Jo Koy Herbert

When Joseph Glenn Herbert was a child, his Filipino aunt called him to the dinner table by shouting, “Jo ko, eat!” But he misheard his aunt’s mix of Tagalog and English as “Jo Koy”, which would eventually become his stage name as a comedian. That’s just one example of how Jo Koy’s Filipino-American heritage—his mother is Filipino, his father is American—has been central to his success and celebrity. Through jokes about being part-Filipino, Koy went from working modest gigs in Los Angeles coffee shops to making regular television appearances, performing in major arenas and releasing comedy specials for a global audience.

Koy’s early success included appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly and Chelsea Handler’s Chelsea Lately. His relationship with Netflix helped take his comedy to a wider international audience, beginning with Jo Koy: Live from Seattle in 2017. He followed it with Jo Koy: Comin’ In Hot in 2019 and Jo Koy in His Elements in 2020, the latter filmed in the Philippines. In 2021, he published his memoir, Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo.

Koy has continued to build his career through international touring and stand-up specials, with Filipino family life, food, language and immigrant experiences remaining central to his material. His comedy draws heavily on his relationship with his Filipino mother and the dynamics of growing up between cultures, bringing aspects of Filipino identity into mainstream American stand-up.

In 2026, Koy expanded his Netflix catalogue with Jo Koy: Blue in the Face, filmed before a sold-out audience at Stockton Arena in California and released globally. His performances in major arenas and international tours have helped establish a commercially successful path for Filipino-American comedy, while his mainstream profile has helped create greater visibility for Asian-American and Filipino-American voices in stand-up.