{{Short description|American actor and singer (born 1987)}} {{about||the Malaysian badminton player|Jimmy Wong (badminton)|other people|Jimmy Wang (disambiguation)}} {{Use American English|date=July 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Jimmy Wong | image = Jimmy Wong by Gage Skidmore.jpg | alt = | caption = Wong in 2012 | birth_name = James Franklin Wong | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|3|28}} | birth_place = Seattle, Washington, U.S. | alma_mater = Middlebury College | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|musician}} | years_active = 2010–present | known_for = ''Video Game High School'' | notable_works = "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" | spouse = {{ubl|Rosanna Wang}} | children = 1 | relatives = {{ubl|Freddie Wong (brother)|Corey Yuen (uncle)}} }} '''James Franklin Wong<ref name="mc">{{cite web|last=Sydney|date=2011-05-05|title=Interview with Jimmy Wong Of Alexandra Wallace Fame|url=https://untemplater.com/untemplate/interview-with-jimmy-wong/|access-date=2015-10-18|publisher=Untemplater}}</ref>''' (born March 28, 1987)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wong|first=Jimmy|date=March 28, 2018|title=For my birthday this year, I present my own personal Top 32 bracket for March. If you like it Twitter, yall know what to do.|url=https://twitter.com/jfwong/status/979129611052228609|access-date=2020-09-13|website=Twitter|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wong|first=Jimmy|date=August 12, 2020|title=also lol i'm 33, they wanted a 12-14 year old to play aang. so not really in the books for me anyway.|url=https://twitter.com/jfwong/status/1293593421030944768|access-date=2020-09-13|website=Twitter|language=en}}</ref> is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his 2011 music video, "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" and for his role as Ted in the web series ''Video Game High School''. In 2017, he and YouTuber Meghan Camarena co-hosted the video game themed variety show ''Polaris Primetime'', which was created as part of Disney's "D{{vbar}}XP" programming block on Disney XD.
Wong has appeared in feature films such as ''John Dies at the End,'' ''The Circle'', and the live-action version of ''Mulan''.
== Early life == Wong grew up in Normandy Park, Washington.<ref name="nwasianweekly" /> He graduated from Middlebury College in 2009, where he majored in theater and drama.<ref name="nwasianweekly">{{cite news|last=Nguyen|first=Stacy|title=Hit singer Jimmy Wong on Alexandra Wallace and why angry responses are unproductive|url=https://www.nwasianweekly.com/2011/04/hit-singer-jimmy-wong-on-alexandra-wallace-and-why-angry-responses-are-unproductive|access-date=17 April 2011|newspaper=Northwest Asian Weekly|date=2011-04-07}}</ref><ref name="mc" /> After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.<ref name="mc" />
== Career == Wong garnered national news coverage in March 2011, when he uploaded his music video, "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" to YouTube. He created the video as a response to a UCLA student's vlog rant against Asian students using mobile phones in the UCLA library,<ref name="theotherasians">{{cite web|last=Zhan|first=Julie|date=July 7, 2011|title=Never stop working. If you're doing something you love, then it shouldn't be a problem|url=http://theotherasians.com/2011/07/jimmywong/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412071817/http://theotherasians.com/2011/07/jimmywong/|archive-date=April 12, 2013|access-date=May 18, 2013|website=The Other Asians}}</ref><ref name="laobserved">{{cite web|last=Roderick|first=Kevin|date=March 24, 2011|title=Jimmy Wong as Internet savior|url=https://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/03/jimmy_wong_as_internet_sa.php|access-date=May 9, 2012|publisher=LA Observed}}</ref> one which MSNBC qualified as "offensive."<ref name=msnbc>{{cite web |url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/jimmy-wong-makes-ching-chong-a-love-song-45140035657 |title=Jimmy Wong makes 'ching chong' a love song |access-date=2015-10-18 |date=2011-03-23 |publisher=MSNBC |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101194403/http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/jimmy-wong-makes-ching-chong-a-love-song-45140035657 |url-status=dead }}</ref> NPR suggested that Wong's video response was one that "effectively turn[ed] the tables on the original rant," offering an alternative method of defense against cyberbullying.<ref name="NPR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2011/03/23/134736937/jimmy-wong-saves-the-internet |title=Jimmy Wong Saves The Internet |access-date=2015-10-18 |last=Pell |first=Dave |date=2011-03-21 |publisher=NPR }}</ref> Wong later said in an MSNBC interview that while he was initially frustrated by the video rant, he realized that humor offered a better response, as he hoped to "put a positive spin on all of it." Furthermore, he stated, an eye for an eye approach would only encourage "this behavior to continue."<ref name="msnbc" /> "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" went viral and was covered nationally by the American media.