SNL regular Bowen Yang and comedian Joel Kim Booster opened up about the origins of their friendship in a new interview.
Taking to Booster’s podcast, Joy F*ck Club, the two dived into how they were first introduced by a white mutual friend.
“[Th friend] literally said the words, ‘You’re both gay and Asian, and do comedy. You should be friends,” Booster explained.
“I believe we put off meeting [for] a full calendar year, if not longer. Because we were so stubborn – I was immediately suspicious.”
Yang agreed with Booster, stating: “I was immediately turned off. When we finally did get together it was like. ‘Oh, this is so much better than trying to forge a path as the only one.”
During the podcast, Booster confided in Yang that he was his first gay Asian friend.
“I think [you’re] the first other gay Asian friend that I have ever had. I think meeting you and becoming friends with you affected the trajectory of my own life in the ways I saw myself,” he exclaimed.
“There’s a sort of thing that happens, especially when you’re a double minority, that really makes you feel [alone], especially when your socialized to believe you’re the only one. Your friendship has been life-changing to me.”
“I feel the same”, Yang replied. “With you, it was very, very natural.”
Later on in the episode, Yang and Booster talked about navigating their queer and Asian identities.
“It might be fair to say that at first consideration, it feels like they’re identities that are somewhat at odds with each other,” Yang explained.
“In terms of Western gay identities, which in a lot of ways sort of devalues Asian people or sort of puts Asian people in their weird purgatorial status in the gay community.
“That feels like it’s at odds with my Asian identity, which in a lot of weird, bizarre ways is also messaged something like, ‘You don’t be gay, don’t be gay.'”
Yang goes on to explain that having these two identities has helped make his skin a “little thicker.”
These two are friendship goals.
Watch a clip of the podcast below and listen to the full episode on 88rising Radio.
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