Jo Koy Wiki (Net Worth, Bio, Age, Height, Gay?)
Ever wondered how rich Jo Koy is? Do you need information about his early life and career? In this write-up, we’ll take you through Jo Koy’s early life, career, relationships as well as his net worth.
Born on June 2, 1971, to an American father and a Philippino mother, Joseph Glenn Herbert, professionally known as Jo Koy, is a standup comic. He has posted several Comedy Central appearances and has several Netflix specials. At a time, he was a frequent panelist on E!’s Chelsea Lately. He appeared in over 100 episodes of the show.
Jo Koy has had a very successful career in comedy, amassing millions of followers on social media. After passing through a few setbacks in his early career, Jo Koy is now one of the biggest standup comedians in the world. He has broken several records and has sold out stadiums as thousands of people congregate to hear him crack some jokes. Despite being in the industry for several years, his performance has always been of great quality. Also, despite starting his career several decades ago, he has also managed to evolve his content to reflect current trends.
Net Worth
After performing in several sold-out events, featuring in high-profile podcasts, and releasing several successful comedy specials, Jo Koy has an estimated net worth of $5 million as of 2020.
Early Life and Career
Jo Koy’s father was a member of the United States Airforce. His father was stationed in the Philippines, where he met Jo Koy’s mother. The pair subsequently relocated to Washington in the United States. Jo Koy dreamt of a career in comedy since he was 11. He looked up to comedians like Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy as role models. At the age of 11, Jo Koy was already religiously listening to Eddie Murphy’s “Delirious.”
He bought tickets for Eddie Murphy’s “Raw” tour by using his mother’s credit card over the phone and posing as her. Jo Koy was living in Las Vegas in a time when comedy wasn’t booming, so he was a little doubtful of a future in comedy. However, he didn’t give up. According to Jo Koy, his mother had been of immense help during the early stages of his career. While he was still a teenager, his mum would encourage him to perform for the family.
When Jo Koy was around 17 years old, he signed up for a comedy show called “Starmania.” The show was more or less a local version of Las Vegas’ comedy show called ” Star Search.” Star Search involved several wannabe comic acts that performed at local bars to thrill the audience with hopes of breaking into the limelight. Most of the other contestants at the event were older adults, and Jo Koy made himself up in order to look old. He used his mother’s mascara to fake a mustache and dressed how he believed an adult would. Unfortunately, when he went on stage to perform, he forgot almost everything he had rehearsed. Jo Koy ended up dishing out horrible jokes and even went as far as joking about how condoms were too small.
After the event, Jo Koy felt defeated and frustrated. However, his passion was reignited when one of the contestants, who he described as a “Lionel Richie impersonator,” came over to cheer him up. Jo Koy partly credits this random stranger the motivation to keep pushing ahead in his comedy career. However, Jo Koy didn’t magically become good at standup comedy after that setback. He had several other setbacks, and according to him, he became better at dealing with failure. He became a part of several comedy groups and jumped at every opportunity he had to display his abilities. He gradually improved, horning his skills to reflect the realities of whichever platform he found himself.
In 1994, Jo Koy started professional acts at a comedy club in Las Vegas. He progressed from open mic nights to securing regular spots on the Catch a Rising Star show at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. He soon rented his own space and sold his tickets. Several reports cite the energetic Jo Koy saying he went door to door to sell his comedy show tickets.
He was soon discovered by a Los Angeles based talent coordinator who led him to his first TV appearance. He appeared on two seasons of BET’s Comic View before appearing on several other high-profile events and TV shows. Today, Jo Koy organizes tours across the United States and features in several comedy podcasts. Jo Koy has also been featured in a number of movies.
Education
Jo Koy initially attended Spanaway Lake High School. When his parents moved from Spanaway to Tacoma, he was forced to switch to Foss High School in Tacoma. After graduating from Foss High School, Jo Koy moved to Las Vegas to stay close to his ailing grandmother. He was subsequently admitted into The University of Nevada. However, Jo Koy didn’t finish his university education. He dropped out to pursue a career in comedy.
Relationship
49-year-old Jo Koy has been in a few relationships but is currently single. He has never been married, and most of his romantic life has been under the radar.
Stage Name
Unlike some standup comic, Jo Koy’s name was born from basically a mistake. The name comes from a nickname he was called by his family members while growing up. According to him, he was having a discussion with his cousin when his aunt called him for dinner by shouting, “Jo Ko, eat!.” Jo is short for his first name Joseph, while Ko means “my” in Tagalog. His aunt was Philippino, so she was basically saying “my Joseph” come for dinner. However, Jo Koy misheard it and thought she said, “Jo Koy.” He subsequently decided it was a good name and announced it during one of his shows. The name has since stuck and represents his brand.
Social Media Presence
Being a comedian, Jo is very active on social media. He has a notable following on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. As at the time of writing this piece, his Twitter followers stood at over 249k. Jo Koy also has more than a million followers on Instagram.
