Atsuko Okatsuka

Atsuko Okatsuka
Born1988 (age 36–37)
Taiwan
Medium
Years active2008–present
Spouse
Ryan Harper Gray
​
(m. 2023)​
Websiteatsukookatsuka.com

Atsuko Okatsuka (/ˈɑːtskoʊ oʊˈkɑːtskə/ AHT-skoh oh-KAHT-skə;[1] Japanese: 岡塚 敦子, romanized: Okatsuka Atsuko; Chinese: 岡塚 敦子; pinyin: Gāngzhǒng Dūnzǐ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kongthióng Tunchú; born 1988) is a Japanese-Taiwanese-American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer based in Los Angeles.[2][3] She was named one of Variety's "Top 10 Comics to Watch" in 2022 and is the second Asian American woman to have a standup special on HBO.[4][5] She started the viral #Dropchallenge with her grandmother.[6]

Early life

Okatsuka was born in 1988 in Taiwan to a Japanese father and a Taiwanese mother,[7] and spent her early childhood in Japan. Her parents, who had met on a Japanese dating show,[8] divorced when she was very young,[9] with her mother having developed schizophrenia after her birth. After the divorce, custody was given to Okatsuka's father, who lived in Chiba.[9] She also has two older half-siblings from her father's first marriage.[10] Her maternal grandfather was assassinated by the Kuomintang during the White Terror.[1]

At age eight,[11] Okatsuka was kidnapped[12] by her maternal grandmother and taken to her mother in the United States,[13] living undocumented[13] for seven years[14] in a room above Okatsuka's maternal uncles' garage.[8][10]

Okatsuka has revealed that she used humor and outlandishness to get her mother's attention growing up "because when she has the voices going in her head, she can't hear me. But if I can do something dramatic enough, she might hear me."[8] She has mentioned as a child watching Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Lucille Ball, Margaret Cho and Japanese comedian Ken Shimura.[8][10]

Education

Okatsuka attended Venice High School,[15] where she was part of the cheerleading squad. After graduating from high school, Okatsuka studied psychology at UC Riverside,[16] before dropping out[16] and graduating from California Institute of the Arts.[17]

While attending community college in Valencia, Okatsuka found that her interest in comedy and performing was something that she wanted to pursue seriously.[10]

I was never really good at school, but I always performed in some aspect throughout my life… whether it's dancing, cheerleading, theatre. When I was in community college [in Valencia] I was like, I like making people laugh. How do I take that and make that into a thing I can start doing? At the time the only way I knew how to learn something was through the guidance of a class. I looked up stand-up comedy classes on Craigslist and found "Pretty Funny Women". It's an all women's stand-up class. At the time I signed up for the class, they were filming a documentary for it. I didn't have to start off just by going to open mics, which were pretty much dangerous if you were a woman. It still is now, but ten years ago, it was like walking into wolves. I still did it after the class was over, but I didn't have to start off that way, which I feel lucky.

— Atsuko Okatsuka, Atsuko Okatsuka Is the Joke Slinger America Needs

Career

Okatsuka began doing stand-up in small clubs around Los Angeles.[10]

In 2020, Okatsuka released her debut album with Comedy Dynamics, But I Control Me.[18] She hosted and executive produced Let's Go Atsuko, for the now defunct Quibi.[19] Paste said that her comedy style "has a childlike quality to it, with stage persona informed by a complex and challenging upbringing."[20]

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.[21]

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.[22]

In September 2022, Okatsuka, alongside Joel Kim Booster and EDM DJ Freya Fox, hosted a comedy special at the 2022 Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival.[23][24][25]

Okatsuka taught Chelsea Handler and Guillermo Rodriguez how to do her Drop Challenge as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2022.[26] She made Stephen Colbert laugh with a Bible pun 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.[27]

On December 10, 2022, Okatsuka's debut stand-up special The Intruder premiered on HBO and HBO Max, which The New York Times named Best Debut of 2022,[28] and Vulture listed as one of the Best Comedy Specials of 2022.[29] The show won best comedy special at the Gracie Awards and Variety listed her in their 2023 Comedy Impact Report.[30][31]

Okatsuka'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.[32] 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.[33] 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.[34] She was on the cover of New York Times Magazine with Margaret Cho where Margaret crowned Okatsuka as her heir to comedy.[35] She appeared in Mike Birbiglia's documentary Good One: A Show About Jokes.[36]

On June 13, 2025, Okatsuka released her second comedy special Father on Hulu.[37][38]

Personal life

Okatsuka has been married to actor and painter Ryan Harper Gray since 2023. The couple had a wedding ceremony in 2017, but six years later found out they had not filed the paperwork and were not legally married. Gray's mother has also suffered from schizophrenia like Okatsuka's.[1]

Works

As writer

Film

Albums

  • 2020 – But I Control Me[40]

