# Helen Hong

Helen Hong (Korean: 헬렌 홍; born July 7, 1975) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, director, and producer. She has appeared in such works as Jane the Virgin, Parks and Recreation, and the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis. She has a regular spot on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and hosts a trivia podcast called Go Fact Yourself. She formerly hosted the podcast Little Ethnic Girls. She has a recurring role on Nickelodeon's The Thundermans and had a recurring role as Mrs. Song in Starz's Blunt Talk. Hong is known for her comedic NowThis videos.

## Early life

Hong's parents are immigrants to New York City from Korea. She was raised on the East Coast but spent some time in Korea as well. Hong attended high school at Tottenville High School in Staten Island, New York and North Andover High School in North Andover, Massachusetts and attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.

## Career

Hong was not a standup comedy fan before a random shot of inspiration prompted her to take standup classes at New York City's Carolines on Broadway. During the course of the class, she realized that standup was what she wanted to pursue as a career.
Hong has performed at The Laugh Factory, Bonkerz, The Hollywood Improv, Zanies Comedy Club, Stir Crazy Comedy Club, Flappers Comedy Club, The Ice House Comedy Club, the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, Punch Line San Francisco and numerous other venues.
Hong has performed at events such as the Sedona International Film Festival, the Punchlines & Pumps Comedy Show at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, the New York Underground Comedy Festival, and The Great American Comedy Festival.
Hong has also performed in Puerto Rico for Armed Services Entertainment.

## Personal life

Hong is the daughter of two Korean immigrants and was raised in New York. She has publicly expressed her passion for feminist movements and regularly shares her political stances and opinions on different forms of media. Hong is an active Bernie Sanders supporter.
Hong is a survivor of breast cancer.

## Awards and recognition

* In 2014, BuzzFeed named Hong as one of "18 Comedians Who Could Take Over The Late Show"
* In 2011, The Huffington Post included her on their list "53 Of Our Favorite Female Comedians"

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Epic | Thistle | Voice |
| 2013 | Inside Llewyn Davis | Janet Fung | |
| 2018 | Chasing Sunshine | Bianca | |
| 2020 | 2 Minutes of Fame | Customer | |
| 2020 | The Babysitter: Killer Queen | Principal Highbridge | |
| 2024 | The Thundermans Return | Mrs. Wong | |
| 2025 | If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | Eva | |
| TBA | Sid Is Dead | Janet Han | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Adam Devine's House Party | Helen | Episode: "Neighbor Party" |
| 2013–2018 | The Thundermans | Mrs. Wong | 22 episodes |
| 2014 | The Crazy Ones | Jenny | Episode: "Outbreak" |
| 2014 | New Girl | Teacher | Episode: "Fired Up" |
| 2014 | Inside Amy Schumer | Girl | Episode: "Tyler Perry's Episode" |
| 2014 | Pretty Little Liars | Lynn | Episode: "The Silence of E. Lamb" |
| 2014 | My Super-Overactive Imagination | Patron | Episode: "Friday Night" |
| 2014 | Bones | Attendee #1 | Episode: "The Corpse at the Convention" |
| 2015 | Parks and Recreation | Janet Trungle | Episode: "2017" |
| 2015–2016 | Blunt Talk | Mrs. Song | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Togetherness | Fumi | Episode: "The Sand Situation" |
| 2016 | Scream Queens | Phlebotomist | Episode: "Blood Drive" |
| 2016 | Baked Goodes | Sweet Wife | Episode: "Spice Up Your Life" |
| 2017 | Don Paco's Casa | Nurse Cindy | Episode: "Health" |
| 2018 | Jane the Virgin | Felicia | Episode: "Chapter Seventy-Nine" |
| 2018 | Hollywood Darlings | Dr. Helen Hong | Episode: "Till Death Gets Me a Part" |
| 2018 | Splitting Up Together | Sunny | Episode: "Glowing Pains" |
| 2019 | Smothered | Dr. Arielle Allen | Episode: "Everyone Hates You" |
| 2019 | Huge in France | Dr. Barb | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Kingpin Katie | Linda Packman | Episode: "KOOM" |
| 2019 | The Filth | Priest | Episode: "Filthy Mind Maps" |
| 2019 | Gods of Food | Pak Jang-mi | Episode: "Pak Jang-mi: A Nun, Not A Chef" |
| 2019 | Silicon Valley | Tracy Robertson | 4 episodes |
| 2019–2021 | The Unicorn | Emma | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | Outmatched | Kourtney Kamanski | Episode: "Bad Guy" |
| 2020 | Magical Girl Friendship Squad | Daisy's Mom | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia | Dr. Ling | 3 episodes |
| 2021 | Peeling the Stinky Onion | Dr. Lively | Television film |
| 2021 | Never Have I Ever | Sharon | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Kenan | Principal Manning | Episode: "Work Friends" |
| 2024 | The Thundermans Return | Mrs. Hong | Television movie |
| 2025 | The Thundermans: Undercover | Mrs. Hong (voice) | Episode: "Faulty Powers" |