Helen Hong

Helen Hong is an American stand-up comedian, actress, director, and producer. She has appeared in works such as Jane the Virgin, Parks and Recreation, and the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis. She has a regular spot on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and hosts a trivia podcast called Go Fact Yourself, and she formerly hosted the podcast Little Ethnic Girls. She has a recurring role on Nickelodeon's The Thundermans and had a recurring role as Mrs. Song in Starz's Blunt Talk, and is known for her comedic NowThis videos.

Hong was born in Los Angeles, California, to parents who emigrated to New York City from South Korea. She was raised on the East Coast but spent some time in South Korea as well. She attended high school at Tottenville High School in Staten Island and North Andover High School in Massachusetts, and attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

Hong was not a stand-up comedy fan before a random shot of inspiration prompted her to take stand-up classes at New York City's Carolines on Broadway, during which she realized stand-up was what she wanted to pursue as a career. She has performed at venues including The Laugh Factory, The Hollywood Improv, Zanies Comedy Club, and Punch Line San Francisco, as well as at events such as the New York Underground Comedy Festival, and has performed in Puerto Rico for Armed Services Entertainment. She is an active Bernie Sanders supporter and a survivor of breast cancer. In 2014, BuzzFeed named her one of "18 Comedians Who Could Take Over The Late Show," and in 2011 The Huffington Post included her on its list "53 Of Our Favorite Female Comedians."