Bonnie Blue 2.0. Believe it or not, this story is related to Anti-Asian Hate and how the anxiety of this ongoing crisis has made me and others think twice about what we wear, drive, live and socialize. I'm sharing this story because it could have ended with total defeat and heartbreak, but because of the power of st...

On the 40th anniversary of the murder of Chinese American Vincent Chin, the AANHPI community is still fighting against racism and invisibilization as well as working towards more representation and empowerment. In March of 2020, when Covid-19 was raging across the U.S. and the world, an episode of “The May Lee Show” featuring Helen Zia, legendary journalist, author and activist, was released. Hele...

The numbers are paltry when it comes to AANHPI representation in politics on every level. According to recent data, AANHPI are the most underrepresented in politics at less than 1%. When it comes to Asian women, the number is even smaller. Meanwhile, Congress is still 74% white and 73% male. Wow! All the more reason to help shape and train potential AANHPI women to run for office and that's e...

We continue our celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with an explosion of events, programs, celebrations, rallies and so much more! May has been diving in head first to help amplify AAPI issues and educate and inform anyone and everyone who's willing to learn with an open heart and mind. AAPIs are making progress, BUT, and it's a big BUT, new studies and surveys by Bain &...

On April 29, 1992 Los Angeles exploded and became a virtual war zone because four white LA police officers were acquitted in the brutal beating of black motorist, Rodney King. Massive riots were triggered, but much of the violence and destruction took place in Koreatown. Lives were lost, businesses were destroyed, but perhaps the worst damage was the misleading narratives that were perpetuated and...

May is back after a few weeks off to revive, refresh and renew. It's been a trying 2+ years, but she's ready to highlight and tackle AAPI issues and topics again ..the ups and downs, the victories and losses, the love and hate, and everything in between. While May was taking a break from the show, she still stayed active on social media. So this episode is called "Hiatus in Review&q...

May recently did an Instagram Live with activist and NY assembly candidate, Grace Lee. She is the woman who was misidentified as Michelle Go, the woman who was pushed in front of an oncoming subway in NY,  by ABC News when attending a vigil for Christina Yuna Lee, who was brutally murdered in her NYC apartment.  They talked openly about how AAPI women need to fight against the invisibilization and...

It's been 2 years since "The May Lee Show" launched as a scrappy, experimental vodcast that set out to elevate AAPI voices and issues. It's been a challenging two years...COVID-19, Anti-Asian Hate, social and political unrest. But something happened recently that made May stop and assess her purpose very deeply...the suicide of Cheslie Kryst, former Miss USA, attorney and corre...

On New Year's Day 2022, local news anchor Michelle Li received a racist voicemail from a viewer who had an issue with her story on foods that people eat for New Year's. In the short 20 second story, Michelle mentioned in passing that she had traditional Korean dumplings to celebrate the holiday. The viewer accused her of being "Very Asian" and that she should "keep her Kor...