Bobby Lee

Robert Young Lee Jr. (born September 17, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. Lee co-hosts the podcasts ''Bad Friends'' with Andrew Santino and ''TigerBelly'' with Khalyla Kuhn.

From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on ''MADtv'', and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series '' Splitting Up Together'' alongside Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson between 2018 and 2019. Lee has also appeared in the films '' Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' (2004), '' Pineapple Express'' (2008), and '' The Dictator'' (2012). He had a guest appearance as the cynical, burned-out Dr. Kang on FX on Hulu's TV comedy series '' Reservation Dogs''.

Early life and education

Lee was born on September 17, 1971 in San Diego to Korean immigrant parents Jeanie and Robert Lee. He and his younger brother Steve grew up in Poway, California. His parents owned clothing stores in both Escondido and Encinitas, California. He attended Painted Rock Elementary School, Twin Peaks Middle School, and Poway High School. In high school, he was part of a breakdancing team. After graduation, he attended Palomar College before dropping out.

Career

Lee worked at cafes and restaurants before pursuing a career in comedy. In 1994, the coffee shop where he was working abruptly closed. Lee stated, "I just went next door to get a job, which was The Comedy Store in San Diego." After a few months of working odd jobs at the club, he tried stand-up during one of their amateur nights. Within a year of doing regular comedy sets, he received offers to open for both Pauly Shore and Carlos Mencia. He then began working regularly at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, a comedy club owned by Pauly Shore's mother Mitzi.

Lee has said that his parents had hoped he would continue on with the family business and were less than supportive of his comedic pursuits at first. During a podcast interview conducted by fellow actor and comedian Joe Rogan on February 1, 2011, Lee stated that during the first few years he did stand-up, his parents barely spoke to him. However, after his appearance on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' his father called him, asked how much he had to pay to be on the show, and then apologized for not supporting his comedy career. Lee has included his family in some of his work; his brother has appeared in several non-speaking roles on ''MADtv'', and his entire immediate family has appeared in a sketch on the show. In 2007, he pitched a sitcom to Comedy Central about a Korean family, which was to star his own family.

In 2012, Lee was hired to reboot Maker Studios' YouTube comedy channel, The Station. Lee hosted the 9th MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert in 2013. From 2019 to 2023, Lee made several appearances as recurring character Jin Jeong in the '' Magnum P.I.'' television series. In 2020, Lee began co-hosting the ''Bad Friends'' podcast with Andrew Santino.

''MADtv''

In 2001, Lee joined the cast of ''MADtv'', making him the show's first and only Asian cast member. He has stated that he dreaded playing the characters Bae Sung and Connie Chung, as well as the "Average Asian" skits. Lee remained with the cast until the series' cancellation in 2009 and returned briefly when ''MADtv'' was revived in 2016 on The CW.

''TigerBelly'' podcast

Started in 2015, ''TigerBelly'' is a video podcast hosted by Bobby Lee and his ex-partner, Khalyla Kuhn. It also features appearances by technical engineer Gilbert Galon and producer George Kimmel. The show's intro song "Shadow Gook" was written and produced by Lee and performed by Lee and Kuhn. The hosts discuss events from their lives and news topics from popular culture, often revolving around Asian American issues related to the entertainment industry, adolescence, sexuality, ethnicity, racism, and politics.

Prior to the creation of ''TigerBelly'', Lee and Erik Griffin pitched a podcast to All Things Comedy but never developed the show. While Kuhn was recovering from heart surgery, she developed a podcast as a way to occupy herself. Lee assisted her with its creation and eventually appeared on her show. He then decided to focus on a podcast with Kuhn instead of with Griffin.

Tijuana prostitution story

In April 2023, podcast clips of Lee telling a story of an experience with a young, adult prostitute in Tijuana resurfaced. USA Today reported that the anecdote drew online backlash and allegations of child exploitation. During an episode of ''TigerBelly'' in the same month, Lee clarified that the story was not true and had been “a dark joke” pieced together from “a couple of awful bits”.

Personal life

Lee began taking methamphetamine and marijuana around age 12, as well as heroin by age 15, and went through three drug-rehabilitation attempts before becoming sober when he was 17. Lee relapsed on Vicodin and ended 12 years of sobriety after receiving negative feedback from a producer. He got sober after ''MADtv'' producer Lauren Dombrowski fought for him after he was fired from the show a second time, a story which Lee discusses in his appearance on the pilot episode of Comedy Central's TV series ''This Is Not Happening''. On ''TigerBelly'' episode 224, Lee admitted to guest Theo Von that he had relapsed after his father's death in August 2019 from Parkinson's disease. He subsequently went to rehab and became sober again. Lee has stated that he is a recovering alcoholic.

Lee is a long-time Arsenal Football Club supporter. Lee is an avid fan of video games, including ''FIFA'', ''Stardew Valley'', ''The Elder Scrolls'', ''Red Dead Redemption 2'', and ''The Witcher'' series. Lee's younger brother, Steve Lee, is a musician, podcaster, and comedian.

He was in a ten year relationship with Khalyla Kuhn, an influencer and content creator. The relationship ended in 2022.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Documentary

References

Sources

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External links

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Official Mad TV Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Bobby
1971 births
Living people
American male comedians
American male film actors
American impressionists (entertainers)
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Male actors from San Diego
American male actors of Korean descent
21st-century American male actors
American sketch comedians
American stand-up comedians
Comedians from San Diego
21st-century American comedians
American comedians of Korean descent
Palomar College alumni