They Call Us Bruce

Jeff and Phil discuss the evil, manipulative, and highly organized world of online scams with journalists Nelson Wang, who became the target of a "pig butchering" crypto scam , and Denise Chan, host of the Wondery podcast Scam Factory , which exposes the brutal reality behind these ripoff operations. There's a scam for everybody. They talk about the increasingly creative and sophisticated ways tha...

Jeff and Phil welcome veteran actor Stephen Park, who discusses his iconic roles in projects like Do the Right Thing , Fargo , and In Living Color ; the racist incident on the set of Friends that inspired his viral 1997 mission statement on Asian American representation in Hollywood; the ongoing challenges he's faced as a person of color in the industry; and a reconciliation of sorts with his own...

Jeff and Phil welcome comedian and actor Asif Ali, star of the Hulu crime comedy series Deli Boys . They discuss evolution of South Asian roles from stereotypes to complex characters, and how the show puts a chaotic, hilarious twist on the mini-mart narrative. Asif talks about his professional journey in comedy, how he had to create his own opportunities (including some not-entirely-truthful hustl...

Jeff and Phil welcome veteran actor Dustin Nguyen, star of the indie crime drama The Accidental Getaway Driver , a uniquely Vietnamese American story -- inspired by true events -- surprisingly told as a humanistic character study. He talks about the rage, hurt and loneliness of his character; his decades-spanning career journey and the evolution of his roles in Hollywood, from  21 Jump Street to V...

Jeff and Phil welcome diversity advocates and experts  Mia Ives-Rublee and Sumi Pendakur to discuss the impact of the current political climate on Asian American activism and identity. They talk about the importance of diversity in higher education in shaping identities and worldviews, the assault on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the wake of Trump's executive orders, the challenge...

Jeff and Phil continue their celebration of Fresh Off the Boat 's 10th anniversary and welcome writer Sanjay Shah ( Everybody Still Hates Chris , Dream Productions , Central Park ) and director Jude Weng ( Finding Ohana , The Good Place , Only Murders in the Building ) -- key creatives involved in the making of the groundbreaking series. They look back at the impact of the show on their careers, s...

Phil and Jeff celebrate the 10th anniversary of Fresh Off the Boat with series star Hudson Yang (who also happens to be Jeff's son). They reflect on the show's impact on their family, Hudson's journey from childhood aspirations to landing a lead role, and the significance of the show in reshaping narratives around Asian Americans in media. They look back at the audition process, the challenges of...

It's the Year of the Snake! In this special Lunar New Year episode, Jeff and Phil welcome fellow Potluck Podcast pals -- and fellow parents -- Ada Tseng ( Saturday School ), Joanna Lee ( Sound and Fury , The Korean Drama Podcast ), and Marvin Yueh ( Books and Boba , Good Pop ) to celebrate new beginnings and the arrival of Marvin's twins while discussing the unique challenges of Asian American par...

Jeff and Phil welcome Eileen Chow, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Duke University's Asian/Pacific Studies Institute, and Ava Chin, CUNY professor and author of Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming , to talk about birthright citizenship, a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution, now under attack (again) by the Trump administration. They...

Jeff and Phil welcome friends, author/podcaster R Scott Okamoto and filmmaker/professor Renee Tajima-Pena to share their reflections on the devastating wildfires that have ravaged parts of greater Los Angeles. Scott shares about the terrifying experience of evacuating from the approaching inferno, while Renee recounts her efforts to save her family's treasures and traditions. The discuss the profo...

Jeff and Phil welcome Harrison Xu and Ivan Leung, the directors/writers/producers/stars of Extremely Unique Dynamic ,  a "Meta-Asian-Stoner-Coming-of-Age-Bromantic Dramedy" about two best friends who decide to make a movie... about two guys making a movie... about two guys making a movie. They talk about making a buddy narrative to showcase their friendship and talent, how they managed to sneak in...

Jeff and Phil welcome back the crew — Rebecca Sun and Dino-Ray Ramos — to discuss season two of the global sensation Squid Game, which is officially Netflix's most watched show ever. In what is quite possibly this podcast's longest episode ever, they discuss the return and evolution of some fan-favorite characters, their least favorite new characters, the biggest new twists in the deadly game, and...

