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Korean adoptee comedian draws humor from the hard times
By Kim Young-gyo
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) - Kevin Shea, flashing his trademark cynical grin, says he developed his sarcastic sense of humor as a way to cope with the bitter times in his youth.
The American stand-up comedian was adopted from South Korea when he was five, and was raised by Catholic, middle class Irish parents in Pennsylvania. He says he rarely saw any Asians other than his adoptive brother and sister, who are also from Korea.
Growing up in a majority white community, Shea recalls being frequently picked on because of the way he looked.
"I had to make them laugh, because I wasn't good at fighting," Shea says, reminiscing on his childhood in an exclusive interview here with Yonhap News Agency.
"You learn to deal with it. I don't think I would be who I am if I didn't get picked on. I am just quick and sarcastic because of that. I don't think I would have been a comedian if I wasn't adopted."
Shea has made multiple appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, an Emmy Award-nominated U.S. late-night talk show on ABC, as well as on Comedy Central's Premium Blend. This fall he is to appear on premium cable channel HBO for a comedy series called Down & Dirty.
"It's dirty comedy, not for kids," Shea warns. "My stand-up is not like regular Asian stand-ups. Regular Asian humor is doing the voice, for example, Korean-Americans making fun of their accents. I don't do that kind of humor."
"I don't talk about rice or kimchi. That's regular Asian humor. My comedy is kind of dark," Shea explains.
"My (adoptive) mom is very conservative. She doesn't like dirty jokes. She would often say, 'You don't have to be so filthy. All that cursing. We didn't teach you that way,'" he recalls laughingly.
"Sometimes people tell me 'why don't you, too, do the voice?'" Shea says. "But my parents are white. I can't do that."
Shea's adoptive father, who was stationed in South Korea while serving in the U.S. army, joined the police force after returning to the U.S.
"When he was a police officer, he was shot twice, once in his chest, once in his hand. My mother prayed and she said if he survives this, she would do something special for him," Shea recalls. "My dad always wanted a Korean boy, so he adopted my brother, and one year after they adopted me. Then my mom wanted another girl, and they adopted my sister."
Beside his two adoptive siblings, Shea has two older sisters, who are his parent's biological children. Both of those sisters have adopted Korean children, he says.
In 2005, Shea, along with three other Korean-American comics, formed a comedy troupe called, "Kims of Comedy" -- a parody of "Kings of Comedy," a 2004 reality TV series about competing comedians.
"None of our last names are Kim," Shea says, "We get a lot of e-mail (because of that)."
While sharing their observations on common topics like sex, alcohol and race, each of the comedians brings their own style to the show, he says. The group is scheduled to tour in San Francisco this September.
Although the demand for Asian entertainers in Hollywood is slowly expanding, there are still very few Asian comedians in the U.S., Shea admits.
"Asians are more popular in America than before, so now we are getting more opportunities," he says, "We are the new black, per se."
"I have been doing stand-up seven years now, but you don't have many Asian comedians. I've met three other adopted Korean comedians."
Shea met his birth mother two years ago, and calls the reunion his best birthday gift ever.
"I met (her) one day after my American 30th birthday. And I found out that I was two years younger!" he says.
"I thought my birthday was Feb. 9, 1976, but it turned out to be Aug. 18, 1977. They are not even close! They are not even in the same astrology sign!"
Yonhap News Agency reported earlier this year that South Korea's largest adoption agency, Holt Children's Services, had said that some child placement agencies in the past used fraudulent documents in order to get children adopted overseas.
Shea describes the meeting with his biological mother as an emotional experience.
"She looks like me," he says, "It's weird. I never had that when I was a kid."
Shea emails his mother when he is in the U.S., though admits that contact is often infrequent. He plans to visit her before returning to Los Angeles on Monday.
"When she first saw me, she cried," he says. "But, I say to myself, everything happens for a reason. I would have been a different person (if I was not adopted). I wouldn't be able to do stand-up, something I enjoy."
ygkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
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