Ronny Chieng on Netflix, MAGA Jokes, ‘The Daily Show’ under Trump
When Ronny Chieng wrote the material for his new Netflix special “Love to Hate It” in 2023, he included a few now prescient jokes about the MAGA movement. But at the time, no one had any idea that Donald Trump would somehow return to the White House — so much so that he was advised to cut the jokes.
“And at that moment it felt like it wasn’t relevant,” Chieng says. “I even got a note back from a comic character I respect, and they said, ‘When you started talking about MAGA, I felt like it was completely irrelevant.’ He wasn’t mean. He just gave honest feedback. And I thought, ‘Yes, I understand why you would say that.’ But I really believed this was something I wanted to say. So I left it in and it continued to develop. And then it became its own thing. And then, lo and behold, it became relevant again.”
Chieng remains proud of his MAGA piece, mainly because he believes it is fair. “I’m quite happy that if you feel like it’s relevant again, that means I think I’ve balanced it out quite a bit,” he says. “It wasn’t too one-sided anyway. I think people appreciated that it wasn’t too preachy, even if they agreed with me.
“But at times when it’s political, I feel like I’m quite centrist,” he adds. “I’m making fun of MAGA. Sometimes, because of that centrist stance on the internet, people get really angry at me for having that stance, making fun of MAGA even a little bit. And I’m like, if you knew I was on “The Daily Show,” you wouldn’t be mad about it at all, because this is actually more centrist than what I’ve been doing for the last nine years… People think that if If you ridicule them, you are against their entire worldview. I think that’s one of the messages of my special, that just because you or anyone or I don’t agree with one thing doesn’t mean the whole world is against you. There are still ways to come together even if you disagree on specific things.
However, Chieng wants to make it clear that “Love to Hate It” – now available on Netflix, his third stand-up special for the streamer – is not overly political. Much of it revolves around the very personal story of what he and his wife went through while trying to have a baby through the IVF process. The special received high marks from critics and was even named the best stand-up special of the year by the New York Times.
“People tell me this is more personal, which I appreciate, and it is very personal, but I always feel like every special I do is very personal,” he says. “I actually write my comedy from personal experiences. I think this is personal in a way that people can relate to. This one I just wanted to have a great, great comedy, front to back. I wanted it to be something I could open and close a show with. That’s Patrice O’Neal’s standard.”
“Love to Hate It” was recorded at the Hawai’i Theater in Honolulu during a five-night run. The islands have become somewhat of a home away from home for Chieng after living there during the filming of Disney+’s “Doogie Kamealoha, MD”
“In Hawaii they have a natural appreciation and connection to live performances,” says Chieng. “They love it there. They love singing, they love dancing, live performances. And by extension, stand-up, especially if it’s from Asian people. Jo Koy is a good example.”
Chieng also points to the history of Hawaiian comics such as Rap Reiplinger, Andy Bumatai and Frank DeLima. “They have a history there of these Hawaiian comedians. I actually bought some vintage vinyl of these old school Hawaiian comics. They develop this almost their own style of nightclub performance, singing and stand-up comedy, performing in hotels. I’m fortunate that I felt a very strong connection to Hawaii after filming two seasons there. I felt like Hawaii always gave back the energy I gave to it. And so when I’m there, I feel the hometown vibe.”
Meanwhile, Chieng can currently be seen in Season 1 of the Hulu series “Interior Chinatown,” opposite Jimmy O. Yang and Chloe Bennet. The show, produced by Taika Waititi (who directed the first episode), is still awaiting word on a second season.
“It’s fair to say we all want to do more,” says Chieng. “I hope people give it a chance. I think it’s worth telling people that the surface level of the show, what you see in the trailer, is literally the surface of the show. The real show is about these characters slowly becoming aware that they are in a TV show. They question the reality of the show and why it was created this way. I think that is a very convincing idea. It’s the perfect meta show.”
As 2025 begins, Chieng will continue with “The Daily Show” as an integral part of the lineup – with the show’s correspondents all remaining at the desk every week while Jon Stewart remains the Monday-only host.
“I think the format actually works out well for everyone, because the division of responsibilities is perfect,” he says.
Is Chieng afraid of what the return of a Trump administration could mean for his ‘Daily Show’ workload? “People asked me that, but we had it for four years,” he says.
Of course, that could have been “Trump lite” compared to the chaos this new administration promises to cause. “He says himself that this is going to be more hardcore,” says Chieng. ‘But I don’t know. We had him for four years. Everything survived, with a few exceptions. So that’s my guidance, just based on historical data. But I reserve the right to change my mind in January depending on how things go. At this point I don’t know. I’m still so naive and believe in American institutions. Maybe I’m the only one left!”
