Ali Wong has built a career out of being brutally honest on stage, but there’s one subject she treats differently: her kids. The comedian, actress, and Emmy winner has two daughters with her ex-husband, entrepreneur Justin Hakuta, and while she jokes freely about pregnancy, marriage, and motherhood in general, she draws a clear line when it comes to her actual children. Here’s a look at what Ali Wong has said publicly about raising her family, why she’s protective of her daughters’ privacy, and how she’s balanced a fast-rising career with two young kids at home.
Nikki Hakuta: Bio
| Details | information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Alexandra “Ali” Wong |
| Born | 1982, San Francisco, California |
| Ethnicity | Vietnamese and Chinese descent |
| Profession | Comedian, actress, writer |
| Known For | Netflix specials “Baby Cobra,” “Hard Knock Wife,” and “Don Wong”; Emmy-winning role in “Beef” |
| Book | Author of “Dear Girls” (2019) |
| Spouse | Justin Hakuta (married 2014, separated 2022, divorce finalized 2024) |
| Children | Two daughters, born 2015 and December 2017 |
| Parenting Approach | Keeps her daughters out of her comedy and largely out of the public eye |
| Notable Trait | Known for blending honesty in her comedy with strict privacy around her kids |
Who Is Ali Wong?
Ali Wong was born in San Francisco in 1982 and built her name through stand up before most casual audiences knew who she was. She’s of Vietnamese and Chinese descent, and that background shows up often in her comedy. Her breakout moment came in 2016 with the Netflix special “Baby Cobra,” which she filmed while seven months pregnant. It became a talking point almost instantly, partly because nobody had really seen a very pregnant comedian own a stage quite like that. She followed it with “Hard Knock Wife” in 2018 and later “Don Wong,” cementing her as one of the most distinct voices in modern stand up. More recently, she won an Emmy for her role in the Netflix series “Beef,” proving she could do serious dramatic work just as well as comedy.
Her Family Life
Wong met Justin Hakuta in 2010, at a friend’s wedding. He was attending Harvard Business School at the time, and Wong has joked on stage about deciding early on that she wanted to be with him. They married in 2014. Their first daughter arrived in 2015, and their second daughter followed two years later, in December 2017. In April 2022, the couple announced they were separating, and the divorce was finalized in 2024. Despite the split, Wong has spoken about Hakuta with real warmth. She told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that they consider each other best friends and have been through a lot together, which isn’t the kind of thing most people say about an ex.
Why Ali Wong Keeps Her Daughters Private
That’s really the core of the story. Wong talks about motherhood constantly in her comedy, but she’s said plainly that she won’t tell jokes specifically about her daughters without their permission.
Her Reasoning, In Her Own Words
Wong has explained that her daughters are still too young to understand what she does for a living, and she doesn’t think it’s fair to build material around them before they can weigh in on it themselves. That’s a notable stance for someone whose entire brand is built on oversharing personal details. It shows she draws a real distinction between her own life, which is fair game, and her kids’ lives, which aren’t.
A Book Written For Her Daughters
In 2019, Wong published “Dear Girls,” a memoir written specifically for her daughters to read when they’re older. It’s structured as a series of essays and letters, covering her own life before motherhood, her career struggles, and the lessons she wants to pass down. It’s a clever way to handle the tension between wanting to share her story and wanting to protect her kids. Instead of talking about her daughters, she wrote something for them.
Life On Tour With Two Kids
Balancing stand up tours with two young children isn’t easy, and Wong has talked about how she’s handled it rather than avoided the topic entirely. When she hit the road for her 2019 ‘Milk & Money’ tour, she brought her daughters along for some of it. During the day, that meant museums, science centers, and other kid friendly stops, and at night, she’d take the stage. It’s a glimpse into how she’s tried to keep her family together even as her schedule got busier. Rather than choosing between touring and parenting, she found a way to fold both into the same trip.
How Fans and the Industry Have Reacted
Wong’s approach to privacy has generally been well received. In an industry where celebrity kids often end up heavily documented online from birth, her decision to keep her daughters largely out of public view stands out. Entertainment writers and fans alike have pointed to her and Hakuta’s co-parenting relationship as an example worth noting. Rather than turning their divorce into tabloid material, both have spoken about staying close and prioritizing their kids’ stability. That’s not a small thing in Hollywood, where divorces involving young children often become very public and very messy. Wong and Hakuta’s approach has mostly avoided that pattern.
FAQs about Nikki Hakuta
Does Ali Wong have kids?
Yes, she has two daughters with her ex-husband Justin Hakuta, born in 2015 and 2017.
Is Ali Wong currently married to Justin Hakuta?
No. The couple separated in 2022 and their divorce was finalized in 2024, though they’ve described themselves as remaining close.
Why doesn’t Ali Wong talk about her daughters in her comedy?
She’s said she doesn’t feel comfortable making jokes about her kids without their permission, especially since they’re still too young to understand her career.
What is “Dear Girls” about?
It’s a memoir Wong wrote in 2019, framed as a series of letters and essays for her daughters to read when they’re older, covering her life and lessons before and during motherhood.
Did Ali Wong bring her kids on tour?
Yes, during her 2019 “Milk & Money” tour, her daughters traveled with her, spending days at museums and other kid friendly spots while she performed at night.
Final Thoughts
Ali Wong has made a career out of turning her personal life into material, but she’s also shown real discipline about where she draws the line. Her daughters get to grow up without becoming punchlines, and that choice says a lot about her as a parent, not just as a comedian. As her career keeps expanding, it’s likely she’ll keep finding ways to talk honestly about motherhood without pulling her kids into the spotlight with her.
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