<ref name=NPR1>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/03/24/134827085/a-racial-quarrel-inspires-an-internet-balladeer |title=A Racial Rant Inspires An Internet Balladeer |access-date=2015-10-18 |last=All Things Considered |author-link=All Things Considered |date=2011-03-24 |publisher=NPR }}</ref><ref name=today>{{cite web |url=http://www.today.com/money/ucla-students-asians-rant-ignites-youtube-responses-124457 |title=UCLA student's 'Asians' rant ignites YouTube responses |access-date=2015-10-18 |last=Chansanchai |first=Athima |date=2011-03-18 |publisher=Today (U.S. TV program) }}</ref><ref name=observer>{{cite web |url=http://observer.com/2011/03/ching-chong-shot-heard-around-social-media-world/ |title='Ching Chong' Shot Heard Around Social Media World |access-date=2015-10-18 |last=Samuel |first=Sharon |date=2011-03-17 |publisher=The New York Observer }}</ref><ref name=NYT>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/magazine/on-youtube-amateur-is-the-new-pro.html?_r=0 |title=On YouTube, Amateur Is the New Pro |access-date=2015-10-18 |last=Walker |first=Rob |date=2012-06-28 |work=New York Times }}</ref>
That same year, he co-launched and co-hosted the YouTube cooking show ''Feast of Fiction with Ashley Adams.''
Wong later portrayed Ted in the web series ''Video Game High School''.<ref name="HRglance">{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rep-sheet-roundup-uta-signs-756787 |title=THR's at-a-glance look at the week in representation news |access-date=2015-10-18 |last=Sun |first=Rebecca |date=2014-12-12 |work=The Hollywood Reporter }}</ref> He was also invited by Lionsgate and Google to create the web series ''District Voices''.<ref name="HR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/youtube-stars-create-web-series-742063 |title=Jimmy Wong, Rob Czar and iJustine's Justine Ezarik made videos for Lionsgate and Google |access-date=2015-10-18 |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=2014-10-20 |work=The Hollywood Reporter }}</ref> In 2014, Wong was ranked #73 on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels.<ref>{{cite web|title=The NMR Top 100 YouTube Channels: 75-51!|url=http://newmediarockstars.com/2014/12/the-nmr-top-100-youtube-channels-75-51/|website=New Media Rockstars|access-date=6 January 2015}}</ref>
Wong played Ling in Disney's 2020 live action remake of the 1998 ''Mulan'' animated movie.
=== Gaming === Wong is an avid player of ''Magic: The Gathering'', specifically the Commander format. He hosts a podcast with co-hosts Josh Lee Kwai and Rachel Weeks called ''The Command Zone'', where they discuss their experiences playing the Commander format. Wong is referred to by his co-hosts as "Jimmy the Red" due to fact that he often plays red decks when playing commander.<ref>{{cite web|title = Podcasts - RocketJump|url = https://www.rocketjump.com/listen/deckbuilding-101|website = RocketJump|access-date = 2016-02-04|language = en-US}}</ref> He has also been called upon by Wizards of the Coast to preview new sets at exhibitions and on their YouTube channel.<ref>{{Citation|last=Magic: The Gathering|title=Access Magic: Eldritch Moon, Episode 1|date=2016-06-20|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TN0b8ik0B8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/7TN0b8ik0B8 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|access-date=2017-06-13}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2021, he appeared in the podcast Dungeons & Daddies, where he played a demonic human-paladin character named Jodie Foster.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 8, 2020 |title=Ep. 48 - Carry On My Wayward Son |url=https://play.acast.com/s/dungeons-and-daddies/ep.48-carryonmywaywardson |access-date=December 12, 2020 |website=Acast |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=S2 Ep. 28 - King of the Hell |url=https://www.dungeonsanddaddies.com/episodes/s2e28 |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=Dungeons and Daddies |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=S2 Ep. 29 - S.O.C.C.E.R.: Shadow Of Scorenogoal |url=https://www.dungeonsanddaddies.com/episodes/s2e29 |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=Dungeons and Daddies |language=en-US}}</ref>
Wong portrays himself in the hit 2022 physics based virtual reality game BONELAB.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Danielson |first=Matthew |date=2022-10-17 |title=Bonelab: Jimmy Wong Key Guide (Where to Get it & What it’s For) |url=https://screenrant.com/bonelab-jimmy-wong-key-location/ |access-date=2025-11-03 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref>
== Personal life == His father is Chinese, from Canton, and his mother is of Chinese and Mongol ancestry.<ref name="nwasianweekly" /> He is the younger brother of filmmaker Freddie Wong.<ref name="wired">{{cite web|last=Austen|first=Ben|date=2011-12-16|title=The YouTube Laugh Factory: A Studio System for Viral Video|url=https://www.wired.com/2011/12/ff_youtube/|access-date=2015-10-18|publisher=Wired}}</ref> Wong announced his engagement to his girlfriend, Rosanna Wang, in December of 2020. A few months later, the two married on February 28, 2021. The couple welcomed their first son, Mason, in February 2022.
