Jiaoying Summers Explained

Jiaoying Summers 梁娇颖
Birth Date:18 January 1990
Birth Place:Henan Province, China
Nationality:American
Children:2
Years Active:2013–present

Jiaoying Summers (born January 18, 1990) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and producer. She is best known for her TikTok videos and her focus on combating Asian racism and promoting Asian representation.

Early life and education

Summers was born and raised in Henan Province in China. She was born during China's one-child policy, and her parents delivered her at home instead of a hospital "to avoid the shame of having a girl" as their only child. She came to the United States at the age of 18 and studied at the University of Kentucky.[1]

Career

In 2013, Summers served as the president for new business development for her family's construction company. She also interned for the IMAX Corporation in Los Angeles. In 2014, Summers won the title of Miss China in the international beauty pageant "Queen of the Universe".[2] She began acting in 2016.[3]

Summers is the founding partner and CEO of Summers Media, an international production company.[4]

Comedy

During an audition for the police drama show Rebel, executive producer John Singleton heard Summers making jokes and suggested that she "try her hand at comedy". Following his advice, she performed at her first open mic night in 2019.[5] She began posting on TikTok in 2020, and has since gained more than 1.2 million followers and has accumulated over 1 billion views.[6] [7]

Summers incorporates personal material into her comedy routines, including her "decision to talk about [China's] one-child policy as a survivor". Her video went viral, leading to being banned on TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. TikTok cited violation of community guidelines, and restored her account three months later. Summers has spoken about continued deflated viewership, leading her to suspect she had also been shadow banned.

Summers performs regularly at The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, and Carolines NYC, was a headliner at the New York Comedy Festival in 2022 and headlined the Apollo theater in November 9, 2023. She also starred in the Netflix Is A Joke festival's Women in Comedy show. In 2022, Summers released a comedy special as part of the Comedy InvAsian series, on NBC Peacock.[8]

Summers is the owner of two comedy clubs, both located in Los Angeles: The Hollywood Comedy and The Pasadena Comedy.[9]

Personal life

Summers is a mother of two.

Summers is the Asia ambassador for Operation USA, a non profit humanitarian organization supporting health, education and relief programs. She is also the international ambassador for the Linzhou Charity Federation.

In 2022, Summers was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame[10]

Filmography

As actress

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016Major CrimesTai Chi Studentas Jiaoying Liang
2016The Scarlet ThornLin Wuas Jiaoying Liang
2016Alex and LotusLotus Wangas Jiaoying Liang
2016Hollywood DiversityMichelleas Jiaoying Liang
2017The Missing 6Carrie Lingas Jiaoying Liang
2019American BistroYu Yanguncredited
2020The MadamsStephas Gia Summers

As producer

YearTitleNotes
2016The Scarlet Thornas Jiaoying Liang
2016The Like Challengeas Jiaoying Liang
2019An Unforgettable Winteras Jiaoying Liang
2020Wo men zhe xie nian

Notes and References

  1. News: Jiaoying Summers' joke about China's one-child policy made everyone laugh – except TikTok censors . Jackson . Nate . . January 28, 2022 . February 11, 2023.
  2. Web site: Meet Jiaoying Summers . VoyageLA.com . November 5, 2019 . February 11, 2023.
  3. Web site: Jiaoying Summers . . February 13, 2023.
  4. Web site: The Queen of Comedy – Jiaoying Summers . Germano . Prachedes Indyra . Jejune Magazine . February 23, 2022 . February 12, 2023.
  5. News: Asian American comedians reclaim their narratives in S.F. 'Asians Are Funny' fundraiser . Diamond . Joy . . July 7, 2022 . February 12, 2023.
  6. Web site: Stop Asian Hate feat. Jiaoying Summers . . February 11, 2023.
  7. Web site: Jiaoying Summers . improv.com . February 11, 2023.
  8. Web site: Chillin' With Jiaoying Summers . ChilledMagazine.com . Luparello . Joseph . September 14, 2022 . February 12, 2023.
  9. News: Comedy Is The Next Asian Entertainment Frontier & Jiaoying Summers Is The Trailblazer . Ang . Marc . TheHollywoodTimes.today . September 19, 2021 . February 13, 2023.
  10. Web site: Daniel Ho, Hiroshima, Tia Carrere & More to Be Inducted Into Asian Hall of Fame . Grein . Paul . . October 10, 2022 . February 14, 2023.