Jeff and Phil welcome showrunner/producer Echo Wu and writer Jade Chang , key creatives behind the Netflix animated series Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld , starring Ali Wong. They talk about creating a uniquely Asian American young adult action/horror/supernatural family drama; melding Asian mythology and folklore with contemporary youth culture (complete with a playlist ) to tell a multi-layered...

Jeff and Phil welcome comedian Ronny Chieng to discuss his latest Netflix special Love to Hate It . He talks about his efforts to harvest his wife's eggs (with no medical training whatsoever), the frustrating susceptibility of baby boomers to internet scams, his near-decade-long tenure as a correspondent on  The Daily Show , and why the only career move he's concerned with is crafting the next jok...

Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker Sue Kim, director/producer of The Last of the Sea Women , a documentary about the haenyeo , a fierce community of South Korean divers fighting the save their vanishing culture from looming threats. She talks about her lifelong fascination with this "badass girl gang," her drive to tell the stories of unique subcultures like Korea's mermaids and competitive Rubik's c...

Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker Jean Shim and actress Jae Suh Park, director and star of the independent drama A Great Divide -- also co-written and produced by our very own Jeff Yang. They talk about making a movie inspired by the contemporary backdrop of anti-Asian hate, the personal experiences with racism and xenophobia that informed the film's story and characters, the quirks and challenges o...

Jeff and Phil welcome writer Charles Yu, showrunner/executive producer of the Hulu series  Interior Chinatown , adapted from his award-winning novel of the same name. They discuss the challenges of taking a somewhat indescribable and seemingly un-adaptable book and adapting it into a 10-episode prestige series; how Interior Chinatown is actually like Pokemon ; and the fun of deconstructing the TV...

Jeff and Phil talk turkey in their semi-traditional annual observation of thanks and giving, and welcome comedians Joe Wong and Sierra Katow to talk comedy, careers and these troubled times. They talk about coming from very different -- parentally-supported versus culturally nonexistent -- standup traditions, the stereotypes that still hound them, and the future (or perhaps lack thereof) of our de...

Jeff and Phil welcome co-creator/executive producer Rachel Kondo and writer/co-executive prodicer Shannon Goss of Shōgun , now one of the most acclaimed television shows of all time. They talk about setting out to adapt the original novel with a different, shifted perspective, the complicated multi-step script-to-screen process of translating the show from English to Japanese and back, and getting...

In this special live episode, Jeff (minus Phil) talks to acclaimed playwright David Henry Hwang about his trailblazing work, including Yellow Face, currently on Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre. He talks about the mind-boggling play-within-a-play inception of  Yellow Face , what it's like to write a version of yourself ("DHH") into your show -- played by Daniel Dae Kim, no less -- and why his wo...

Jeff and Phil welcome Dr. Michelle Au , who represents District 50 in the Georgia House of Representatives. She talks about her journey from medicine into politics -- from anesthesiologist to the first Asian American elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2020 -- how she's navigated some of the electoral shenanigans of her rapidly changing district, and the power of the Asian American vote in her...

Jeff and Phil welcome law professor and state senator Dave Min , who is running for Congress in California 47th district. He talks about why he made the decision to step into this critical race, the unique characteristics and shifting demographics of his traditionally conservative district, and some of the blatant (and sadly, unsurprising) anti-Asian racism his campaign has faced. Also: The Good,...

Jeff and Phil welcome George Cheung, Director of More Equitable Democracy and co-host of the podcast The Future of Our Former Democracy , which asks an important question for our anxious times: Why does American democracy suck right now? George argues that there's a major underlying issue: the polarizing winner-take-all electoral system. He talks about what it could look like if the United States...

Jeff and Phil follow up and welcome back chef Edward Lee -- just two episodes later -- fresh off the finale of the Netflix cooking competition Culinary Class Wars . Spoiler alert! He talks about his grueling journey to the final challenge, including the Endless Cooking Hell, his unexpected new nickname, that incredible dessert dish, and how his cooking throughout the entire show told a personal st...

Jeff and Phil welcome their old friend, the one and only Daniel Dae Kim, who stars on Broadway in David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face . He talks about the play's brilliant, meta-comic exploration of race, representation and identity, his uniquely ascendant career as an actor, producer and advocate, and the twentieth anniversary of the role that changed everything for him: Jin on Lost . Also: The Good,...