Welcome to The Deep Dive. Today, we're taking
a close look at someone you probably know, Ronny
Chieng. Right. But maybe not the whole picture.
If you just see him on The Daily Show or maybe,
you know, in Marvel films. Like Shang -Chi. Exactly.
You're kind of missing this whole other side,
this foundation of, well, serious academic training,
law school, commerce. A decade of it. And that's
really what we're digging into today, isn't it?
Yeah. We're looking at him not just as the comedian
or the actor, but as this Really interesting
figure whose background shapes everything he
does. That global perspective he has, it comes
from somewhere very specific. Absolutely. And
that's our mission for this deep dive, really,
to pull out the key bits from the sources we've
got. We want to show you the unexpected turns,
the big career shifts, and even some surprising
personal interests. Like that massive pivot from
law. Precisely. Going from a dual law and commerce
degree in Australia, all that study, to global
comedy. It's quite the story. And the sources
we have are pretty detailed, right? Giving us
a solid timeline. Oh, yeah. It's like a map of
his life. Really, his upbringing across different
countries, the years in university, the career
milestones. It lets us connect the dots. Connect
how that very international youth and that heavy
duty legal education combine to create his particular
style. Why he's not just funny, but often like
forensically sharp. Exactly. It's a shortcut
to understanding the method behind the comedy.
Okay, so let's lay that foundation. Where does
he actually come from? Because while we see him
mostly in the U .S. context now. His roots are
Malaysian Chinese, born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
And his full name, it's Rani Shin Yi Cheng. Which
I think is written R in Chinese characters. That's
right. But Malaysian born doesn't really capture
the complexity of his childhood. It was incredibly
mobile. Right. He didn't just stay put. Not at
all. A big chunk of his growing up happened in
Singapore. He actually commuted across the border
from Malaysia for school. Wow. Daily commute
across the country. Yeah. To Fichun Primary,
then Pioneer Secondary, and Jurong Pioneer Junior
College. That's navigating two different societies,
currencies, systems every single day. That must
give you a unique perspective early on. Definitely.
He was even a Singapore Sea Scout. So kind of
anchored there for a while. But it wasn't just
Asia, was it? There's a U .S. connection early
on, too. Yes. And this is crucial. The sources
mention he lived in Manchester, New Hampshire.
In the U .S. When was this? From 1989 to 1994.
So think about that experiencing American culture,
specifically Northeast American culture, during
those formative years. Before heading back to
Southeast Asia. So you've got Malaysia, Singapore,
the U .S., all before he's really an adult. Exactly.
Living in a Muslim -majority country, a Chinese
-majority city -state, and then New England,
that's a crash course in cultural comparison.
It almost forces you to be an observer, right?
An outsider everywhere, maybe. Or maybe an insider
with a broader view. Either way, it fuels that
satirical eye, doesn't it? Always noticing the
quirks, the inconsistencies. Speaking of quirks,
there's that interesting detail about his privacy.
Ah, yes. The birthday thing. He keeps his date
of birth private. Actively private. Yeah, apparently
there was some rumor about it being in November,
and he actually went on Jimmy Kimmel Live just
recently, November 2024. And shot it down. Shot
it down. But didn't, you know, reveal the real
date. It's a small thing, but it shows a deliberate
control over his personal narrative. Unusual
for a public figure. Creates a bit of distance.
Okay, let's pivot to what might be the most significant
part of that foundation. The education. Specifically,
the law school years. This is huge. He committed
serious time to this. University of Melbourne
in Australia, lived at Trinity College there.
And graduated in 2010, right? With not one, but
two degrees. Two demanding ones. A Bachelor of
Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws. BCom, LLB. That's
a serious undertaking. In Australia, that dual
degree is, what, five or six years minimum? Super
intense. And you get that mix of business logic,
market analysis from commerce, and then the structure,
the argumentation, the critical thinking from
law. But he didn't just get the degrees and stop.
He went further. Right. He wanted the professional
qualification. So he went on to get a graduate
diploma in legal practice from the Australian
National University in 2012. So we're talking.