== Partial filmography == {| class="wikitable" ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" | Notes |- | 2011 | "Ching Chong: Asians in the Library Song" | Composer and singer | YouTube music video |- | 2012 | ''John Dies at the End'' | Fred Chu | Feature film |- | 2012–2013 | ''MyMusic'' | Leader | Web series |- | 2012–2014 | ''Video Game High School'' | Ted Wong | Web series |- | 2014 | ''The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – District Voices'' | District 9 Voice | TV mini-series |- | 2015 |''Dude Bro Party Massacre III'' | Sizzler | Feature film |- | 2016 | ''Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party'' | Constable Jimmy | YouTube series, 4 episodes |- | rowspan="2" | 2017 | ''The Circle'' | Mitch | Feature film |- | ''Polaris Primetime'' | Co-host | with Meghan Camarena, broadcast on Disney XD's "D{{vbar}}XP" block<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lafayette |first1=Jon |title=Disney XD Set to Launch Gamer Programming Block |url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/disney-xd-set-launch-gamer-programming-block-166529 |website=Broadcasting Cable |access-date=25 June 2020 |date=14 June 2017}}</ref> |- | 2017–2018 | ''Parker Plays'' | Recurring guest | TV series, 8 episodes |- | 2020 | ''Mulan'' | Ling | Feature film<ref>[https://deadline.com/2018/08/disney-mulan-jimmy-wong-doua-moua-1202445269/ Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Casts Jimmy Wong & Doua Moua] Deadline Hollywood, Retrieved August 14, 2018</ref> |- | 2021 | ''Wish Dragon'' | Din Song | Feature film<ref>{{Cite news |last=Parkes |first=Douglas |date=June 11, 2021 |title=Netflix’s Wish Dragon is a Chinese take on Aladdin: star Jimmy Wong talks anti-Asian hate, Disney’s Mulan controversy – and why he idolises the film’s producer Jackie Chan |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/3136926/netflixs-wish-dragon-chinese-take-aladdin-star-jimmy-wong-talks |work=South China Morning Post}}</ref> |}
==Awards== *2015: '''Won''': International Academy of Web Television Awards – Best Ensemble Performance/Comedy, ''Video Game High School'' (shared with other cast members) *2014: '''Won''': Streamy Awards – Best Action or Sci-Fi Series, ''Video Game High School'' (shared with cast and crew members) *2014: '''Won''': Streamy Awards – Best Ensemble Cast, ''Video Game High School'' (shared with other cast members) *2017: '''Won''': Guinness World Records - Most videogame characters identified in one minute<ref>{{Cite web |title=Most videogame characters identified in one minute |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/449615-most-videogame-characters-identified-in-one-minute |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Guinness World Records |date=June 27, 2017 |language=en-gb}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == *{{IMDb name|id=4136296|name=Jimmy Wong}} *{{YouTube|user=jimmy|Jimmy Wong}} *{{Twitter}} *{{Facebook|therealjimmy|Jimmy Wong}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Jimmy}} Category:Living people Category:American male film actors Category:American musicians of Chinese descent Category:American male actors of Chinese descent Category:American people of Mongolian descent Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Singers from Seattle Category:Middlebury College alumni Category:Male actors from Seattle Category:American gaming YouTubers Category:Let's Players Category:21st-century American male actors Category:1987 births Category:21st-century American singers Category:21st-century American male singers Category:YouTubers from Seattle