Comic Jo Koy returns for a hometown show at the Tacoma Dome
If you went to Tacoma’s Foss High School in the late 1980s, you might have known Joe Herbert — the class clown. Now, the world knows him as comedy superstar Jo Koy.
Koy is returning home Dec. 10 for a show at the Tacoma Dome, a stop on his Funny Is Funny World Tour.
After high school, Koy left Tacoma and began work on his comedic chops in Las Vegas.
A 2005 appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and a boost from the late comic, Ralphie May boosted his career.
Since then, he’s played venues from Radio City Music Hall to The LA Forum and across the globe from Manila to Sydney.
Koy released a memoir, “Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo,” in 2021, named after a Hawaiian restaurant staple.
“A funny, sad, at times pathetic but also kick-ass tale of how a half-Filipino, half-white kid whose mom thought (and still thinks) his career goal was to become a clown became a success,” Koy said of the tale.
“I was the ultimate dork,” Koy told The News Tribune in 2009.
When Koy was growing up, his mother was active in the Tacoma Filipino community, and she hired him and his sister to sing and dance at events.
“That’s where it all started,” he said. “I was always the funny guy in the family.”
Koy said his career finally took off, “... once I embraced the craziness of my family, which I always thought was uniquely Filipino but turns out is as universal as it gets.”
Koy has a film in the works. “Easter Sunday” recently finished production. It’s loosely based on his life and is set around a family Easter celebration.
Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, the film co-stars Tiffany Haddish, Jimmy O. Yang, Lou Diamond Phillips, Eugene Cordero and others.
Koy has had several stand-up specials on Comedy Central and Netflix. His 2019 stand-up album, “Live From Seattle,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
The comic performs frequently on talk shows and was a regular on Chelsea Handler’s show, “Chelsea Lately”. Koy and Handler are reportedly in a romantic relationship.
Tickets: Venue pre-sale begins 10 a.m. Thursday (passcode: COMEDY). General sales begin 10 a.m. Friday. Tickets will range $39.50 to $79.50 (plus fees) and will be available at the Tacoma Dome box office or online at ticketmaster.com.
This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 12:06 PM.