What, late 2000s through 2012, pretty much a
decade focused on getting qualified in commerce
and law. The dedication there is immense. The
discipline. And then almost immediately after
getting that final qualification. He walks away
from it for comedy. Seems like it. Yeah. The
sources frame it as this very clear pivot. All
that work towards a stable, probably high paying
career in law or finance. And he chooses the
uncertainty of entertainment. Which brings us
to the big question. What did all that legal
training actually do for his comedy? Does it
show? Oh, absolutely. You watch his stand -up
or his daily show pieces. It's not just random
observations. Well, it feels structured, like
he's building an argument. Exactly. It's almost
like a legal argument. He'll present a premise,
bring in evidence, maybe a statistic, a quote,
a news clip, and then the punchline is like the
logical, often devastating conclusion. Like a
cross -examination. Precisely. He's trained to
spot the logical flaws, the weak points in an
argument, and he just dismantles them. That precision,
that structure, it feels very much like it comes
from that legal background. That makes so much
sense. It explains why his satire often cuts
so deep he knows exactly where the argument breaks.
Yeah. And speaking of legalities and status,
there's a really recent, really significant update
on his citizenship. Oh, right. This just happened.
Very recently. April 2025, he became an American
citizen. Which is a big step, obviously. But
there was a complication, wasn't there? Yes,
because Malaysia, his birth country, doesn't
allow dual citizenship. So to become American,
he had to formally renounce his Malaysian citizenship.
Wow. So that's a definitive choice, giving up
his original nationality. It really finalizes
his identity as, I guess, an American -based
global figure now. And there's a real irony there,
isn't there? How so? Well, he spent that whole
crucial decade in Australia University, launching
his career, winning awards, but he never actually
got citizenship or even permanent residency there.
Huh. And now he's fully American, legally speaking,
having had to give up his Malaysian identity.
That whole theme of being the international student,
the person who doesn't quite belong permanently.
It runs right through his life and his work.
OK, so he's got this decade of. intense legal
and commerce study under his belt, you'd think
maybe a slow transition into a new field. Not
really. No. Yeah. It seems like he applied that
same focus directly to comedy. He didn't just
dabble. He launched himself onto the Australian
scene pretty much immediately after finishing
his legal practice diploma in 2012. And found
success quickly. Incredibly quickly, like almost
straight away. In 2012, his first major show.
Theron Way, won Best Newcomer at the Melbourne
International Comedy Festival. We won it. Right.
Yeah, co -won with Matt Okine. But still, winning
that award right out of the gate is huge. It
puts you on the map instantly. Tells the industry
you're serious. And it wasn't a one -off. Not
at all. He basically dominated the Australian
Comedy Festival circuit for the next few years.
Just kept racking up nominations and wins. Like
what else? Well, 2014 was big. He won the Director's
Choice Award back in Melbourne. and then Best
of the Fest at the Sydney Comedy Festival that
same year. Had he been up for that Sydney one
before? Yep, nominated in 2013. So it showed
progression, building momentum. Consistent quality.
And it wasn't just live performance, right? He
got recognition for recorded stuff, too. Yeah,
he branched out into albums, got nominations
for Best Comedy Release at the ARIA's Australia's
Grammys, basically. For which albums? For The
Runway in 2014 and then Cheeing Reaction in 2015.
So two years running. It was a really sustained
run of success that... cemented him as a major
name in Australia. And during this time, he made
a connection that would be pretty important later
on. Ah, yeah. Trevor Noah. They performed together.
In 2013, yeah. At the Just for Laughs festival
in Montreal. Seeing them both on that international
stage. Yeah. You can imagine that planted a seed
for his own move towards American late night.
But before he made that big jump, he sort of
memorialized his Australian experience on screen,
didn't he? He did. With Ronnie Ching, international
student. Yeah. The sitcom premiered in 2017.
And this was based on his actual life. Pretty
much. Yeah. He co -wrote it and starred in it.
It's all about his experiences as a Malaysian
student trying to figure out university life
in Australia. All the cultural clashes, the absurdities
of being an international student. It really
leans into that. outsider perspective totally
and the smart thing was how it was released it
wasn't just for australia oh where else it was
developed for abc tv in australia but also for
comedy central in the u .s ah okay so even before
he was a regular face on american tv his specific
story That immigrant and Australian narrative
was already getting airtime there. Exactly. It
showed his kind of humor, his perspective on
cultural differences, had wider appeal. It was
the perfect setup for what came next. So that
setup paid off. The move to the U .S. didn't
feel like it came out of nowhere. It felt planned.
