Here’s the thing – Ali Wong is hilarious. No one needs to argue that. Her specials are the end result of a person who has been working their craft for some time and it shows because they are laugh out loud hilarious. I appreciate that her unabashedly raunchy humor is not always everyone’s cup of tea, but it is not put upon. I have a friend who went to high school with her and he says she was the same even back then – unapologetically filthy.

What I think we can all appreciate about Ali Wong is that she has stepped into the limelight as a woman, Asian, American, sexual, and self-made. She has done so without letting any one of those factoids define her but also has never lost a sense of self. All of those things are part of who she is and where she is going – flaws and all. The stories she tells for her girls are at times not things I think any parent would honestly admit to their children (and most (all) children would not want to hear about their parents) but behind all those stories of bushy pubic hair, failed sexual encounters, and stretching the definition of edible foods is the truth that we all have so little time on this planet, make the most of it. She relays her relentless pursuit of anything whether it ends in failure, success, or somewhere in between as a mantra for her children – never apologize for who you are. She will not apologize for being the breadwinner for her family, or for being really gross, or for being a sexual being.  She will not apologize for her brand of humor. She will celebrate her successes and laugh at her bombs. That I think we can all get behind.

PS My picture is pre-quarantine and a triple brag because I was sitting on a beach, had a yummy drink, and got my book for 20% off.