All About Jo Koy's Son, Joseph Herbert Jr.

Jo Koy’s spotlight is firmly on his son, Joseph Herbert Jr.

“I love being a dad,” Koy shared on Father’s Day 2023.

The stand-up comedian, born Joseph Glenn Herbert, was married to Filipina-American singer Angie King (stage name: Nura Luca) from 2003 to 2013. The pair welcomed one child together, son Joseph Herbert Jr., on April 21, 2003.

"My son is just a walking joke for me,” Koy joked on Larry King Live in 2019. “...If it happens inside these walls that I pay for, I'm going to capitalize, and you’re going to enjoy what we make off of you together.”

Joseph has provided his dad with plenty of fodder over the years, but watching the specials back is bittersweet, with Koy adding, “It makes me happy but it depresses me because he literally grows up in every special, and it breaks my heart.”

Though he jokes about Joseph’s antics, it’s clear just how much love Koy has for his son. So much so that though he and King are no longer together, they remain close and live down the street from each other.

“We're a loving family and we can work. Just because you’re not married, it doesn't mean you can't be the best of friends,” Koy said on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2021. “You still have the responsibility to raise this beautiful child together. And it's fun to see my son see his parents happy."

Read on to learn more about Jo Koy’s son, Joseph Herbert Jr.

He was raised in Los Angeles

Joseph Herbert Jr. was born to Jo Koy and Angie King at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on April 21, 2003. He was raised in L.A., where he attended private school.

“I’ve always said that my life didn’t start until you were born. Now I’m excited to see what your future holds,” Koy wrote on Instagram on Joseph’s 18th birthday in 2021. “The world is yours my son and I’ll be right next to you the whole way.”

The Jo Koy in His Elements star told GQ that when his son was little, he was still a struggling comedian working at a bookstore and a shoe store. Koy left all of his jobs — he also cleaned yachts on the weekend and was a busboy — after a life-changing appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno in 2005.

“Mind you, it wasn’t even that much money, but it was enough to survive. It was enough to feed my kid. It was enough to be like, I know I can sustain this and come back the year after this and get the same check,” Koy told The Florida-Times Union in 2017.

Koy and King divorced in 2013 but maintained residencies down the block from one another. King even lived in Koy’s guest house during the pandemic to ensure that Joseph could see both of his parents.

“In the beginning [the divorce] was rough, and that’s fine, but the older we got, we understood that we're best friends and this is the best thing we could do for our kid. And he is so happy because of it," Koy shared on Windy City LIVE in October 2020.

"We just love our son so much. It’s for our son, mostly,” King added of her and Koy’s friendly co-parenting after her ex pulled into the live Zoom interview.

He is his dad’s No. 1 fan

Joseph has been by his dad's side for the highs and lows of Koy’s career, which has included Koy facing rejection as the comedian pushed for better representation of Filipinos in Hollywood.

“My son was there when Netflix said no; I shot [my special, Jo Koy:] Live from Seattle; I had to pay for it. He knows what his dad went through, so he knows it was more than just about me,” the Chelsea Lately alum told Tatler Philippines of the special he supported out of his pocket, which Netflix would eventually buy and release in March 2017.

Joseph has been a major part of his dad’s work. On stage and in his specials, Koy has joked about his son's hygiene and adolescent angst, with plenty of fodder coming from Joseph’s teenage years.

“I’m living with a dude now,” Koy joked to The Aspen Times in 2019, when Joseph was 16. "He thinks he’s cool, but I think he’s just a dirty-ass roommate, and I’ve got way too many stories about him.”

Koy is sensitive to his son, however. The two teamed up for a Netflix promo where Joseph got to comment on his dad’s jokes about him in the special Jo Koy: Comin’ in Hot, with Koy saying at the end, “I love this kid.” The proud dad also says he always puts Joseph's “feelings first.”

“If he doesn’t want me to talk about it, I won’t. But for the most part, he’s cool with it,” he told The Aspen Times.

He gets his comedy chops from his dad

During a 2019 appearance on River City Live, Koy revealed that the family’s planned trip to Hawaii was ruined because his son failed history and had to attend summer school — a scenario Koy couldn't understand because he had hired his son a tutor.

