By PIERCE GREENBERG
For Brentwood Home Page
Comedian Henry Cho is a novelty in many ways. Not only does he take pride in his Southern, Asian-American background, but he also carries the torch for “clean comedy” in an industry that is far from family-friendly.

Cho will headline the Brentwood Morning Rotary Club’s Evening of Comedy on May 13 in the Campbell Auditorium at Brentwood High School.

Henry Cho

The Brentwood Home Page had a chance to talk with Cho about Brentwood, his clean routine, and the state of his television career.

BHP: What drew you towards moving your family to Brentwood?

Henry Cho: We moved to Brentwood from Green Hills for a few reasons, mainly due to the fact my wife found another home she liked and it’s on a great street. Also, I have two pals on the street and that doesn’t happen often. Another reason was to take advantage of the great schools Williamson County has to offer.

BHP: What do you like about living there?

HC: Lower taxes! Just kidding . . . we love our street and our old pals and new ones. There are a ton of kids on the street, and it’s great to see my kids able to play with neighbors just like we did when we were children.  

BHP: Is there a certain level of recognition when you’re out on the town? Is there a pressure to be funny?

HC: The level is perfect: Staying just under the radar is what I like. Folks are always kind and courteous when approaching me or my family. Some will ask me to say something funny. I normally ask them what their occupation is, and if, for example, they are in construction, I say: “Build me something.”

I have a lot of super-famous pals and I see that pressure you are referring to. To me, it’s not the pressure of being a comedian, it’s more the pressure of being a Christian in a hedonistic business. Being funny is easy to me, a God-given fight, but walking the walk 24/7 is the challenge.

BHP: What can people expect from your show at Campbell Auditorium?

HC: Funny, but clean comedy. All of my opening acts adhere to the same style or they won’t be on the show. My comedy is adult humor, but clean. It’s not campy. I’ve always worked in the mainstream and I’ve never billed myself as a “Christian comedian.” I’m just a comedian who’s a Christian.

BHP: How do you come up with a joke/routine? How has that process evolved over the years?

HC: As a comedian, I have the gift of looking at something a bit differently and making it funny. I’m not sure why I can do that, but that’s as simple as I can put it. I see or hear something, I jot it down in one of many of my notebooks and take it on stage and work it out.

The process, over the years, has slowed due to having a family. When I was single, I worked a lot more and wrote most of the day. Now, I’d rather hang with my family than leave town just to tell jokes. 

BHP: Do you think comedy gets an anti-family stigma because of the prevalence of "raw" material? How does that affect what you do?

HC: Comedy does have a stigma, as does “family-friendly” comedy. When most hear “family-friendly,” they think “not funny.” My tour this year is entitled Henry Cho – The Funny But Clean Comedy Tour. Comedy has always had the anti-family stigma. Guys started in gentlemen’s clubs, going on stage to kill time between dancers. It’s one of the last bastions of free speech, so most use it for that.

I don’t — and never have done — a “soapbox” type of show. I figure folks get enough of that, so I just hope they leave the show thinking “Man, I just laughed for 90 minutes . . .  awesome!” The stigma only confirms what I find out everywhere I go: There’s a great need for clean comedy. Folks like the opportunity to hear comedy that won’t offend. I work in Vegas annually and I do the same show and sell out there. So, if there’s a market for clean comedy in Vegas, then there’s a market for it everywhere.

BHP: What’s next for you? What is the status of the sitcom that you’ve been working on?

 HC: CBS has the script on a shelf, as it’s confusing to them due to the fact that it’s funny and wholesome. If they’d just look at history — Andy Griffith, Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart — they’d realize there is a huge market for it. Unfortunately, our society feeds their thinking with all the attention brought to shows that aren’t family-friendly and all the silly reality shows that focus on people with no discernible talent.

At the moment, I have a potential pilot on a cable network that will be a great program for those looking for funny, clean comedy. We’ll see what happens with that pretty soon.