The new NBC comedy based on the life of comedian Chelsea Handler and starring former That ’70s Show star Laura Prepon Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea has added emerging funny-woman Ali Wong to its revamped cast. Wong has been confirmed to play Bianca, a child of immigrant parents and best friend of Chelsea (Prepon) from grade school, according to Deadline. This is a landmark for the San Francisco Bay Area Comedienne as this is her inaugural regular TV role. Most recently, Wong was named to Variety‘s annual 10 Comics To Watch list; the year before, Comedy Central’s named her one of “7 Comics To Watch,” which followed her 2009 honor of being named by SF Weekly as the “The Best Comedian” of 2009.
The “Naughty Oprah,” as supposedly “they” call her, (not sure who “they are”, but I digress), Wong is the second major addition to the cast after a retooling of the show following the pilot. Chelsea’s best friend in the pilot, Ivory, has been replaced by Wong’s character. It’s interesting to note Wong’s hiring coinciding with the peacock network facing some scrutiny over it’s lack of casting ethnically diverse actors, Deadline points out. The “Borderline Midget, “as she refers to herself, has made some acting headway thus far with a stint on the Fox comedy Breaking In and a role in Oliver Stone’s upcoming film Savages.
To get a taste of Wong’s sense of humor, check out her recent set on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno:
