They Call Us Bruce

Jeff and Phil welcome Andrew Law , creator, co-showrunner and co-star of the Netflix animated sitcom Dang! He talks about the show's evolution from a live-action dramedy to animation; telling culturally specific stories about sibling dynamics (despite being an only child) and flawed, messy Asian American characters; sussing out partners with possible Asian fetishes; and weirdly horny church worshi...

Jeff and Phil welcome their old friends George Kiriyama and Traci Kato-Kiriyama, siblings who recently lost their mother, Ikuko Kiriyama, to talk about remembrance, grief (or pre-grief), and letting go. They share personal stories of the Kiriyama family's journey with loss; the role of caregiving and supporting aging parents; the lessons learned from honoring a loved one's legacy; and the emotiona...

Jeff and Phil welcome Kiana Hall, the Seattle resident who spotted and named the viral phenomenon "Jimothy," the unusually-shaped raccoon who has captured the internet's heart. She talks about the fateful evening she encountered Jimothy on a neighborhood walk ( "What am I looking at?" ); why Jimothy has become a symbol of joy and resilience for so many, especially in this moment; the unexpected vi...

Jeff and Phil welcome Alice Chu, President of the legendary Great Star Theater in San Francisco's Chinatown -- the oldest Chinese theater in North America -- and David Chiu , City Attorney of San Francisco, to talk about the rich history, legacy and future of the Great Star and Chinatown at large. They talk about the mission to preserve and revitalize the century-old performing arts venue to serve...

Jeff and Phil welcome their old friend Leonardo Nam , who stars in Disney's Descendants: Wicked Wonderland . He talks about his journey as an artist from Argentina to Australia to Hollywood, where he first broke through in films like  The Perfect Score , Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants , and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift ; his unexpected and delightful villainous turn as Maddox Hatter in...

Jeff and Phil welcome Annie Lee, Managing Director of Policy for Chinese for Affirmative Action , and Sandra Wong, great-granddaughter of Wong Kim Ark, whose landmark 1898 Supreme Court victory established birthright citizenship in the United States. They discuss the history of  United States v. Wong Kim Ark and its profound impact on American citizenship and civil rights; the contemporary politic...

Jeff and Phil welcome actor, martial artist, and stuntman Brian Le of MartialClub , whose credits include Everything Everywhere All at Once , Paper Tigers , and this summer's gritty action thriller The Furi ous . He talks about his humble beginnings from watching kung fu flicks on bootleg VHS, to making YouTube videos with his brother Andy as self-taught action stars; getting to work with some of...

Jeff and Phil check in with Christine Chen, Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), and Karthick Ramakrishnan, Executive Director of AAPI Data , to get a pulse on the upcoming midterm elections. They discuss the challenges of voter engagement — including new and ongoing barriers to voting (and how you can take action ); significant data trends across Asian American a...

Jeff and Phil welcome Kevin Jeung , Chef of Research and Production at the legendary restaurant Noma -- named the World's Best Restaurant -- which is finishing up a 16-week residency in Los Angeles. He talks about neglecting to inform his parents when he dropped out of college to pursue cooking full time; the culinary experimentation (both failure and success, but mostly failure) that happens insi...

Jeff and Phil welcome back comedian, writer, podcaster, and sister in rice Jenny Yang to catch up, kick off the summer, and spread the word about her Good Egg Immigrant Grocery Store Standup Comedy Tour, in which she jokes about growing up as a "good" immigrant kid, the importance of food to our cultures, and her own failed fertility journey. Jenny shares about the personal struggles that led her...

Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura to talk about Third Act , his deeply personal documentary about his father, pioneering filmmaker Robert A. Nakamura, aka "The Godfather of Asian American Media." Tad talks about growing up in the shadow of his revered artist/activist parents, and the pressure that evolved into pride and partnership; making the movie he always knew that he had to mak...

Jeff and Phil welcome back acclaimed legendary playwright David Henry Hwang , who talks about his new take on the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical  Flower Drum Song , now playing at East West Players in Los Angeles. He talks about rewriting and re-contextualizing the book for this beloved show (still only one of the few Broadway musicals to center Asian Americans); refreshing some of the mo...

