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Ali Wong

Comedy Dynamics · 2017 · 59 min

A deeply filthy, heavily pregnant stand-up hour about domestic entrapment.

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An expectant mother on a stand-up stage usually signals a wholesome hour of soft-edged parenting observations. Ali Wong immediately upends that expectation, taking the stage seven and a half months pregnant in a tight striped dress and red glasses, then launching into a highly graphic, unapologetically crass hour of filth. She frames her pregnancy not as a delicate condition but as a tactical advantage, using her physical state to underscore jokes about trapping her Harvard-educated husband, contracting HPV, and the transactional realities of modern marriage. Her delivery is calculated, physical, and completely devoid of maternal sentimentality.\n\nFilmed at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, the hour originally premiered on Netflix in May 2016 before receiving a wide audio release in 2017. At the time of taping, Wong was a relatively low-profile comic working as a staff writer on the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. The special turned her into an overnight sensation, cementing her signature aesthetic and launching her into theater-level touring. Notable routines include her take on why housewives are the true geniuses of the labor market, her detailed account of a past miscarriage, and her aggressive critique of feminism for making women have to work. The show’s breakout success was immediate, eventually leading the Smithsonian to request her striped dress for their collection.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Performing while seven and a half months pregnant and the double standards of comedy parenting

    Observes how rare it is to see a pregnant woman perform stand-up and contrasts female comics who disappear to recover and nurse with male comics who quickly return to the stage to capitalize on fatherhood material.

  2. Critique of feminism and 'Lean In'

    Ironically laments that women entering the corporate workforce ruined the historical luxury of staying home, snacking, and watching Ellen financed by a husband.

  3. Shitting at work

    Spends four thorough minutes breaking down the unvarnished realities and tactics of having bowel movements in office restrooms.

  4. Dating within one's race and Pan-Asian distinctions

    Details how she secured her Harvard-educated husband and deconstructs intra-Asian stereotypes and pan-Asian prejudice, distinguishing between fancy Asians and 'jungle Asians'.

  5. Miscarriages

    Candidly addresses experiencing a miscarriage, comparing the communal openness that followed among women to high schoolers bonding over masturbation.

  6. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    The twist / climactic resolution closer

    Brings together the disparate narrative threads of her husband, work philosophy, and marriage into a singular culminating punchline.

How it plays

Tone
Raunchy, provocative, brutally candid, and irreverent.
On stage
Fierce, filthy, raunchy, and unapologetically honest; projects a liberated attitude devoid of shame.
Pace
Razor-sharp delivery that escalates in intensity, moving fluidly between quiet rage, deadpan reaction shots, and expressive physical comedy.
About
pregnancy and childbirth, marriage and domestic life, sexuality and bodily fluids, ironic antifeminism, race and Asian-American culture, aging

What the critics said

Achieved unanimous critical acclaim (100% on Rotten Tomatoes across 9 reviews), praised for its ferocious physical comedy, razor-sharp writing, and fearless subversion of motherhood and sex taboos.

In the room: Enthusiastic and engaged crowd responding loudly to boundary-pushing, raw material.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: allmusic.com, ess.swanlibraries.net, netflix.com, imdb.com, vulture.com, rottentomatoes.com, vaguevisages.com, funnyhow.substack.com, vogue.com, theguardian.com.

Backstory

Filmed when Wong was seven and a half months pregnant, defying television and comedy traditions where female comics rarely perform while visibly pregnant.

Details

Released
Taped
2015, The Neptune Theatre, Seattle
Runtime
59 min
Where
Comedy Dynamics
Director
Jay Karas
Topics
After
Hard Knock Wife (2018)

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