While joking about his son’s grades, the Metal Shop Masters added that Joseph is “really funny.”

“I didn’t excel in school because I knew I was creative and I knew that I was going to be a comedian when I got out of high school, and I know my son's creative,” Koy told the Jacksonville, Florida, morning news program. “I know he's got a creative mind and he's got a sense for fashion and comedy, and I know that’s the avenue and lane he's going to take after school. So I will be there to help him but in no way am I going to force him or discourage him not to do anything."

Joseph currently works as part of his dad’s crew, including hitting the road on Koy’s 2023 world tour.

“Nothing better than seeing the world with my son,” Koy captioned a photo of the pair at the first stop in Anchorage, Alaska, in August.

He appeared with his dad on Celebrity Family Feud

Koy and Joseph made two appearances on ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud in 2022.

In an episode featuring Boyz II Men and friends taking on comedian Amber Ruffin and her family, the father-son duo competed on "Team Boyz” alongside Wanna Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Joe Mulvihill.

They were also in an Easter Sunday family showdown an episode of Team Koy vs. Team Gaston (Lydia Gaston played Koy's mother in the film).

When introducing his son during the latter episode, Koy told host Steve Harvey, “He's so talented! He's so funny, Steve! And I'm just so honored to be on the road and share these memories with him ‘cause he works with me and he rides with me everywhere.”

His social media posts are family-focused

Joseph has almost 55,000 Instagram followers but is not a frequent poster — his parents share many more photos of themselves with their son on their Instagram accounts — but the two images Joseph currently has up say a lot about his priorities.

The first image is a birthday tribute to his mom from 2021, and the second is a black-and-white photo of him and his dad on stage at The Forum in Los Angeles in February 2020.

“Still can’t believe this happened. So proud and so happy u lived out one of ur dreams. @jokoy 🐐,” Joseph captioned the Instagram photo.

He has walked red carpets with his parents

Though Joseph keeps his life relatively private, he's no stranger to big-name events.

He's been spotted walking red carpets with his dad on a few occasions, including the opening night of Here Lies Love on Broadway and Tiffany Haddish's 1st Annual Adult Prom: A Night Under The Stars, both in 2023.

And both Joseph and King proudly attended the world premiere of Koy's 2022 film, Easter Sunday.

“I am beyond proud of my best friend @jokoy for what he has accomplished this far and for what he continues to do for our Filipino community. What this means to our family is unparalleled,” King captioned in part an Instagram slideshow that kicked off with a photo of her and Joseph on the red carpet in August 2022.

Just as cool as red carpets? Dodger Stadium. Joseph got to hang with his dad on the field when Koy threw out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game in 2021.

He has known Tiffany Haddish and his father's ex, Chelsea Handler, for years

Joseph has long been a regular presence at Koy’s standup gigs, which means he’s met a slew of comedians, including Chelsea Handler and Haddish.

Koy and Handler are longtime friends who dated for about a year before splitting up in July 2022.

In January 2021, Koy shared a throwback of Handler and a pint-sized Joseph, teasingly captioning the photo,  “#tbt when @chelseahandler and my son went to the same barber.”

As for Haddish, she used to babysit Joseph when Koy went onstage to do a set at The Laugh Factory in Los Angeles.

Years later, Koy said on Larry King Live that he got teary-eyed when he brought a grown-up Joseph back to the famous comedy venue.

“I brought him on stage and I pointed at the balcony, and I go, I just want you to know that you used to be up there as a kid, as a little baby, man, and now we’re sharing a stage,” Koy shared. “It was a crazy moment."

He has traveled around the world with his family

Koy and King are Filipino and have taken trips to visit family and friends in the Philippines. Their son, Joseph, has gone on many of these cross-continental adventures, most recently in early 2023.

King shared a video montage from the trip, which she captioned “Motherland,” that showed the family enjoying traditional meals and hiking.

During a 2023 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Koy told host Jennifer Hudson that King is included in any trip that involves their son.

“We’re a team. We made this kid, so let’s share this as a family,” the Mixed Plate author said.

In addition to the Philippines, Joseph has visited places as far and wide as New York City, Dubai, and Tokyo.

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