If comedian Jo Koy’s book editor hadn’t asked him for a promotional quote, he might never have fallen in love.
Before Koy’s autobiography, “Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo,” was published in March, his editor had asked if Chelsea Handler would be willing to say a few words about the book. Handler, a fellow comedian and popular television host, had been a longtime collaborator and friend.
“Our friendship sparked again, just as friends, when my book came out,” Koy said Monday, calling from Dallas on a phone he warned that might die any minute. “The editor asked if I could get a cool quote (for the book) from Chelsea. So I reached out to Chelsea, and she said, ‘Send me the book and I’ll read it.’ She read it in one day like she always does — she’s a book fanatic — and she wrote a little blurb for me, and from then on we were like talking nonstop on the phone, and then I was FaceTiming her, and then we were just hanging out.”
Koy, who brings his “Funny Is Funny World Tour” to Blaisdell Arena for three shows this weekend, shared details about his new relationship with Handler — which became Instagram official in September — and caught us up on what else has kept him busy during the pandemic.
Regarding his new love, Koy said that though he and Handler had been friends for years, things changed for both of them last year while she was performing at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.
“I was looking at her different. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always had a crush on Chelsea, but that was the night I realized that I really love this woman,” he said. “She is so amazing. And I was feeling her vibe and energy as well.
“It went from hanging out to Hanging Out,” he said, putting extra emphasis on the words. “It was just two friends hanging out, but for some reason it couldn’t end after just an hour, it could go on for eight hours.”
It took several weeks before they kissed for the first time — and then went off on separate vacations. Koy took a previously scheduled three-week family vacation in Hawaii; Handler vacationed with her family on the mainland.
“We just couldn’t stop FaceTiming each other and calling each other,” Koy reminisced. “The moment we came back, it was on. It was boyfriend and girlfriend, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. It’s my dream. She’s what I’ve always wanted, and I’m with her and I love it.”
Koy let Handler decide when they were going to go public. She decided in September that the time had come.
“All of a sudden, out of the blue, there was a post. It said she was in love, and that went all over the place. And then when she posted the picture of us kissing, that was in New York, that was big.”
There’s also big news regarding the other love of Koy’s life: His 18-year-old son, “Jo Jr.,” is touring with him. Koy describes his son as a comic-in-the-making.
“There’s something about this kid. He’d got this talent for humor. He loves to watch it, he loves stand-up, and when he talks he’s pretty quick-witted. He hasn’t said anything, but I have a feeling that pretty soon he’s going to be on stage. I really feel it in my heart. He’s so talented. I can see it coming real soon.”
“And you know, when I become his opening act that’s going to be the happiest day in my life. That’s going to be so sick.”
Hawaii has been Koy country ever since 2001, when he made his Hawaii debut as the opening act and emcee at the infamous Snoop Dogg/Ludacris concert at Blaisdell Arena. Koy delivered a tight and polished set, then found himself stuck with the nightmare assignment of having to go back out again and again to buy time while the concert promoters waited and waited — and waited — for the two stars to arrive. More than two hours had painfully crawled by when Ludacris finally showed up around 9:20 p.m. “Tha Doggfather” went on at 10:45.
That was the first and last time Koy was an opening act in Hawaii. When he returned, it was to headline his own shows — first at the Wave Waikiki, then at Pipeline Cafe and The Republik.
From there he made local entertainment history in November 2017, selling out 11 shows at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. With more than 23,000 seats sold, he set a new record for a single performer’s ticket sales in the concert hall.
Much of Koy’s success comes from his own hard work as a man who makes things happen and doesn’t take “no” for an answer. When the “suits” at Netflix told him several years ago that they weren’t interested in doing a Jo Koy comedy special, he used his own money and produced a one-hour special himself.
Netflix bought it. “Jo Koy: Live from Seattle” was released to critical and popular acclaim in March 2017.
When Netflix booked him to do a second special, Koy insisted that it be shot in Hawaii. When he was told shooting in the Aloha State would put the show over budget, he paid the difference in production costs.
“That’s what you got to do if you want it, and you want it to look right,” Koy explained. “If you have an idea in your head and you want to make it happen, you have to make it happen. I’m not going to sit there and beg, and ask for help. It had to be shot in Hawaii. I knew it was going to be over budget, and I didn’t care.”
Koy’s financial investment in the second show — “Jo Koy: Comin’ in Hot,” released in June 2019 — paid off in ways no one, including Koy himself, could have anticipated.
“Steven Spielberg watched it, and his team brought me in and asked me what kind of movie I wanted to pitch. I pitched ‘Easter Sunday’ and about nine months later I was shooting in Vancouver.”
The film, slated to be released on April 1, is based on his life experiences.
“It’s about Easter Sunday with a Filipino family, but most importantly it’s about an American family, and that’s the cool thing that I want to get across,” he said. “It’s about a family that happens to be Filipino dealing with family problems just like everybody else, and when you watch it you’re going to relate.”
While many entertainers saw their gigs dry up during the pandemic, Koy stayed busy with his weekly podcast, “The Koy Pond with Jo Koy,” the aforementioned autobiography and “Easter Sunday.” He also celebrated his 50th birthday in June.
As in previous years, Koy’s Honolulu shows next weekend will give Hawaii a preview of a Netflix special that will be released next spring.
Looking ahead, Koy has several other things on his to-do list.
“I’ve got a pilot with ABC that’s getting ready to be shot, and I want to get into production as well and give other comics their opportunity to do one-hour specials. I’d love to do that with Chelsea as well. I’m not stopping!”
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Jo Koy
“Funny Is Funny World Tour”
>> Where: Blaisdell Arena
>> When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28
>> Cost: $56.50-$86.50
>> Info: ticketmaster.com
