Ep 18: Dr Jason Leong - Malaysia's Top Stand-Up Comedian&Netflix Special Star (Hashtag Blessed) - a podcast by Ling Yah

Dr Jason Leong is a former doctor turned Malaysian stand-up comedian star who has been enthralling his audience since 2010 when he did his first open mic gig at Zouk, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Since then, he has gone on to, amongst others, 

• Be the first Malaysian to win the 7th International HK Comedy Competition 2013 & win the title of Crowd Favourite;
• Perform at Comedy Central’s Stand-Up Asia, Hollywood’s Laugh Factory & New York’s Gotham Comedy Club; and
• Have his own Netflix Special called Hashtag Blessed!!

But how did this all come about? What is Dr Jason’s story & has he found his “why”?

In this STIMY podcast episode, we dig into:

• 1.57: What Dr Jason Leong was like as a child
• 3:23: His experience studying as a medical student in Dublin & experience of working at an Irish pub; 
• 6:06: His first open mic gig at Zouk KL & why that experience was so transformative; 
• 8:17: How he ended up joining the Malaysia Association of Chinese Comedians;
• 13:45: Dr Jason’s first major bomb - which almost caused him to cry on his birthday!!;
• 15;29: Winning the 7th International HK Comedy Competition 2013 and performing at Hollywood’s Laugh Factory & New York’s Gotham Comedy Club (where he got to see Jerry Seinfield perform in the flesh!)
• 20:38: Why he won’t be less Malaysian in his stand-up jokes (to appeal to an international crowd);
• 24:21: His experience watching the live taping of the Stephen Colbert Report; 
• 27:22: Why he spent RM150,000 of his own money to film his Netflix Special (with no guarantee that anyone would ever buy it!)
• 28:47: The process of trying to get Netflix to buy his Special for 2 years;
• 31:52: What Jason has been up to during this crazy COVID-19 period; 
• 33:27: Why not all stand-up comedy jokes translate well to online platforms/social media;
• 34:47: The most contentious joke Jason has ever put forward & why he feels he has never gone “too far”
• 37:56: The “Fight for Gotcha” Brazillian jiu jitsu fight he will be having with Ean of Hitz;
• 39:25: Why stand-up comedy is one of the hardest art forms you can do; and
• So much more!

Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/18 

Further episodes of So This Is My Why

Further podcasts by Ling Yah

Website of Ling Yah