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Joel Kim Booster

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Joel Kim Booster
Born (1988-02-29) February 29, 1988 (age 36)
South Korea
NationalityKorean American
Alma materMillikin University
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • writer
  • actor
Years active2016–present
Websiteihatejoelkim.com

Joel Kim Booster (born February 29, 1988)[1] is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents stand-up special.[2]

Early life

Kim Booster was born in South Korea and was adopted by a white American couple as an infant.[3][4] He was raised in Plainfield, Illinois in a conservative, Evangelical Christian family and initially was home schooled.[5][6] He went to public school for the first time when he was 16, which he described as his "first time being around non-religious people."[3] He knew he was gay from childhood but kept it a secret.[7] His senior year in high school, his parents found out he was gay by reading his diary where he had described his sexual encounters with other boys.[5] Kim Booster moved out and began to couchsurf until he stayed with a family friend. He later found out that his brother, the biological son of his adoptive parents, is also gay.[6][2]

He studied theater at Millikin University for his bachelor's degree.[5]

Career

Living in Chicago, he took a job as a copywriter and began to perform in theater and write jokes after work.[1] Kim Booster began his stand-up career in an unconventional fashion by opening up for plays in Chicago's theater scene.[3] He then moved to New York in 2014 to pursue a career in comedy.[3][6] He performed a set on Conan in 2016.[2] He then appeared in his own Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special in 2017. Kim Booster has also written for the shows Billy on the Street and the Netflix animated comedy Big Mouth.[1]

Kim Booster has appeared with Susan Sarandon in Viper Club, a Youtube original film, Netflix's The Week Of, Hulu's Shrill starring Aidy Bryant, and the third season of TBS's Search Party. [8]

On November 3, 2018 he released his debut stand-up album, Model Minority.[1][5] The material covers racism in the gay community, growing up Asian in a white community, and his own non-adherence to stereotypes about Asian Americans.[2]

Kim Booster is currently developing a semi-autobiographical TV show called Birthright with Comedy Central. He is also set to co-host a digital series called Unsend with the network.[9]

Personal life

Kim Booster is gay and often talks about his sexuality in his stand-up. He has stated that he knew he was gay before he knew he was Asian.[3]

Acclaim

Kim Booster was called a Comic to Watch by Variety[10] and one of Vulture's 20 Comedians You Should and Will Know,[11] and was named a Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Keller, Michael (2018-09-10). "Standing Up: Comedian Joel Kim Booster's Boldest Gamble? Trusting Himself". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-12-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d Goodman, Elyssa; Trykowski, Tyler; Taete, Jamie Lee Curtis (2017-10-20). "Joel Kim Booster's Tough Journey from Closeted Gay Kid to 'Model Minority'". Vice. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  3. ^ a b c d e Kozell, Isaac (2017-10-18). "Joel Kim Booster's Unlikely Path to Standup Stardom". Vulture. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  4. ^ "🔊 Listen Now: 970 Transracial Adoption (w/ Joel Kim Booster)". NPR One. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  5. ^ a b c d "Why you should be rooting for Joel Kim Booster in 2019". The FADER. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  6. ^ a b c Prois, Jessica (2018-06-25). "Joel Kim Booster On Finding The Comedy In Hurtful Queer Asian Male Stereotypes". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  7. ^ Schmit, Timaree (2017-11-01). "Asian-queer funnyman Joel-Kim Booster talks being both in the world of comedy". PhiladelphiaWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-12-24. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  8. ^ "More". JOEL KIM BOOSTER. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  9. ^ Wright, Megh (2018-09-07). "Joel Kim Booster and Patti Harrison to Host a New Digital Series at Comedy Central". www.vulture.com. Retrieved 2018-12-24. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  10. ^ Staff, Variety; Staff, Variety (June 14, 2018). "Variety Announces 10 Comics to Watch for 2018". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  11. ^ https://www.vulture.com/2017/11/20-comedians-to-watch.html
  12. ^ "30 Under 30 2018: Hollywood & Entertainment". Forbes. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
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