Jeff and Phil welcome back friend and filmmaker Bao Nguyen , director of the Netflix documentary  BTS: The Return , which follows global pop supergroup BTS -- Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook -- as they reunite and record their highly anticipated comeback album Arirang . Bao talks about riding shotgun and spending the summer with the biggest band in the world; getting an intimate gli...

Jeff and Phil welcome their old friend, writer and educator Scott Kurashige , author of American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism . He talks about his personal journey into Asian American activism and movement scholarship; the erasure of anti-Asian racism and colonial violence, and why we are constantly learning and re-learning this history; and why legislating and prosecuting hate...

Jeff and Phil welcome rapper/actor/writer Jonnie Park, aka Dumbfoundead , author of the new memoir SPIT: A Life in Battles . He talks about why the time felt right to share his story through this book; coming up in Koreatown and finding his voice as an artist through the Los Angeles battle rap scene; making the leap from music to movies and TV in projects like K-Pops! and Beef ; and why Phil is th...

Jeff and Phil welcome back their best pals in podcasting, cultural critic/journalist/educator Rebecca Sun and Dino-Ray Ramos of DIASPORA, to re-connect, reset, and share what they've been watching/consuming/experiencing lately in pop culture and beyond. They discuss, among other things, Asians in the Regency romance of Bridgerton ; the possibility of a brown James Bond in Riz Ahmed's offbeat comed...

Jeff and Phil welcome writer/director Amy Wang and actress Shirley Chen to talk about their new film Slanted , a horror/comedy described as " Mean Girls meets The Substance ." They discuss blending body horror and black comedy to tell an Asian American story about race, shame, and belonging; why the American high school prom is a useful and universal -- they love this movie in Germany! -- cinemati...

Jeff and Phil welcome back Daniel Chong, director of the Disney/Pixar animated feature Hoppers . They discuss the silly, unlikely pitch for "Penguin Avatar" that actually got the green light; centering an angry Asian young woman at the heart of this adventure (and why this movie arrives amidst an incredible moment for animated Asian movie heroines); and all the fun world-building that goes into cr...

Jeff and Phil ring in the Lunar New Year and welcome journalist Kimmy Yam to talk about trial runs, fresh starts, and the Year of the Horse. They discuss the unfortunate and untimely shutdown of NBC Asian America -- and the loss of representation, trust, and cultural power; the incredible depth of reporting and coverage of the Asian American community that Kimmy was able accomplish during her tenu...

Jeff and Phil welcome poet/author/activist Bao Phi and Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Laura Yuen to talk about the ongoing and escalating crackdown by federal immigration operations in Minnesota. They talk about Laura's recent piece about her family and their citizenship ; the temperature on the street, particularly in the wake of recent killings by ICE agents; the widespread fear and uncertaint...

Jeff and Phil welcome chef Hasung Lee , aka "Culinary Monster," one of the breakout contestants from season two of Netflix's hit Korean cooking competition show Culinary Class Wars . He talks about his journey from Korea to the United States to train in some of the world's best kitchens; getting cast on the show as a Black Spoon chef -- including how he got his nickname; his unique focus and confi...

Phil and Jeff welcome animator and filmmaker Alex Woo , co-director of the Netflix animated feature  In Your Dreams . He talks about the foundational education in storytelling he received while working at Pixar, leaving to strike out on his own and chase the brave new world of streaming with Kuku Studios , and telling an emotionally grounded story -- while teaching the kiddos about suffering! -- t...

Jeff and Phil welcome artist, author and advocate Rina Oh , one of the only Asian American women to publicly share her experience as a victim of sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. She shares about her journey as an immigrant and striving artist that eventually led her into the orbit of the disgraced financier -- a relationship marked by manipulation, exploitation, and ultimately, regret....

Jeff and Phil welcome Francesca Hong -- chef, community organizer, state assemblymember, and candidate for governor of Wisconsin. She talks about her working class roots and political ascent from the food service industry to being elected the first Asian American member of the Wisconsin Legislature, and now running for governor as a Democratic Socialist to build a Wisconsin in which everyone has a...

Jeff and Phil welcome creator/star Angela Wong Carbone and actors Celia Au and Derek Basco -- voices behind the new comedy fiction podcast Minor Legends (part of the Potluck Podcast Collective), an ambitious narrative project that's "a little cringe, a little crazy" that delves into the funny, weird and wild side of Asian America. Angela talks about being inspired to create a multi-dimensional sho...