Specials

Television

Podcasts

References

  1. ^ a b c Gordon, Devin (October 16, 2023). "Atsuko All the Way: The Rise of a Comedian Like Nobody Else". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  2. ^ "Quibi Sets "Woke" Japanese Game Show 'Let's Go Atsuko!' Hosted By Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka". Deadline Hollywood. March 2, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  3. ^ "That Time Atsuko Okatsuka Did Stand-Up Through a Literal Earthquake". sfweekly.com. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  4. ^ "Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka on her journey to the stage and connecting with audiences". pbs.org. August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  5. ^ "Variety Names 10 Comics to Watch for 2022". variety.com. June 3, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka talks about going viral, her beloved grandma ahead of Hawaii show". staradvertiser.com. June 12, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "First Avenue: Atsuko Okatsuka". Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d "Atsuko Okatsuka on Joy, Trauma and Sticking Up for the Underdogs". Paste Magazine. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Lo, Zabrina. "All jokes aside, Atsuko Okatsuka gets serious about navigating cultural identities and the comedy industry". Tatler Asia. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Growing up, comic Atsuko Okatsuka felt like 'a freak' -- now she's owning it". NPR. June 9, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  11. ^ "Atsuko Okatsuka Eats Her Last Meal". youtube.com. June 18, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  12. ^ "This American Life Ep 811: The One Place I Can't Go". youtube.com. September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "In Bali, Some People Find Themselves. This Comedian Found Her Father". AFAR Media. July 7, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  14. ^ "Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka on Challenges of Doing Comedy in the Trump Era". variety.com. March 3, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  15. ^ "Gangsta Cheerleaders (The Wataru Misaka Episode with Atsuko Okatsuka)". Lemonada Media. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Atsuko Okatsuka Is the Joke Slinger America Needs". KXSC Radio. February 14, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  17. ^ "Atsuko Okatsuka's guide to Los Angeles". www.bbc.com. May 28, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  18. ^ "Episode #292: Atsuko Okatsuka". thecomicscomic.com. March 2, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  19. ^ "Quibi slates docuseries from 'Undefeated' directors, game show with Atsuko Okatsuka". realscreen.com. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  20. ^ "Atsuko Okatsuka on Joy, Trauma and Sticking Up for the Underdogs". Paste. February 7, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  21. ^ "Watch This Comedian Do Stand-Up Through the July 5 Earthquake". lamag.com. July 16, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  22. ^ "Atsuko Okatsuka's Rejection of Adulthood Won Late Night This Week". vulture.com. November 5, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Blistein, Jon (July 12, 2022). "Joel Kim Booster, 'Hacks' Star Hannah Einbinder Top Life Is Beautiful Comedy Lineup". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  25. ^ ZABAT, GABRIELLE (August 26, 2022). "Life is Beautiful releases set times for upcoming festival". KSNV. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  26. ^ "The Biggest and Quirkiest Personalities in Late Night This Week". vulture.com. July 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  27. ^ "How Beyoncé's "Partition" Inspired Atsuko Okatsuka's Viral Drop Challenge". cbs.com. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  28. ^ Zinoman, Jason (December 5, 2022). "Best Comedy of 2022". The New York Times. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  29. ^ "The Best Comedy Specials of 2022". vulture.com. December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  30. ^ "48th Annual Gracie Awards List of Winners" (PDF). allwomeninmedia.org. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  31. ^ "Natasha Lyonne, Hasan Minhaj, Jean Smart Among Honorees in Variety's 2023 Comedy Impact Report". variety.com. July 19, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  32. ^ "The One Place I Can't Go". thisamericanlife.org. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  33. ^ "Atsuko All the Way: The Rise of a Comedian Like Nobody Else". vanityfair.com. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  34. ^ "Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka on her journey to the stage and connecting with audiences". pbs.org. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  35. ^ Ramírez, Juan A. (April 20, 2023). "When a Margaret Cho DVD Was Like Precious Contraband to Atsuko Okatsuka". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  36. ^ www.peacocktv.com https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/asset/tv/good-one-a-show-about-jokes/bb227f44-da45-3ef6-a450-88d21cd616b1?orig_ref=https://www.google.com/. Retrieved June 14, 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  37. ^ a b Cirone, David (June 13, 2025). "Atsuko Okatsuka drops new comedy special Father on Hulu". J-Generation. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  38. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (April 15, 2025). "Atsuko Okatsuka's Hulu Special 'Father' to Premiere in June (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  39. ^ Mathews, Travis (June 1, 2018), Discreet (Crime, Drama, Mystery), Jonny Mars, Atsuko Okatsuka, Joy Cunningham, Metal Mickey, Revelator Productions, Terminal 75, retrieved March 12, 2025
  40. ^ "Atsuko Okatsuka: but I control me". comedydynamics.com. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  41. ^ "The Intruder (2022)". hbo.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  42. ^ Don't Ask Tig
  43. ^ Busy Phillips Is Doing Her Best
  44. ^ Everything is Alive
  45. ^ [1]
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