Comedian Ali Wong Changes Perceptions, Diapers

The groundbreaking comedian and ‘Fresh Offthe Boat’ writer tells us about life after her smash stand-up special ‘Baby Cobra’

- By Jamie Loftus. Photography by Ryan Lowry

Ali Wong wanted it all (career, relationship, baby), got it all and mined every last minute of it in the process. The comedian currently juggles her mom duties, her day gig as a writer on acclaimed sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and her thriving stand-up career—while taking every conventional rule of comedy and bending it to her liking.

Wong’s Netflix special, Baby Cobra, filmed when she was more than seven months pregnant, is truly hilarious and groundbreaking. Now, as a new mother, she’s on another mission: speaking openly about finding a balance between her hormones’ command to stay home with her daughter and her professional need to stick to the comedy grind. The good news? Whatever she’s doing, it’s working.

And while the crowds may be growing exponentially, the objective of an Ali Wong show has always been the same. “I want people to laugh to the point that they can’t think.”

PLAYBOY: What’s the biggest challenge you face as a comedian right now?

WONG: Finding time to hone my new jokes, while spending as much time with my daughter as possible, has been challenging. I can’t travel frequently to perform, or go anywhere far, or for very long.

PLAYBOY: How are these challenges different from the ones you had five years ago?