What you might not know about the American author
From Hollywood to the White House, the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community has created a lasting impact in the US. Some of the most famous faces in the media today celebrate their API heritage and the unique cultures within that group, all of which contribute to the richly diverse society that makes America great.
Click through the following gallery and see how many of these famous Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders you know.
Chrissy Teigen's mother is Thai, and the model is proud of her heritage, and a huge fan of her mom's cooking. Though it wasn't always like that. "Mom's food looked different and smelled different—honestly, I was a little embarrassed about it when I was young," she said. Teigen's mother, Vilailuck "Pepper" Teigen, now has her own cookbook!
Momoa is proud of his Polynesian heritage. "It's an honor to be a brown-skinned superhero for sure. There’s a lot of Polynesian kids who are going to be very stoked to have someone to look up to like that," said the actor about his role as Aquaman.
From 'Charlie's Angels' to 'Elementary,' Lucy Liu is one of the most accomplished Asian-American actresses in Hollywood.
Tiger Woods' mother, Kultida Woods, is Thai. The professional golfer describes himself as "Cablinasian," a mix of Caucasian, Black, American Indian, and Asian heritages.
The 'Uptown Funk' singer's father has Puerto Rican and Jewish heritage, and his mother is from the Philippines, making Mars half Filipino.
The actress' mother is Filipino. Hudgens says she loves her multicultural background, despite having been told that she "wasn't Latin enough, or Asian enough, or Caucasian enough."
The famous actress is the daughter of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. Mindy Kaling is half Bengali and half Tamil.
Michael Ray Stevenson, better known as the rapper Tyga, is of Jamaican and Vietnamese descent.
Having a multiethnic background (including Chinese ancestry), the actress encountered some difficulties when it came to auditions. "I’d be told, 'You’re too Asian' or 'You’re too white.' I remember someone telling me, 'Don’t feel bad. One day they won’t be trying to match you to fit with anyone else. You’ll just be hired for you.' So you can’t help but get frustrated. That’s part of it all."
Born in Hawaii, the singer has Filipino, Hawaiian, and Ukrainian heritage. "My mother, growing up, would dance the hula and Tahitian with her family. My mother taught me hula when I was really young," she once said in an interview.
The 'Glee' star has both European and Asian heritage. Criss' mother is Filipino. "[One] of my favorite things about myself is that I’m half Filipino. PERIOD. I happen to not look like it, but THAT fact is not what I like. I like the fact that most people don’t know it’s an ace up my sleeve, an ace I’m very proud of, regardless of what I look like," said the actor.
The 'Crazy Rich Asians' and 'Fresh Off the Boat' actress has Taiwanese parents. Wu was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia.
Born in South Korea, Cho is best known for his roles as Hikaru Sulu in the 'Star Trek' rebooted movie series, and Harold Lee in the 'Harold & Kumar' films.
Kamala Harris made history as the first female, Black, and Asian-American Vice President of the United States. The politician, who is of Indian and Jamaican heritage, was also running for President of the United States in 2024.
Norah Jones' father is Indian music icon Ravi Shankar. This makes the award-winning singer-songwriter of Indian-American heritage.
Justin Lin is best known for directing part of of the 'Fast & Furious' franchise. But he is also the man behind the famous Asian-American blog and YouTube channel 'YOMYOMF' (“You Offend Me, You Offend My Family”).
The voice of the main character in 'Moana' has both Chinese and Native Hawaiian descent (among others).
The wrestler-turned-actor's mother is of Samoan descent. His grandfather was the Samoan-American wrestling legend Peter Maivia. The actor's father, Rocky Johnson, was one of the first Black champions in WWE history. "I identify as exactly what I am - both. Equally proud. Black/Samoan," said The Rock about his ancestry.
The actor and martial artist is best known for playing both Mowgli and Bruce Lee. Born in California and raised in Hawaii, Lee is of Hawaiian and Chinese descent.
The actress is half Chinese. She changed her name from Wang to Bennet to help her land roles in Hollywood. "Changing my last name doesn't change the fact that my blood is half Chinese, that I lived in China, speak Mandarin or that I was culturally raised both American and Chinese. It means I had to pay my rent, and Hollywood is racist and wouldn't cast me with a last name that made them uncomfortable," Bennet revealed.
One thing you might not know about the 'Saved by the Bell' star is that he's half Asian. The blond hair was dyed. The actor's mother, who is of Dutch-Indonesian descent, is from Bali, Indonesia.
The teen pop sensation is half Filipino, and she's proud of being an Asian American role model. "I sometimes get DMs from little girls being like, 'I’ve never seen someone who looked like me in your position'," said Rodrigo.
The model has both African-American and Korean heritage. "I think that everyone should be equal; it shouldn’t be about color," Iman said about the lack of diversity in fashion and film.
The actress, who has Vietnamese heritage, has opened up about racial typecasting in Hollywood. She was sent a script and asked to look at a specific role called 'The Chink.' "You can’t make it up. That’s the name of the character. It’s framed in my office, because I want to always be reminded of what’s out there," said the actress.
The 'Community' actor has both Indian and Polish heritage. "Inside my home, I’m very Polish. As soon as I left the door, in school and in public, I was pretty much perceived as Indian," he said.
Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, better known as H.E.R., has both Black and Filipino ancestry.
The American rapper has both Black and Korean heritage. Anderson .Paak's wife, Jae Lin, is South Korean.
The director of the latest James Bond movie, 'No Time to Die,' has Japanese ancestry, from his father's side.
Korean American comic artist Jim Lee started his successful career in Marvel, and is now the publisher and chief creative officer of DC Comics.
The Zoom CEO is one of the most famous and successful Asian-American entrepreneurs in history.
Sources: (BuzzFeed) (Days of the Year)
Famous Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
How many of these famous Asian and Pacific Islanders do you know?
CELEBRITY Culture
From Hollywood to the White House, the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community has created a lasting impact in the US. Some of the most famous faces in the media today celebrate their API heritage and the unique cultures within that group, all of which contribute to the richly diverse society that makes America great.
Click through the following gallery and see how many of these famous Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders you know.