Making waves in the US
> Malaysian-born comedian Ronnie Chieng is riding high as a special correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show
THERE were big shoes to be filled when John Stewart left Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. South African comedian Trevor Noah stepped in to take on the task.
The show is now called The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and has defied expectations. The 100th episode of the series is set to premiere in Malaysia tomorrow on Hypp-TV (channel 609).
In conjunction with that landmark event, Comedy Central arranged an interview with one of the show’s special correspondents, Ronny Chieng, who’s a Malaysian comedian currently residing in New York City.
Johor Baru-born Chieng studied at the University of Melbourne in Australia where he graduated in 2009 with two degrees – a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and a Bachelor of Law. He also obtained a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University in 2012.
However, despite all his academic credentials, Chieng opted to be part of Australia’s comedy scene where he starred in several TV shows there such as Legally Brown and Have You Been Paying Attention? as well as being involved in several comedy festivals.
In 2012, he received the Best Newcomer Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for his debut stand-up special, The Ron Way, and took home the Directors’ Choice Award in 2014.
Chieng went on to make his US television debut on The Late Late Show last year.
He also recently released a pilot for a show to be aired in Australia called Ronny Chieng: International Student.
In a phone interview, Chieng in New York explained why he opted for comedy instead of the corporate sector. “It was something I have always wanted to try out and it went pretty well. So I kept doing it.”
On The Daily Show, it’s amazing to note that both Noah and Chieng are non-Americans.
“I can’t speak about the casting decision, but from what I know, they got Trevor because he is very good. He is a talented comedian and has travelled the world.
“I don’t know if you know this but he is huge in the continent of Africa. I got to tour with him and every country this guy went to, he was the toast of the town.”
Chieng doesn’t know whether casting him for The Daily Show was an effort to be more diverse but he is glad to be in the cast.
“Trevor was the one who recommended me. I hope they got me because I am good at what I do too.”
When asked if Americans are fine with non-Americans poking fun at their politics and lifestyle, Chieng said: “Comedy is universal. You don’t need to be American to make Americans laugh.
“We are not giving an outsider’s perspective. When we do The Daily Show, we are making fun of things that happen in real life. We are not making it up.”
There were big shoes to fill after Stewart. “Of course, we all felt the pressure. Good wasn’t good enough. John left behind a great legacy of satire and truth telling. We wanted to live up to that standard.”
As for Ronny Chieng: International Student, he explained that his priority will still be The Daily Show.
“I was doing comedy in Australia for a while now and we wrote and shot this pilot even before I got the job at The Daily Show.
“That is how the entertainment industry works. Sometimes, things that get made aren’t even released.”
Right now, the stand-up comedy scene is enjoying an up-swing in Asia. What advice would he give to budding stand-up comedians out there? “I know all of them. I just met them in Melbourne a couple of years ago,” said Chieng, referring to Asian comedians he met up with, including Douglas Lim. “I talk to them all the time. I would say that when you do standup comedy, you have to be selfaware of what is working and what is not, because it’s hard for other people to tell you. You have to be stage-wise. There is no substitute for it.”