Ken Jeong Receives Massive Honor, and We’re So Excited for Him

Actor Ken Jeong now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Last week, the doctor-turned-comedian was on hand to celebrate the monument’s unveiling, along with his frequent co-star Joel McHale. Fans couldn’t be more happy for Jeong, judging by the comments.

Jeong’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony lasted about an hour, and was livestreamed on the Walk of Fame official YouTube channel. Jeong got a chance to speak at the event, and he thanked his fans, colleagues and especially his wife. He said: “A lot of people say, ‘Well, I wouldn’t be here without my wife.’ No, I would not be here without my wife. So Tran, I love you. You are my partner in crime. I love you so much. I honestly don’t know what I would do without you.”

McHale also gave a speech praising his friend, and resisted the usual urge to tease him. He said: “He did his residency at UCLA, and he put in all those thousands of hours to be a doctor, hard to do. And then, you know what Ken said while he was doing that, he said, I think I’ll go to some open mics.”

Jeong was joined by many others he has worked with over the years, including The Masked Singer host Nick Cannon and his fellow judges, Jenny McCarthy and Robin Thicke. Thicke graced the event with a live performance. Jeong’s friend and collaborator Randall Park also gave a speech.

Jeong hoped his star would inspire other Asian Americans to take a chance on their dream to work in Hollywood. He said: “In addition to the fans, this is dedicated to that one Asian-American person that moves out to Hollywood and is just nervous that maybe this won’t happen. Maybe I can’t do it. Go to 1708 Vine Street. Look at my star, situated right next to, at my request, Lucy Liu’s and Anna May Wong’s star.”

Jeong is best known for his roles in The Hangover film series and the sitcom Community, as well as his own sitcom Dr. Ken. Jeong’s personal story is also a matter of great interest – the 55-year-old was raised in North Carolina by parents who had emigrated from South Korea, and he worked hard to become a doctor. Jeong graduated high school early and studied at Duke University, then at UNC School of Medicine. He obtained his MD in 1995, but by then he was already taking theater classes and participating in improv for fun.

Jeong met other performers in his free time and moved to L.A. based on their encouragement. He practiced medicine for several years there and began to find some small chances to work in entertainment as well. Finally, in 2006 he gave up his medical practice to pursue acting full-time. However, Jeong maintains his medical license to this day and has been able to help out in medical emergencies several times as a result.

Commenters online are applauding Jeong for his Walk of Fame debut last week, and predicting that his best work is still ahead of him. Jeong has several upcoming projects listed on IMDb, including the long-awaited Community movie. The movie is expected to begin shooting sometime in 2025.