It seemed that way. The big catalyst was 2015.
He got invited to audition for The Daily Show.
As a correspondent. Yeah. And he got it. Landed
the gig, became a senior correspondent, and,
well, he's still there now. That was the start
of the Daily Show era for him. And prompted the
physical move back to the U .S. Yep, relocated
to New York City in 2015. And the industry noticed
pretty quickly. By July 2016, Variety named him
one of their 10 comics to watch. So a high profile
pretty fast. Definitely operating at the top
tier of political satire. But there was one specific
moment, wasn't there, that really cemented his
unique value. showcased what only he could bring.
You mean the Chinatown segment. October 2016.
Yeah. And that wasn't just a comedy bit. It felt
different. It really was. And you have to remember
the context. He was responding to that infamous
Jesse Waters clip from Fox News. Right. The one
where Waters went to Chinatown and was widely
seen as pretty racist, mocking people, using
stereotypes. Exactly. Asking offensive, leading
questions. Cheng saw that not just as bad comedy,
but as a real failure of basic respect and cultural
understanding. And his response was brilliant.
He used his own background. His language skills.
He went back to the exact same neighborhood.
But instead of mocking, he actually talked to
people. Conducted interviews properly. In Mandarin
and Cantonese. Yes. Treating them like intelligent
people with valid perspectives. Not like props
for cheap laughs. Right. The contrast was incredibly
powerful. One segment punched down, the other
lifted up. And it went absolutely viral. Got
huge coverage. Washington Post, Slate, everyone
picked it up. It showed how his fluency, his
cultural understanding could be used as this
powerful tool on a national stage to call out
ignorance. It was his superpower, really. That
perfect blend of the law school analysis and
the global identity. But satire, especially identity
-based satire, it's tricky territory, isn't it?
Extremely tricky. And even someone as skilled
as Chang can sometimes hit a nerve. Maybe unintentionally.
We should probably talk about the Rishi Sunak
controversy. Right. October 2022, when Sunak
became the UK's first prime minister of Asian
descent. And Ching made a comment on The Daily
Show about it that caused quite a stir. We should
probably get the quote right. OK, what was it
exactly? He said, I know everyone is excited
that this is the first Asian prime minister,
but let's be clear. Indians are not Asians. OK,
they're still people, great people, just not
Asian people. And their reaction. Immediate and
strong. A lot of criticism online, especially
from people of Indian descent and others who
use the broader geographical definition of Asian,
which definitely includes South Asia. They felt
excluded by the comment. Right. The argument
was that he was essentially gatekeeping the term
Asian. narrowing it down to maybe just East Asians,
which is a common, though often contested, usage
in some contexts like the U .S. or Australia
sometimes. Whereas geographically, India is absolutely
part of Asia. Undeniably. So the comment hit
that fault line, the difference between geographical
Asia and the cultural or racial shorthand often
used in the West, which tends to focus on East
and Southeast Asians. Now, was he being serious
or was it satire about that very distinction?
That's the complexity. His defenders would say
he was satirizing that narrow definition, highlighting
the absurdity of these internal cultural divisions.
But for many listeners, especially in the rapid
fire world of social media. It just landed as
exclusionary or maybe arrogant. Exactly. The
new ones got lost. Yeah. So you have this duality,
right? Huge praise for the Chinatown segment
where he used his identity to unify and correct
misinformation. and then significant backlash
for the Sunak comment, which was seen by many
as using his identity to divide. It really shows
the tightrope satirists walk today, especially
when dealing with global identities and definitions.
Who gets to define Asian and how does humor navigate
that? It's messy. So The Daily Show gave him
this incredible platform, but he didn't just
stay in that lane, did he? He really branched
out into acting. Massively. He transitioned pretty
smoothly into film and TV, became more than just
a correspondent, started getting substantial
roles. His film debut was quite high profile,
wasn't it? Yeah. Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. He
played Edison Eddie Chang. The obnoxious banker.
Memorable role. Definitely. It established him
in Hollywood right away as this sharp, funny
character actor. Played perfectly into those
cultural stereotypes about wealth and status,
but with a comedic twist. And then he jumped
into the biggest franchise around. The MCU. Marvel.
