Ali Wong
A brutally honest comedian who turned the raw truths of pregnancy, marriage, and Asian-American life into groundbreaking stand-up specials.
Born 1982 (age 44)·American comedian and actress·Birthday: April 19·Millennials
Biography
Ali Wong stormed the comedy world not with whispers, but with a seven-months-pregnant roar. Her 2016 Netflix special 'Baby Cobra,' filmed while visibly expecting, was a seismic shift, offering a candid, raunchy, and hilarious dissection of modern womanhood that mainstream audiences had never seen. A San Francisco native with a Vietnamese-Chinese heritage, Wong's comedy is steeped in the specific tensions of family expectation, financial ambition, and cultural identity. She writes and stars in projects like 'Always Be My Maybe,' weaving her sharp observational humor into narratives that feel both personally specific and universally relatable, proving that the most niche stories can have the widest appeal.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Ali was born in 1982, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ali Was Born
The biggest hits of 1982
#1 Movie
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Best Picture
Gandhi
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Ali's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1982Born
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1987Started school
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1995Became a teenager
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1998Could drive
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2000Could vote
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2003Turned 21
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2012Turned 30
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 40
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 44 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Her 2016 Netflix stand-up special 'Baby Cobra,' filmed while she was pregnant, became a viral sensation and redefined the genre for female comedians.
- Co-wrote and starred in the hit Netflix romantic comedy 'Always Be My Maybe' (2019), which featured a celebrated cameo by Keanu Reeves.
- Won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her Netflix stand-up specials 'Baby Cobra' and 'Hard Knock Wife.'
- Published the memoir 'Dear Girls,' a collection of essays written as letters to her daughters, which became a New York Times bestseller.
Did You Know?
She and her husband, Justin Hakuta, are both Harvard University alumni.
She performed the same hour of stand-up material for over 100 shows while pregnant with her first child to prepare for 'Baby Cobra.'
Before her stand-up breakthrough, she was a writer for the ABC sitcom 'American Housewife.'
“The goal is not to be perfect. The goal is to be whole.”
