Atsuko Okatsuka Explained

Atsuko Okatsuka
Birth Place:Taiwan
Years Active:2008–present
Spouse:Ryan Harper Gray
Website:https://atsukocomedy.com/

Atsuko Okatsuka (岡塚 敦子, Okatsuka Atsuko) is a Taiwanese-American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer based in Los Angeles, California.[1] [2] She was named one of Variety "Top 10 Comics to Watch" in 2022 and was the second Asian American woman to have a standup special on HBO.[3] [4] She started the viral #Dropchallenge with her grandmother.[5]

Early life and family

Atsuko was born in Taiwan to Japanese and Taiwanese parents,[6] and spent her childhood in Japan. At age eight, she moved to the United States with her mother and grandmother and lived undocumented for seven years.[7]

Career

In 2020, Atsuko released her debut album with Comedy Dynamics, But I Control Me.[8] She hosted and executive produced Let's Go Atsuko, for the now defunct Quibi.[9] Paste said that her comedy style "has a childlike quality to it, with stage persona informed by a complex and challenging upbringing."[10]

Okatsuka notably performed a stand-up set during an earthquake at The Ice House comedy club in Pasadena, California, in 2019 which went viral. She was commended for keeping the audience calm and serving quick-witted jokes while the earthquake went on.[11]

She made her late-night debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden on November 1, 2021 which was praised by Vulture which said it "won late night" the week that it aired.[12]

In September 2022, Atsuko alongside Joel Kim Booster and EDM DJ Freya Fox, hosted a comedy special at Life is Beautiful 2022.[13] [14] [15]

Atsuko taught Chelsea Handler and Guillermo Rodriguez how to do her Drop Challenge as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2022.[16] She made Stephen Colbert laugh with silly Bible puns when she was on The Late Show in January 2023. She talks about how she discovered standup comedy through a Margaret Cho DVD, given to her by a friend during a boring sermon at church.[17]

On December 10, 2022 Atsuko's debut stand-up special The Intruder premiered on HBO and HBO Max, which The New York Times named Best Debut of 2022,[18] and Vulture listed as one of the Best Comedy Specials of 2022.[19] The show won best comedy special at the Gracie Awards and Variety listed her in their 2023 Comedy Impact Report.[20] [21]

Atsuko's life story of being kidnapped by her grandmother to come to the U.S. was told on This American Life in September 2023 in an episode titled The One Place I Can't Go.[22] She was featured in Vanity Fair November 2023 issue photographed by Mark Seliger playing the quarterback of a made-up football team while wearing couture.[23] She was profiled in PBS Newshour where she called the interviewer Amna Nawaz a 'fellow weirdo' and said that performing for people means finding community.[24] She was on the cover of New York Times Magazine with Margaret Cho where Margaret crowned Atsuko as her heir to comedy.[25]

Works

As writer

Film

Albums

Specials

Television

Podcasts

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Quibi Sets "Woke" Japanese Game Show 'Let's Go Atsuko!' Hosted By Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka. Deadline Hollywood. March 2, 2020 . June 7, 2020.
  2. Web site: That Time Atsuko Okatsuka Did Stand-Up Through a Literal Earthquake. sfweekly.com. January 8, 2020 . June 7, 2020.
  3. Web site: Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka on her journey to the stage and connecting with audiences. pbs.org. August 18, 2023 . 2023-08-23.
  4. Web site: Variety Names 10 Comics to Watch for 2022. variety.com. June 3, 2022 . 2022-07-16.
  5. Web site: Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka talks about going viral, her beloved grandma ahead of Hawaii show. staradvertiser.com. June 12, 2022 . 2022-07-16.
  6. Web site: First Avenue: Atsuko Okatsuka. 2023-01-11.
  7. Web site: Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka on Challenges of Doing Comedy in the Trump Era. variety.com. March 3, 2020 . June 7, 2020.
  8. Web site: Episode #292: Atsuko Okatsuka . thecomicscomic.com. March 2, 2020 . June 7, 2020.
  9. Web site: Quibi slates docuseries from 'Undefeated' directors, game show with Atsuko Okatsuka. realscreen.com. June 7, 2020.
  10. Web site: Atsuko Okatsuka on Joy, Trauma and Sticking Up for the Underdogs. . February 7, 2022 . 2022-07-16.
  11. Web site: Watch This Comedian Do Stand-Up Through the July 5 Earthquake . lamag.com. July 16, 2019 . June 7, 2020.
  12. Web site: Atsuko Okatsuka's Rejection of Adulthood Won Late Night This Week. vulture.com. November 5, 2021 . 2022-07-16.
  13. Web site: Messina . Lara . Orellana . Tian . Orellana . Lara Messina y Tian . 2022-12-28 . Atsuko Okatsuka, la comediante del momento . 2024-01-10 . Reporte Asia . es.
  14. Web site: Blistein . Jon . 2022-07-12 . Joel Kim Booster, 'Hacks' Star Hannah Einbinder Top Life Is Beautiful Comedy Lineup . 2024-01-10 . Rolling Stone . en-US.
  15. Web site: ZABAT . GABRIELLE . 2022-08-26 . Life is Beautiful releases set times for upcoming festival . 2024-01-10 . KSNV . en.
  16. Web site: The Biggest and Quirkiest Personalities in Late Night This Week. vulture.com . July 2022 . 2022-07-16.
  17. Web site: How Beyoncé’s "Partition" Inspired Atsuko Okatsuka’s Viral Drop Challenge. cbs.com. 2023-08-23.
  18. News: Best Comedy of 2022. The New York Times. December 5, 2022. 2022-12-11. Zinoman. Jason.
  19. Web site: The Best Comedy Specials of 2022. vulture.com. December 5, 2022 . 2022-12-11.
  20. Web site: 48th Annual Gracie Awards List of Winners. allwomeninmedia.org. 2023-08-23.
  21. Web site: Natasha Lyonne, Hasan Minhaj, Jean Smart Among Honorees in Variety’s 2023 Comedy Impact Report. variety.com. 2023-08-23.
  22. Web site: The One Place I Can’t Go. thisamericanlife.org. 2023-08-23.
  23. Web site: Atsuko All the Way: The Rise of a Comedian Like Nobody Else. vanityfair.com. 2023-08-23.
  24. Web site: Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka on her journey to the stage and connecting with audiences. pbs.org. 2023-08-23.
  25. Web site: When a Margaret Cho DVD Was Like Precious Contraband to Atsuko Okatsuka. nytimes.com. 2023-08-23.
  26. Web site: Atsuko Okatsuka: but I control me. comedydynamics.com. 2022-07-16.
  27. Web site: The Intruder (2022). hbo.com. 2023-08-30.
  28. https://www.dontasktig.org/episode/2020/12/02/atsuko-okatsuka Don't Ask Tig
  29. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/busy-philipps-is-doing-her-best/id1527623861?i=1000589383958 Busy Phillips Is Doing Her Best
  30. https://www.everythingisalive.com/episodes/atusko-bagpipes Everything is Alive

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Atsuko Okatsuka".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.