Jo Koy draws from his Filipino American life for material for a TV situation comedyJO

Jo Koy will play a nurse in a sitcom centering on a Filipino American family

Among Filipinos and Filipino Americans, family is everything: more than country, more than city, more than community, more than one's self. 

Filipino American comedian Jo Koy is producing and starring in a TV series centering around a Filipino American family. 

Asian American families are still a rare commodity on American television.

The sitcom All American Girl starring Margaret Chol featured a Korean American family and Fresh Off the Boat centered around a Taiwanese American family. It will be the first time a Filipino family will be fully portrayed on U.S. television.

There have been Filipino characters on U.S. TV for the last few years -- Jason Mendoza (Manny Jacinto) in The Good Place and Mateo Liwanag (Nico Santos) in Superstore -- but they were individual characters whose background we barely knew. Their families were practically nonexistent.

A peek at Filipino families was given in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend where we meet the family of Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III); and in The Assassination of Gianni Versace we are introduced  to the drark portrayal of Andrew Cunanan's (Darren Criss) father (Jon Jon Briones).

Currently, the Mindy Kaling production, Never Have I Ever, features an Indian American family of teenager Devi Vishwakuma played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.

The ABC half-hour sitcom, Josep, which is currently in development, will follow the life of a hardworking Filipino American nurse played by Koy. Written and executive produced by showrunner Steve Joe, Josep will also see its lead character navigating dating, fatherhood and his outspoken mother moving in with him.

If you've seen Koy's standup routines, you know that a good portion of his material comes from being raised by his Filipino mother and her eccentric family. 

Koy is at the peak of his popularity and his schedule reflects that. He is currently on his Just Kidding tour. Koy can also be heard on his weekly podcast, ​The Koy Pond with Jo Koy ​by Starburns Audio. Listeners can dive in each week as Koy welcomes friends and fellow comedians.

The Filipino American comedian is also producing a movie featuring a FIlipino cast, Easter Sunday. The family comedy is based on his life experiences and features Lou Diamond Phillips, Eva Noblezada, Brandon Wardell, Tia Carrere, Lydia Gaston, Rodney To, Melody Butiu, Joey Guila and Elana Juatco.

In addition, his memoire “Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo,” was released last March. The book shows how Koy’s mixed-race background ultimately shaped his brand of comedy and his determination not to give up on his childhood dream to be a stand-up comedian. 

“I’m not trying to pat myself on the back. It was a long road,” Koy said. “And when I finally got to this point in my career, I just looked at my manager. I was like, ‘Man, I would really like to tell people, you know, this struggle, and how hard it was to really get here.’”

Members of Congress want more AAPI journalists in news networks

Newsrooms can be lonely places for journalists of color.

During the course of my career as a journalist, I was aware every day that I was one of the few Asian Americans in a newsroom. Even in the racially diverse Bay Area where there are large AAPI communities, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were woefully underrepresented in journalism. 

Decades passed but in all that time, not much has changed.

On Monday, members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) sent a letter to executives at ABC News, CBS News, CNN Worldwide, Fox News, NBC News and MSNBC requesting information on what steps are being taken to promote representation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) both on camera and behind the scenes. 

The letter was led by CAPAC Chair Judy Chu, D-CA, CAPAC First Vice Chair Grace Meng, D-NY, and CAPAC Whip Ted Lieu, D-CA. 

Specifically, the letter requests information on steps being taken to increase paid television contributors, how many AAPIs are currently in decision making positions, how many AAPI anchors there are, and what networks are doing to cultivate new talent.

“As AAPIs continue to grow in population and influence, it is important to see that change reflected in our media as well. That includes not only on-air representation, but also more seats at the table as producers and contributors in order to help ensure more perspectives are reflected in the news coverage we watch,” said Chu. 

“Increased AAPI representation is particularly important on issues like immigration, where AAPIs are the fastest growing demographic, but are often excluded from coverage of immigration issues," she said. "This is a change that media executives have acknowledged is necessary, and so we are sending this letter for an update on where things stand. As the 2020 election approaches and news coverage becomes more important, it is vital that we ensure all voices are heard and represented.”

“Diversity and inclusion are the building blocks for a more just and equitable society. That is why, I have continued to fight to make sure our institutions - from businesses to academia; from entertainment to government - live up to these ideals. Actions, however, must match words, which is why shining a light onto the diversity and inclusion efforts at major media outlets is so important,” said Meng. 

“The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, and - whether in front of or behind the camera; whether in the editing room or in the executive room - our diverse communities must have fair and meaningful representation. 

"No longer are we made invisible, without a voice, or a mere afterthought. We must hold the major network news accountable for their inclusion and engagement efforts, including efforts to build the pipeline of representation, and commitment to telling AAPI stories that resonate, not just with our AAPI community, but with our entire nation. After all, the AAPI story is the American story. The AAPI perspective and roles are critical to the full American story. I look forward to the responses from each of the major networks.”

“As a proud member of CAPAC, I am pleased to co-lead this effort to encourage increased representation of the AAPI community in the news media,” said Rep. Lieu. “For too long, AAPIs have been underrepresented within this industry, leaving many voices unheard and opinions overlooked. The AAPI community has made monumental contributions to American society and culture, and it is past time to reflect that in our newsrooms.”

A copy of the letter can be found online here.

