By Kiyomi Casey
Ken Jeong Wednesday joined Jim Carrey, and Jimmy Fallon as recipients of the Rodney Respect Award.
The Los Angeles City College (LACC) Foundation honored Ken Jeong with the Rodney Respect Award at L.A.’s Skirball Cultural Center on Oct. 23. The award, named for comedian Rodney Dangerfield, is reserved for comedians who have left their mark on the history of comedy.
It was the second time Jeong was honored that day, as earlier he received his star on the Hollywood walk of fame.
Jeong started his career in comedy over 20 years ago while working as a doctor at Kaiser Permanente, which fit perfectly with the theme of the night, celebrating caregivers.
Joan Dangerfield, who selected Jeong to receive the award, remembers attending the Laugh Factory with her late husband, and watching Jeong perform standup during this time.
“Rodney paid attention to what he was saying, his style and his confidence, and he thought that comedy would not be his side job much longer, and it turned out he was right.” Dangerfield told AsAmNews.
Jeong was introduced at the gala by fellow comedian George Lopez, who sang Jeong’s praises.
“Ken works constantly to make things better, to make every scene better, to make every show better…film, T.V. animation. There is nothing that Ken Jeong could not do.” Lopez said.
During his acceptance speech Jeong showed appreciation for both the science and comedic educational pathways available at LACC.
“I love poking fun at myself and my career, and it’s all because of the influence of Rodney Dangerfield. He is still a great teacher of comedy. And one of the things that I absolutely love about LACC is how they train great young minds for a career in medicine. And they also thanks to Joan Dangerfield, teach standup comedy, and that is fantastic. They do both”
Jeong is well known for his roles in movies and T.V. shows such as The Hangover, Community, and Crazy Rich Asians. He is currently a panelist on the Masked Singer.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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