From stand-up comedian to Hollywood actress - Netflix's 'Beef' looks set to make Ali Wong a household name

Ali Wong stars as Amy Lau in new Netflix series ‘Beef’. It's number one in the Netflix top 10 US and number two in the UK - viewers are going crazy over the show claiming it is ‘the best show on Netflix’ and a ‘must watch.’

The 10 part comedy-drama mini-series created by Korean director Lee Sung Jin for Netflix stars Ali as Amy and Steven Yeun as Danny Cho, two people whose involvement in a road rage incident pits them against each other. 

You may have only just heard of Ali Wong thanks to ‘Beef’ now making her a household name, but the comedian/actress has been around and making us laugh for years. We take a closer look at Ali Wong's life and career so far. 

Ali started her career as a stand-up comedian moving to New York to pursue her dream. After appearing on ‘The Tonight Show’ variety named her one of ‘10 Comedians to Watch.’ 

The actress featured in TV shows ‘Breaking In’ and ‘Are You There Chelsea’ as well as being the voice for animated characters in ‘American Dad’ and ‘The Angry Birds Movie’. 

She was also a writer on the much-loved comedy series ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ and the movie ‘Always Be My Maybe.’

But it was her stand-up show ‘Baby Cobra’ for Netflix that really got her noticed. The comedian performed her hilarious stand-up routine whilst seven pregnant with her first child. Much of her show was based around her sexual adventures, the rocky road to pregnancy and why feminism is terrible - she has a lot of valid points. 

In 2020 she was included in Times 100 Most Influential People and again recently in 2023. Ali’s ‘Always Be My Maybe’ co-star and friend from UCLA Randall Park, wrote “The thing I admire most about Ali is her strong sense of self.” 

Her career is going from strength to strength she is currently touring the US and the actress is officially back dating Trainwreck actor Bill Hader after his rep confirmed the news. Ali split from her ex-husband Justin Hakuta who is father to her two daughters in 2022 after eight years together. 

She was rumoured to be dating Bill last year but it only came to light when they had split and are now back together. In an interview with Collider Bill -who split from actress Anna Kendrick - referenced his girlfriend and said "My girlfriend and I were just figuring out that I haven’t had a vacation in 10 years, I went with her to San Francisco [where Ali is from], but that doesn’t really count."