A biography for Jimmy O. Yanghasn’t been written yet.
“Whatever ethnicity you are, yes, absolutely you have to be proud of who you are man. I am really really proud to be Asian, I got to say.”
“I don't know why people feel the need to do this to me, but my friend asked my dad, 'Aren't your proud of Jimmy now that he's a successful actor?' And my dad was like, 'No, not really. I wish he was a scientist.' I guess scientist is more noble in the Asian culture.”
“I've heard other actors saying they don't want to play a character with an accent at all. To me, that's kind of an insult to somebody like me who did have an accent.”
“I think in China they have a camera for every street corner, and if you jaywalk, they don't give you a ticket. They put you on the big TV screen to shame you.”
“Growing up, my dad was 'get a real job, don't go pursuing your dreams, that's how you become homeless.' So, do I pick my family or do I pick my own happiness, and how much does my own happiness depend on my family?”
“I love everyone on 'Silicon Valley.'”
“It comes from within to not be ashamed of our brothers and sisters who have accents.”
“I obeyed my parents' rules inside our Chinese household while I pursued my dreams in the American world outside.”
“I worked at Big 5 Sporting Goods, selling shoes and stuff like that, for a couple of summers.”
“One of my first big paychecks, I used it to buy a Rolex. I bought a used 1968 vintage Rolex. I was too cheap to buy a new one.”
“I was competitive ping-pong player. I played in youth tournaments, under the age of 13.”
“When I was on the playground, people were calling me Jackie Chan.”
“I went to college as an economics major because that was the easiest major that could still please your Asian parents, and then, much to their dismay, I became a stand-up comedian.”
“When a Spanish actor does an accent, that's sexy. When Peter Sellers did a French accent in 'Pink Panther,' that's funny - he got nominated for a Golden Globe. How come whenever an Asian actor does an accent, he's stereotyping?”
“I don't read in Chinese very well. Google Translate helps with that. It's cool that I can upload a photo and translate the text from it.”
“I'm just a quirky, funny dude.”
“Just because I don't speak English with an accent anymore doesn't mean that I'm better than the people who do.”
“It's so great when there's a catchy song that's fun and easy to listen to, but there's also a real artist behind it.”
“I tried my hardest to be the opposite of a stereotypical Asian student.”
“I hope I can get to more and more of the Chinese audience and kind of lead the way to maybe, y'know, inspire seems like a big word, but y'know... inspire to get people into entertainment because I think we can be just as good as anybody else.”