Exclusive Interview: Hank Chen Discusses Debut Comedy Special ‘I’m Not Supposed To Be Here,’ Overcoming Adversities, and Bringing Authenticity to His Humor

Across a career spanning more than a decade, Hank Chen has continually surpassed expectations and broken down barriers. Whether he’s acting, directing, writing, or producing, this talented storyteller and artist consistently brings humor and authenticity, solidifying his position as one of the most captivating voices of his generation.

His latest project, I’m Not Supposed To Be Here, is Hank’s debut comedy special that took an unexpected turn when, six days prior to the recording, Hank was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle. But the show must go on, and Hank holds nothing back as he delivers a laugh-out-loud set that discusses dictators, confused racists, the Hollywood machine, his father, and himself.

Pop Culturalist was fortunate enough to speak with Hank about I’m Not Supposed To Be Here, how he found humor in this traumatic event, and more.

PC: Six days prior to the taping of your debut comedy special, you were in this horrific motor vehicle accident where you fractured your pelvis. Were there ever discussions about postponing the taping? Why was it so important for you to push forward, and how were you able to muster up that strength?
Hank: Yes. The entire team at Comedy Dynamics and my manager got on a Zoom with me while I was in my hospital bed at Cedars-Sinai, and we went over all of our options. Their big concern was for my long-term recovery—that if we did move forward, nothing I did on stage would circle back to flare up and cause further injury to my body down the line. My question to them was if I were to postpone this taping, when would my next opportunity be to work with them and tape my special? When the answer came back that it would likely be in late 2024, I knew I had to push through because I didn’t want to wait that long. The strength came the moment they called my name to the stage—the adrenaline just kicks in. I’m grateful to the doctors at Cedars-Sinai for the drugs, the entire team at Comedy Dynamics for their support on the day of the taping, and of course, the wonderful audience, my boyfriend, and my friends who came out to support. They all made my special feel super special.

PC: After deciding that the show would go on, you took this terrible situation and found the humor in it. What was that process like, rewriting some of your material to include this event? What were some of those early conversations about having your motorcycle on stage with you?
Hank: The decision to have the motorcycle on stage was a quick one made by the head of Comedy Dynamics, Brian Volk Weiss. He’s a real showman! It was just a matter of getting it picked up from the impound before insurance seized it. The taping was the perfect window. I didn’t mind having it on stage by my side. In a way, it was sort of like I gave it a proper send-off. Motorcycles get very intimate with their riders and develop personalities of their own, so it was nice to see it one last time and share this experience after we had this very traumatic incident happen to both of us. I suppose, in many ways, the special is a tribute to my motorcycle. I had to rewrite the beginning to address what happened, and all that took was telling the truth.

PC: There’s a lot of physicality in your standup, which obviously wasn’t at your disposal. How did that challenge you as a comedian and storyteller?
Hank: That was frustrating. Some of my best bits are VERY physical, and I do think my special suffered because I wasn’t able to give it 110% like I would have wanted to. However, I adapted using the furniture provided, and because I was seated the entire time, that made for some interesting physical storytelling that would not have emerged from standing in front of a microphone. So, in some ways, I think the special also partially benefited from the trade-off.

PC: There’s so much authenticity with your jokes. Has your family seen your stand-up performances or this special? What has their reaction been like?
Hank: Thank you! Authenticity is the goal. I feel like the comic’s job is to be the truth-teller, right? Otherwise, what are we doing? My family lives 3000 miles away in Maryland, so they, for sure, have not seen my stand-up, and I’m not sure they’ve seen this special. I know it would make them very uncomfortable. Lots of things about me make them uncomfortable.

PC: With this being your debut comedy special, what was the most surprising part of this process (outside of the accident)? What was the biggest takeaway?
Hank: The most surprising part of this process is how difficult the memorization was. The reason being is that club sets in Los Angeles are usually between ten to twenty minutes, so that’s the muscle most of us in this town have built. This isn’t an hour that I had time to polish on the road for over a year—which would have been a luxury. To prepare, I bought my own mic, stand, and speaker and ran the full hour multiple times in front of many friends. I relied on that and the club gigs to get ready.

My biggest takeaway is that this is hard, and the masters of the craft make it look so easy. After doing this, I have newfound respect for them, especially the ones that seem to be able to put out a new special each year with fresh takes on the world and funny things to say—that takes serious talent.

PC: As we look ahead to 2024, what can fans expect from you?
Hank: I’m in a drama podcast series called Macaw that just debuted, and you can catch me guest starring on Hacks in the new year.

To keep up with Hank, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. I’m Not Supposed To Be Here is now available On Demand and Digitally.