It’s tough to be an Asian celebrity in the States. A lot of times actors or singers need to play up the negative Asian stereotypes in order to be a celebrity and earn roles on American TV shows and movies. Kal Penn himself also said he had to take some less-than-desirable roles early on to end up where he is now.

I don’t blame them really. There is such a desire for some people to get into Hollywood that the means of getting in sometimes eludes them. Not to mention there’s probably pressure from their agents and even family.

Unfortunately, by gaining their own fame, these stars are also proliferating more negative stereotypes about Asian Americans. Here are my list of the top 5 worst offenders.

Ken Jeong

You may know him as the hilarious international criminal from the Hangover series of movies. Sure he’s funny, but unfortunately, it’s because people are laughing AT him, not with him. Having him show off his tiny penis in the Hangover II also helped to spread those rumors about Asians having small penises. Ken Jeong is definitely not helping Asian stereotypes across the world.

Matthew Moy

His character in 2 Broke Girls has recently come under fire for being very stereotypical. He plays a Korean boss who pretty much has all the bad Asian stereotypes in one small, beta-male body. His name on the show is even called “Bryce Lee” for crying out loud. With characters like him portraying Asian men, it’s no wonder we all get such a bad rep.

Bobby Lee

I hate to put Bobby Lee on here because he is really funny and very talented as a comedian. But unfortunately, he’s funny because he takes on racial stereotypes. He’s small, squinty-eyed, and dorky, and most of his characters are the “Asian nerd” or “beta Asian male” type of characters. He’s going to be relegated to minor roles as the funny, goofy, and completely asexual Asian male.

Gina Choe

Gina was a contestant on America’s Next Top Model who proclaimed she wanted to “represent Asian women.” She then went on to diss Asian men in the same episode, saying they were too effeminate and weak. That’s not a good representation of yourself as an Asian woman, and it’s seriously not cool to diss on your own race. But luckily for us Asians, she’s not really much of a celebrity.

William Hung

He isn’t aging too well either.

William Hung is an Asian guy who got famous for being exceptionally bad at singing. America laughed at him for his poor performance on American Idol. The worst part about William Hung is I don’t even think he knows that he’s a laughingstock. Like when he got his record deal, he probably thought that he earned it from his amazing singing skills.

I’ve definitely missed a few, but I had to limit myself to five. Who did I miss? Also do you think my list is no good? Write me in the comments.

Written by Editorial Staff