There’s a new Filipino-American comedian in town. At 33 years old, JR De Guzman has spent the last decade making headway ever since his 2014 set at Crest Theatre, Sacramento went viral on YouTube. Even before fellow Fil-Am Jo Koy achieved mainstream success, De Guzman was making a name for himself as a Filipino-American comic one show at a time. Armed with his acoustic guitar, his seamless combination of jokes and music has made him arguably one of the most popular musical comedians of his generation. You’ve probably seen his skits and improv songs on your social media feeds or caught him in person at one of his shows. His “Cousin Lovin’” and “Light Skin” skits are certified hits, and “Asian Guys Can Smash” is still stuck in our heads.
Eight years since his 2014 set put him on the map, De Guzman's career has only gotten bigger—and he’s back in the Philippines with his largest local show yet. De Guzman is currently on an eight-month U.S. tour, but the hometown hero made sure to make some time for a local show. On June 3, the prodigal son will return to the Philippine stage for one night only at Solaire Resort Entertainment City in partnership with Myx. But before he takes to the stage, we had the chance to chat with the comedian about his Filipino roots, comedy career, and why he should be Miss Universe.
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PHOTO: Stephen Capuchino
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That Filipino Flavor
“Filipinos are just funnier, you know?” joked De Guzman in an interview with Esquire Philippines. “I love going to a Filipino party because it's just very joyful and emotional. You can have a conversation with somebody and be laughing so hard. And the next second, you're talking about something emotional and deep and [you’re] crying. And then you go back to joking. I love that about Filipino culture and humor.”
The culture of his homeland is a huge part of De Guzman’s sets, which aren’t the slapstick humor that many Filipinos are used to. His casually meaningful jokes about racism, colorism, and colonizers are partnered with his smooth singing voice and R&B guitar strums. De Guzman has a charming way of delivering cerebral jokes, which might explain his sold-out shows across the U.S.
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When he was only a year old, the Pangasinan-born Fil-Am migrated to the U.S. with his family. Contrary to his jokes, the family did not actually live in a storage unit but in a retrofitted garage. Growing up in a traditional Filipino household, he learned how to sing from his grandmother when she’d drag him to church and eventually picked up the guitar as a teenager. But it was at the University of California, Davis, that De Guzman was introduced to comedy, theater, and improv. There, he combined his love for comedy and music and came up with his unique brand of musical comedy, where he’d strum his guitar and come up with the dirtiest rhymes.
His Filipino-American experience is woven into every performance, and we can’t help but assume that his sharp adlibs and improvs are a result of his Filipino upbringing. When De Guzman does crowd work, we get war flashbacks to the titas and titos who love to roast kids at family reunions.
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De Guzman, who speaks fondly of his own parents regularly roasting him, says, “I think the roasting has seeped its way into my standup because I do a lot of crowd work. It’s just natural to riff each other.”
Being funny might come naturally to Filipinos, but coming from a family of dentists, comedy was not exactly what De Guzman's parents had in mind for him. Filipinos might love to perform at every family gathering, but when it comes to work, Filipinos—especially OFWs and immigrants—understand the importance of having a stable income in a foreign country.
“It wasn't that they didn't want me to be a comedian. They just wanted to make sure I would be secure and stable financially. So they were a little bit worried, but eventually, they came around,” he shared. And it certainly looks like things are working out for the comedian. He brought his parents over from the U.S. for his grand return trip to the Philippines.
PHOTO: Stephen Capuchino
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A Filipino Comedian in America
In his early days of standup, De Guzman traveled the world while grinding at comedy, but his break came in 2017 when he won the StandUp NBC search and was named the “New Face” at Just for Laughs. Just the year before, he’d earned a spot on Comedy Central’s Kevin Hart Presents: Hart of the City, and in 2018, he appeared on Netflix’s The Comedy Lineup. Fast forward to the pandemic: With Comedy Central’s help online, De Guzman expanded his reach well beyond the U.S., and Variety named him one of the top 10 comics to watch in 2022
De Guzman cites fellow musical comedians Zach Galifianakis and Demetri Martin as influences, as well as the OGs like Dave Chappelle and Bo Burnham. And, of course, fellow Fil-Am Jo Koy got a special mention.
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As a young Filipino-American comedian, the comparisons to Jo Koy are inevitable. But according to De Guzman, Jo has made it clear that there’s room for more than just one Filipino comedian in the U.S. The comparisons don’t bother De Guzman one bit, and he’s flattered to be compared to someone who’s built “an empire of a career.” But the industry's lack of diversity is the real cause of comparisons between comedians of color.
“I'm hoping for the day where we have enough spotlight on multiple comedians, and it's not easy to compare [comedians],” explained De Guzman. “I hope that in the future, people can see that there's a lot of really good Filipino comics.”
De Guzman admits that in his early days in comedy, he experienced that lack of diversity firsthand: “Behind the scenes, the people who were booking you weren’t diverse. It wasn’t people of color, so I don’t think people prioritized hearing a story from someone of color. But it’s getting better.”
Thankfully, a lot has changed in the comedy scene.
“As time went on, [comedy is] becoming more inclusive where you can break away from stereotypes and tell your real stories, and crowds are more willing to hear that,” he said.
"…And that's why I think I should be Miss Universe."
PHOTO: Stephen Capuchino
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And based on his nationwide tour and international shows, crowds definitely want more. After his June 3 show at Solaire Resort Entertainment City, De Guzman and his team plan to work on his first solo special. Details are scarce, but sign us up for the presales. Wherever this guy goes, we just know we’ll get some much-needed laughs.
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Catch the Philippine leg of JR De Guzman’s Later That Evening Tour this Saturday, June 3, at Solaire Resort Entertainment City at The Theatre at Solaire. Brought to you by Myx. Get your tickets now at Ticketworld.com or at the Solaire Box Office.
Photography by Stephen Capuchino Assisted by Jobo Antonio Nacpil Grooming by Muriel Vega Perez Creative direction by Igi Talao Lights provided by Zhiyun Philippines Shot on location at Solaire Resort Entertainment City
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