Commanding center stage at the Grand Ole Opry, comedian Henry Cho looked right at home, drawing the kind of belly laughs that only come when people really “get you.” There’s an energy, a feeling like no other. Just ask any performer or athlete. There’s nothing like killing it in front of a home crowd.
With well over a hundred venue performances clocked in and now a certified Opry Member, Cho opened the set by effortlessly bridging the dissonance between his appearance and his accent. He’s no stranger here. And lucky for him, growing up Korean American in Knoxville and raising your family in Tennessee is rife with comedic grist.
But Cho’s humor doesn’t stem from an angsty, conflicted childhood. Yes, he was the “only Asian kid from kindergarten through HS.” But, as told exclusively to Best of Korea, “It wasn’t until I was in college that it was brought to my attention that I was considered Korean first instead of just a guy.”
“I credit my buddies’ parents. As we weren’t known as the Korean family. We were just the Chos… [In college,] I recall some girls asking my pals, ‘Who’s the Asian guy?’ They replied, ‘What Asian guy? … Oh Henry. He’s Korean but he ain’t.’”
In his 38th year on the comedy circuit, Cho is living proof that funny is funny and you don’t have be dark or profane to get the big laughs. His brand is incisive but sunny.
He’s achieved national recognition with a Netflix special, countless late-night show appearances and dozens of credits on tv and movie comedies. But for Cho the best part is seeing who’s coming out to his shows.
Henry Cho delivers a killer set on his From Here to There Tour. Photo courtesy of the author.
“The coolest thing about my audience nowadays is that I’ll have younger fans whose parents were fans 20-35 years ago. Their parents grew into adulthood as I did.”
“Family-friendly” doesn’t exactly capture the essence of Cho’s appeal. Too often, being appropriate for families means the edges are sanded off in a way that waters down the humor. But Cho’s found a way to dance on that line. His sets are sharp but he keeps it clean.
“At a recent meet and greet I had some young ladies in their 20s who told me they knew me since they were kids as their parents would only let them listen to me in the car due to my clean comedy. They had attended a show before with their parents but now as young adults they made the trek themselves.”
Currently on a tour called From Here to There, Cho is crisscrossing the country for the rest of the summer and into the fall. On this tour, and throughout his career, Cho’s family, friends and the South in general have all been fair game. And they love him for it.
Cho jokes about “not knowing he was supposed to be smart,” as the only Asian “in three states.” But equal time is given to his identity as Dad, Husband, Son and Friend. Wearing his Parent hat, Cho recalls when his daughter’s class was instructed to devise Native American names for a project. Instead of “Running Bear” or “Dancing Deer,” his daughter, Tate, chose, “Chick-fil-A.” At the ensuing parent-teacher conference Cho mostly wanted to know if Tate had good comedic timing and if she got a laugh.
Perhaps surprisingly, the professional class clown’s own father was an early fan. Cho recalls visiting home while on his first tour after dropping out of college to pursue comedy. “Stick with it,” was the advice he received.
Cho didn’t grow up speaking his parents’ native tongue but his daughter took an immersion language class on a recent trip to Korea and “got really into it.” Unlike Cho’s first trip to the country with his father 25 years ago. Things got off to a rocky start when he lost his dad pretty much the instant he got off the plane. This was after a lifetime of being able to spot him in any crowd in three seconds or less, as the only Asian man he knew in Knoxville.
On tour, Cho segues from his Korea stories right into how surreal the South can be, even for a good ole southern boy. On his last trip to his wife’s hometown of Arab, Alabama, he stopped for gas with his kids. Cho’s at the pump, and his two sons and daughter are waiting in his truck when he gets asked an unbelievable question by the Chevron’s only other customer. Namely, “Excuse me, sir, are you injun?”
Cho’s son, from the backseat, calls out, “What’s an ‘injun’?”
Cho’s sheepish reply? “Man, I think he means Indian.”
Son: “Why’s he sayin’ ‘injun,?”
Cho: “Well, because we’re in Arab… And my daughter goes, tell him you’re a chick-a-filet.”
Her timing then? Good enough to make her dad proud and become a featured punchline on his current tour. The Chevron patron might have missed the joke but it certainly landed with the audience, which might have included Tate’s friends–and their parents.
Henry Cho enjoying some downtime. Photo courtesy of Henry Cho.
From Here to There Tour: Dates and Locations
August 9, 2024, Pittsfield, MA (Colonial Theatre)
August 10, 2024, Westerly, RI (United Theatre)
August 13, 2024, Nashville, TN (Grand Ole Opry)
August 17, 2024, Clayton, NC (The Clayton Center)
September 7, 2024, Clayton, NY (The Clayton Opera House)
September 13, 2024, New Brunswick, NJ (New Brunswick Performing Arts Center)
September 14, 2024, Hanover, PA (Eichelberger Performing Arts Center)
September 19, 2024, Arlington, TX (Arlington Music Hall)
September 21, 2024, Bloomington, IN (Buskirk-Chumley Theater)
September 27, 2024, Sacramento, CA (Crest Theatre)
September 28, 2024, Modesto, CA (Gallo Center for the Arts)
October 2, 2024, Brea, CA (Brea Improv)
October 3, 2024, Mount Vernon, WA (Lincoln Theatre)
October 4, 2024, Olympia, WA (Washington Center for the Performing Arts)
October 5, 2024, Bend, OR (Tower Theatre)
October 10, 2024, Lawrenceville, GA (Aurora Theatre)
October 11, 2024, Spartanburg, SC (Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium)
October 12, 2024, Walhalla, SC (Walhalla Performing Arts Center)
October 26, 2024, Knoxville, TN (Bijou Theatre)
October 29, 2024, Nashville, TN (Grand Ole Opry)
November 2, 2024, Casper, WY (Casper Christian School Comedy Night)
November 5, 2024, Nashville, TN (Grand Ole Opry)
November 7, 2024, Tallahassee, FL (The Moon)
November 14, 2024, Nashville, TN (Zanies Comedy Night Club)
November 15, 2024, Nashville, TN (Zanies Comedy Night Club)
November 16, 2024, Nashville, TN (Zanies Comey Night Club)
November 19, 2024, Nashville, TN (Grand Ole Opry)
November 23, 2024, Nashville, TN (Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center)
