Ronny Chieng Becomes Irresistible to Hollywood
By James Moreau | 17 Apr, 2026

From scene-stealing roles to award-winning stand-up specials, the Malaysian American comic continues his meteoric show-biz rise.

Ronny Chieng has become Hollywood’s go-to comedic talent whose credits across stand-up, film, and television now include some of the industry’s biggest franchises.

Currently, Chieng is balancing his role as a senior correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with a high-profile co-headlining tour alongside Hasan Minhaj.  Titled Hasan Hates Ronny | Ronny Hates Hasan, the 2025–2026 “debate to the death” tour features the two comics on stage simultaneously airing grievances. 

This follows the success of his third Netflix special, Love to Hate It, which was released in 2024 and named the New York Times Comedy Special of the Year.  He previously released two other specials – 2019’s Asian Comedian Destroys America! and 2022’s Speakeasy.

Chieng was cast in Hulu’s 2025 revival of the longstanding franchise King of the Hill as the voice of the Laotian neighbor Kahn.  The move was part of the producers’ commitment to authentic casting, replacing white actor Toby Huss – who inherited the role of Dale.

In 2024 he starred all 10 episodes of the drama series Interior Chinatown and had a voice role in the DreamWorks hit Kung Fu Panda 4.  

He previously added to his film credits with supporting roles in 2023’s Joy Ride, 2022’s viral horror-comedy M3GAN, and 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which grossed $432 million.

These followed his 2018 breakthrough into the American mainstream as the status-obsessed Eddie Cheng in the blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians.

Before his success in the US, Chieng built his foundation in Australia.  He first began performing stand-up while studying in Melbourne and gained regional fame before moving to New York City in 2015 to join The Daily Show.

The Malaysian-born star had a multicultural upbringing raised between New Hampshire and Singapore.  Before pivoting to comedy full-time, he solidified his legal credentials with a 2010 bachelor of laws and a 2012 master’s degree from Australian institutions.  In April 2025, Chieng officially completed the process of obtaining American citizenship.