Data from the American Society of Newspaper Editors shows newsrooms across the US are overwhelmingly white. This is true for both conservative-leaning papers like The Wall Street Journal (80.81% white) and liberal-leaning papers like The Washington Post (71.08% white).

Among the newspapers with the largest circulations in the US, The Los Angeles Times (14.8% Asian) and Washington Post (12.65% Asian) reported comparatively larger percentages of staff who identified as Asian, while The Chicago Tribune (3.42% Asian) and Boston Globe (4.86% Asian) reported smaller percentages.

Television news has a similar problem with Asian American representation. According to the most recent data from the Radio Television Digital News Association, Asian American representation in TV news has declined to 2%.

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None of the TV networks get an 'A' grade for diversity, but some are trying

Led by 'Fresh Off the Boat,' ABC rated highest by an Asian American media group.

ASAM NEWS

WHICH of the major networks would you recognize for featuring the most Asian/Americans in its programming?

The Asian Pacific American Media Coalition gave ABC an overall grade of “B,” matching the highest grade the group has ever given a network in its 16 years of issuing this report card. NBC also scored a grade of “B” in the 2010-2011 season.

The APAMC recognized ABC for a new high for actors-a total of 21 regular and 23 recurring AAPI actors in prime time series last season.

By contrast Fox scored an incomplete. The network failed to submit its diversity report despite agreeing in a memorandum of understanding to do so. There may be a reason for this. The APAMC believes there were only six Asian/American regulars on Fox series in 2016-2017. That’s the lowest since 2008.

Fox has installed a new diversity team which has pledged to submit its report as soon as possible.

CBS had 16 Asian American regulars and 22 in recurring roles for an overall grade of “B-.” APAMC says the network missed an opportunity with Hawaii Five-0. Despite being based in a state with a majority Asian American population, the coalition says Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on the show are often limited to secondary roles. In addition, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park were released at the end of last season.

Similarly APAMC says NBC is missing an opportunity with CODE BLACK and NCIS: Los Angeles. Both are set in Los Angeles where there is a significant AAPI population. Neither show has an AAPI actor in a regular role.

NBC scored an overall grade of C+

Overall APAMC sees an improvement in diversity it attributes to a pipeline of diversity programs coming from a memorandum of understanding signed by the networks in 2000. The multi-ethnic media coalition includes the NAACP, the National Latino Media Council, American Indians in Film/TV, and the APAMC.

The networks were also rated for behind the scenes diversity.

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Is America ready for a TV show with Asian leads?

Could ABC's new television show featuring an Asian American family be the series I've been waiting for since the 1950s? I'm hoping it is.

All props to Mindy Kaling for "The Mindy Project" but I suspect mainstream America never thought of her as Asian after her long run in "The Office." There are two ways to battle stereotypes: one is to play down the differences demonstrating that we're all the same with the same flaws, same wants, and same dreams and goals; the other way is to bust the stereotypes wide open.

The Mindy Project depicting a young woman looking for love, looking for respect and career success, clearly is using the former approach. From the looks of the trailer and other sneak peeks, FOB is going for the latter approach.

The sitcom is based on the childhood of chef and restaurateur Eddie Huang as he grew up in Orlando, Florida in the 1990s. "Little Eddie," (how can you not like that name?) is also a bling-wearing, swearing hip-hop fanatic, a far cry from the nerd stereotype most caucasian Americans have of Asian students. The lead character is the son of fellow blogger Jeff Yang and he writes:

"The show is like nothing you will have ever seen before on television. If it makes it to the air, it will blow minds, raise eyebrows and, to quote a line that my son says as Little Eddie, 'change the game.'" A game-changer, eh? That's a lot to put on one single show. But if you consider the scarcity of Asian roles on TV and the movies, much less, fully-rounded characters, its hard not to think in those terms.

I remember the first attempt - "All American Girl" starring Margaret Cho. That was a dismal failure when producers tried to turn Cho into an all-American girl. It didn't last a season and is one of the big regrets of the comedienne.

I faithfully watched it, even when it wasn't funny, out of loyalty and eagerness to see it succeed, as if I counted in the Nielsen ratings.
Since then, a few inroads have been made by Asian actors, but roles for Asian actors have been far and few between and never as the main roles.

I may seem to make too much of media portrayals of Asians but the media -- TV, movies, commercials and print --- is where most Americans gain their impressions of unfamiliar situations, countries and people -- even if it's crazy and fantastic. There are people out there who are preparing for a zombie apocalypse, for goodness sake!

But more importantly, the media is where stereotypes are born and reinforced. The quiet, studious image is one that I've fought against all my life. Not that that's a negative stereotype, but there is so much more to individuals that people overlook because of the first impression that's made. Many times, that first impression is made before they even meet you ... because of that damn stereotype playing on the silver screen or the boob tube: always the sidekick, not the hero; always the doctor's assistant, not the surgeon; always the submissive one, not the leader; the friend, but not the best friend; always the nerd, not the hiphop fanatic.

Its taken 20 years for a major network to attempt an Asian family comedy again. And I'll probably watch it out of loyalty and curiosity. For sure I'll be pulling for it. I just hope its funny and the audience is laughing "with" -- not "at" -- the characters.

The month of May is . . .

I'd be remiss not to mention that May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Let's hope next year at this time we'll be talking about the second season of Fresh Off the Boat.

The cast of "Fresh Off the Boat." Will non-Asians be able to relate?