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Death, Sex & Money

Cancer Changed Ken Jeong's Comedy

Death, Sex & Money

Slate Podcasts

Business, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture, Careers, Relationships, Sexuality

4.67.6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2020

⏱️ 24 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

After years of working as a physician, Ken Jeong quit to pursue acting. Then his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and he found himself needing to think like a doctor again. This episode was originally broadcast in 2015. Sign up for our newsletter by going to deathsexmoney.org/newsletter, and every Wednesday we'll send you behind-the-scenes updates, podcast listening recommendations, and some pretty incredible listener letters from our inbox. Follow our show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Email us any time at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0

There was definitely that question mark of like, I want to perform, but I don't think it's

0:03.8

in the cards for me, and maybe I'm just going to be one of those doctors that could have done

0:08.0

something else, but you're doing something, you know, more noble.

0:11.4

This is death, sex, and money. I wish I knew how to quit you. The show from

0:20.0

WNY seed about the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more.

0:27.0

Come on, let's go spend some money.

0:29.0

I'm a sale.

0:32.0

Ken Jong got his big break

0:36.0

playing an Asian mobster named Mr. Chow in the hangover.

0:40.0

You would insult my mother cookie? The movie was an unexpected hit in 2009, earning more than

0:47.0

four hundred sixty million dollars worldwide. It made Ken Jung famous. He became known for his catchphrases and for his furious naked pounce

0:57.6

out of the trunk of a car.

1:01.2

Oh! Audiences were like... Aye, God!

1:04.2

Audiences were laughing at Mr. Chow, but his anger came from a very real place.

1:11.1

There's like a 10 minute rant that I go on at the desert in Vegas and I'm just

1:15.2

yelling as Mr. Chow. It was an out-of-body experience because it was like a

1:20.8

subconscious just rage against the machine if you will you know of

1:24.4

cancer just like what is going on and and this sucks. While he was filming this

1:29.6

role that would launch his career Ken's wife Tran was being treated for stage 3 breast cancer.

1:36.9

Why does it happen to Tran?

1:38.6

You know, why, why is it happening at this time? I don't get it. I don't. Just all sorts of frustration.

1:50.0

After the hangover, Ken went on to star in the hangover two and three and six

...

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