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Atsuko Okatsuka

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Atsuko Okatsuka
Born1988 (age 35–36)
Taiwan
Medium
Stand-up
podcasts
Television
film
Years active2008–present
SpouseRyan Harper Gray
Websitehttps://atsukocomedy.com/

Atsuko Okatsuka (/ˈɑːtskoʊ oʊˈkɑːtskə/ 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's "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

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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

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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

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As writer

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Film

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Albums

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  • 2020 – But I Control Me[26]

Specials

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  • 2022 – The Intruder - filmed at the Elsewhere Stage in Brooklyn, NY[27]

Television

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Podcasts

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References

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