Moms — the Immigrant Comedian’s Muse?

June 30, 2025

Dear Hyphenly Readers,

As June winds down, we thought: what better way to wrap up a month of celebrating Immigrant Heritage and Pride than with a little laughter? Comedy has the wonderful ability to bring people together through giggles and guffaws. Here are three immigrant comedians that we’re excited to see this year:

Ricky Sim

Born in Malaysia, Ricky emigrated to the US when he was just 13 years old with his mother. And like any good Asian son, he pursued “serious” careers in law and then finance. Until 2019, just before the pandemic, when he started going to open mics; finally following his heart and giving comedy a chance. 

In his special Coming Out to Dead People, he considers telling his mom, who was dying of cancer, that he’s gay. A big feat for anyone, made harder by the circumstance, and rife with comedy gold.

To catch Ricky while he’s on tour this year, find the details on his website and follow him @rickeerick.

Ana Tuazon Parsons

Like Ricky, Ana came over with just her mom. Except, she was smuggled in from the Philippines via Canada. In her special, she explores what the flight over might have been like, losing her mother at the age of 7, being adopted by her aunt, not knowing her biological dad, having depression, failing at suicide, and becoming documented. Phew.

Ana clearly has enough material to last a lifetime but she’s just scratching the surface of the stories she wants to tell.

Catch her on Amazon Prime’s “Asian American Eyz'd: An Immigrant Comedy Special” alongside two other wonderful comedians. And follow her @anatuazonparsons.

Hari Kondabolu

The son of Indian immigrants, Hari Kondabolu credits his mother for his career in comedy. In an interview with NPR’s David Greene in 2016, he says that his dark sense of humour and his ability to transform negative things into positive comes from her.

While his early comedy centred on topics like race and white fragility, his last special talks about experiences like being useless (as a father) during the birth of your child and missing DMs from about-to-be famous congresswomen.

Find the details to watch him while he’s touring the world on his website, watch his latest comedy special on YouTube, and don’t forget to follow him @harikondabolu.

Get your comedy fix with these Immigrantly episodes where Saadia talks to different comedians about navigating identity, dual citizenship, sobriety and more:

Sobriety, Identity & Cat Chats

with Adam Macias

Denied Entry: Navigating Identity

with Atheer Yacoub

Two Passports and A Punchline

with Derek Mitchell

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This newsletter was curated by Devna Shah.

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Hyphenly curates the latest news, art, and businesses from immigrants around the world. Have a tip or story we should feature? We’d love to hear from you.

Visit us at www.immigrantlypod.com.