BACK TO ALL EPISODES
June 6, 2023

Atsuko Okatsuka: I Was Kidnapped and Brought to the U.S.

Atsuko Okatsuka (stand-up comedian) joins us in studio to discuss her “Scooby-Doo” brand of comedy, her parents meeting on a Japanese dating show, and how her mom’s schizophrenia impacted her childhood. She opens up about why it’s difficult for her to identify her own needs, how navigating the uncertainty of her childhood led her to disordered eating, and rebelling against her family with her first romantic relationship. Atsuko also explains first bonding with her husband over his own mother’s schizophrenia diagnosis and their recent, hilarious discovery that they were not actually legally married. She considers her blind optimism and love of people as a result of her upbringing, Margaret Cho’s influence on her comedy and career, the origins of her distinctive hairstyle, and living at the complicated intersection of different Asian cultures

Switch to Listen

Subscribe on

Switch to Listen
No items found.
Atsuko Okatsuka

Comedian

atsukocomedy
Mayim Bialik

Host

@missmayim
Jonathan Cohen

Co-Host

@jonathancohenofficial

Promotions

SPONSOR:

Athletic Greens

Perfect if you want to start each day by squaring away your nutritional needs...

SPONSOR:

LMNT

An electrolyte drink mix with everything you need

SPONSOR:

Better Help

Online, licensed, professional therapists tailored to your unique needs...

SPONSOR:

Zocdoc

Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc...

Related Content

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

From a social perspective, humor is incredibly important to interpersonal relationships. Since laughter is innately ...

Demystifying Diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder

Individuals with bipolar disorder fluctuate between neurologically excited, manic states and...

Let’s Get Creative: A Social Perspective on Creativity Pt. 1

Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun,” an astute observation that beautifully captures the complexities of...

Let’s Get Creative: A Social Perspective on Creativity Pt. 2

Now the age old question is: How can I boost my own creativity? Well, there are actually several ways...

I Was Kidnapped and Brought to the U.S.

Atsuko Okatsuka (stand-up comedian) joins us in studio to discuss her “Scooby-Doo” brand of comedy, her parents meeting on a Japanese dating show, and how her mom’s schizophrenia impacted her childhood. She opens up about why it’s difficult for her to identify her own needs, how navigating the uncertainty of her childhood led her to disordered eating, and rebelling against her family with her first romantic relationship. Atsuko also explains first bonding with her husband over his own mother’s schizophrenia diagnosis and their recent, hilarious discovery that they were not actually legally married. She considers her blind optimism and love of people as a result of her upbringing, Margaret Cho’s influence on her comedy and career, the origins of her distinctive hairstyle, and living at the complicated intersection of different Asian cultures

Guest References

Atsuko Okatsuka: The Intruder

In her first HBO stand-up comedy special, comedian and actress Atsuko Okatsuka brings her brand of ingenious, offbeat storytelling to the Elsewhere stage in Brooklyn, New York where she dishes on the futile art of impressing teenagers, attending a “Magic Mike Live” show with her grandmother, and the alarming reactions that she and her husband had to the unwanted presence of an intruder.

When a Margaret Cho DVD Was Like Precious Contraband to Atsuko Okatsuka
Both comedians imagined the other was born confident — but it took years for each to find her voice...
See More
Atsuko's Comedy Album: But I Control Me
But I Control Me gives us insight into the creative mind of a comedian who delivers her unique brand of observational and relatable comedy in a tidy package of stories about why Detective Pikachu destroys filmmaker's dreams and...
See More
See Atsuko on tour!
Keep up with Atsuko Okatsuka's Full Grown Tour and see her in a city near you.
See More