He played John John in Shang -Chi and The Legend
of the Ten Rings in 2021. The sort of fast -talking,
well -connected guy. Exactly. And getting into
Marvel, well, that guarantees global visibility,
cements you as a known quantity internationally.
And he kept popping up in big projects after
that. Yeah, he's built a really diverse resume.
Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021. That horror hit M3GN
in 2022. Oh, he was in M3GN. Right. Yeah. Then
Joyride, the comedy, in 2023. Jerry Seinfeld's
unfrosted in 2024. Plus voice work like Captain
Fish and Kung Fu Panda 4. He's really versatile.
Moving between action, horror, comedy, animation.
Seemingly without much effort. And alongside
the acting, he really doubled down on his stand
-up and creative deals, especially with Netflix.
His first special with them did really well,
right? Asian Comedian Destroys America. Huge
hit in 2019. Led to a bigger deal. What did that
involve? Signed in early 2021. It was for two
more stand -up specials, plus something they
called a docu -comedy. Showed Netflix really
believed in him, not just as a performer, but
as a creator. And we saw those come out. Yep.
The next special, Speakeasy, dropped in April
2022. And that docu -comedy, Ronnie Ching Takes
Chinatown, also came out in 2022. Takes Chinatown.
Sounds like a follow -up to the viral segment.
It definitely felt like it. He co -starred with
David Fung, the YouTuber, and they explored the
neighborhood more deeply. Any interesting guests?
Yeah, big names. Simu Liu, his Shang -Chi co
-star. popped up, and Jeremy Lin, the NBA player.
Give it extra weight, connecting back to that
community narrative he championed. He's also
doing significant voice acting work beyond just
one -offs, isn't he? Took over a pretty iconic
role. Huge role. Conn Salfanusenphone on King
of the Hill. For the revival, season 14 onwards.
That's the one. Replacing Toby Huss. That's a
big deal, stepping into the shoes of such a well
-known animated character, especially one representing
the Laotian American experience. Requires real
sensitivity, not just vocal talent. Absolutely.
And he's done other voice work, too, like Seven
and Scissor Seven, Kublai Khan, and History of
the World Part II. His voice is becoming as recognizable
as his face. And looking ahead, he's moving behind
the camera, too, writing and producing. Yeah,
seems like the next logical step. He's co -writing
a martial arts action comedy film. Oh, interesting.
With who? For which studio? With Sebastian Donatel,
who he works with a lot. And it's for Sony. Martial
arts action comedy. That sounds like a perfect
fit, actually. Merging his physical interest,
we'll get to that with his comedy and action
roles. Exactly. Seems like he's creating projects
tailored perfectly to his unique skill set. And
for fans wanting to see him live, there's something
big coming up, too. Yes. A co -headlining tour
announced for July 2025, North America. With
Hasan Minhaj. Oh, wow. That's a powerhouse pairing.
What's the tour called? It's got a great title.
Hasan hates Ronnie. Ronnie hates Hasan. OK, so
we can expect some friendly fire. Definitely.
There's this funny anecdote where Minhaj called
Chang a sadistic pervert because of his Instagram
antics. Yeah. So, yeah, expect that kind of sharp,
witty, probably insult heavy dynamic on stage.
Should be brilliant. OK, so we've covered the
career trajectory. But the deep dive always looks
for those personal details, the hobbies, the
things that maybe make the public figure feel
a bit more grounded. And interestingly, his personal
life ties right back into that academic foundation
we talked about. He's married to Hannah Pham.
They got married in 2016. And how did they meet?
Get this. They met while they were both studying
commerce and law at the University of Melbourne.
No way. both doing those intense dual degrees.
So their relationship started from that shared
experience of intense academic work and presumably
ambition. That's quite a foundation. Did she
also pivot away from law? Actually, no. She stayed
on that track. Got her master's in law at NYU
and works as an attorney in the U .S. Wow. So
he has someone at home who truly understands
that analytical legal mindset. Must be a great
sounding board. You'd imagine so. That shared
background and discipline is interesting. But
his other interests show different kinds of discipline,
too, like physical discipline. You mean Brazilian
jiu -jitsu, BJJ. Exactly. He's quite into it,
practices regularly. He's currently a blue belt.
BJJ takes serious commitment, right? Strategy,
patience. Totally. They call it physical chess.
It requires that same long -term focus and strategic
thinking we saw in his studies. And you can see
how that interest might feed into co -writing
a martial arts movie, right? That's not just
theoretical for him. Good point. He commits fully,
whether it's law books, comedy stages, or grappling
mats. It seems that way. And speaking of recognition,
he got a pretty cool official honor recently
during his tour. Oh, yeah. What was that? In
July 2024, while he was in Honolulu for his The
Love to Hate It tour, the mayor, Rip Blanchardy,
actually proclaimed July 27th as Ronnie Ching
Day. His own day. In Honolulu. Yep. for his contributions
to entertainment. Think about that journey again.
The guy who was always the international student,
never quite settled in Australia, now has an
official day named after him in a major U .S.
city, just months after getting U .S. citizenship.
It's a pretty powerful symbol of arrival, of
finding that belonging, finally, in the U .S.
Okay. One last major interest the sources highlight,
something that speaks to precision, history,
detail. Watch collecting. Right. Not the most
common celebrity hobby, maybe. But it fits his
profile, doesn't it? Yeah. Detail -oriented,
appreciates engineering, maybe history. And it
started pretty humbly. How so? His first real
watch was a Seiko 5. Bought it when he was still
at university in Australia. Seiko 5s are kind
of the classic entry point for watch nerds, right?
Affordable, reliable, mechanical watches. Exactly.
Shows it started with an appreciation for the
mechanics, not just the luxury brand. But, of
course, the collection grew from there. He was
featured on that Hodinkee series, Talking Watches.
He was, and the watches he showed were really
telling. Like what? Well, he had a rare version
of a vintage Seiko chronograph, the Ref. 61396010.
Shows he digs into the niche stuff. But the really
symbolic one was a vintage Rolex GMT Master.
A root beer GMT, right? Ref 16753. That's the
one. And the GMT Master, its whole purpose was
for pilots, for travelers, tracking multiple
time zones. Ah! Perfect for a guy who spent his
life crossing borders, living in different time
zones, dealing with visas and citizenships. It's
the ultimate global citizen's watch, isn't it?
It just fits his narrative perfectly. And there's
a family connection too with watches. A lovely
one. He inherited a two -tone Rolex from his
late father. Dates back to 1984. And didn't that
watch end up on TV? It did. He took it on Antiques
Roadshow, got it valued at $5 ,000. A great little
story connecting family history, his collecting
passion, and even his public life. Hashtag tag
outro. So wrapping this up, what's the big picture
on Ronny Chieng? We've seen this incredible path,
haven't we? From Malaysia, Singapore, the U .S.,
then that decade of intense study in Melbourne
law and commerce, only to, well... Chuck it all
for comedy. Yeah. And now he's this globally
known figure. Daily Show, Marvel, Netflix specials.
But the key takeaway isn't just the success.
It's how that background informs it all. That
nonlinear path. It wasn't accidental. Not at
all. It feels strategic. And that core characteristic
is, I think, adaptation built on rigor. He spent
all that time in Australia, got those powerful
analytical tools, but never really settled there
permanently. Became a huge success there, but
remained legally an outsider. Exactly. And then
he moves to the U .S., finally gets citizenship,
sacrificing his Malaysian one, gets his own day
in Honolulu. It's this constant movement, this
constant adaptation that gives him that sharp,
critical perspective. And the law background
isn't just trivia. No way. It's the engine. It
makes his critiques structured, logical, informed.
It elevates the satire beyond just making fun
of things. It's analytical. Which leads us to
a final thought for you, the listener, to chew
on. We know about his deep legal training, his
eye for detail, that structured way of thinking.
How might that continue to shape his work? Especially
now as he's moving more into writing and producing,
like that martial arts action comedy for Sony
he's co -writing. Right. Are we going to see
that lawyerly critical thinking merge even more
directly with mainstream genres, action, comedy,
but maybe with a deeper, more structured underpinning?
It makes you think, doesn't it? How skills from
one area of your life can unexpectedly supercharge
another. Maybe the lesson here is that no training
is ever really wasted. That dedication to learning
something deeply, whether it's law or BJJ or
comedy. Exactly. Those foundational skills, that
commitment, can combine in ways you might never
predict. It's the rigor itself that matters,
maybe more than the specific field you end up
in.