# Leslie Liao
**Leslie Liao** is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer known for deadpan, matter-of-fact observational comedy about dating, office life, and growing up Asian American in [Orange County, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/orange-county-california). She came to wider attention after leaving a job in Netflix's human resources department to become a full-time comedian, appearing on the streamer's *Verified Stand-Up* showcase and twice on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon*.[1](https://leslieliao.com/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-04-17/how-leslie-liao-left-netflixs-hr-department-to-return-as-a-rising-star-in-stand-up-comedy)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Profession | Stand-up comedian, actress, and writer based in Los Angeles[1](https://leslieliao.com/) |
| Former day job | Worked in HR at Netflix from 2017 to January 2024 while performing stand-up at night[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-04-17/how-leslie-liao-left-netflixs-hr-department-to-return-as-a-rising-star-in-stand-up-comedy) |
| Breakthrough TV | Short set on Netflix's two-part special *Verified Stand-Up*, released November 28, 2023[3](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64365462/) |
| Festival honors | New Face of Comedy at Just For Laughs 2023; later named one of Variety's Top 10 Comics to Watch[1](https://leslieliao.com/) |
| Viral set | Debut Don't Tell Comedy set "Fixing Straight Men," with clips spreading on Instagram and TikTok[4](https://improv.com/comic/leslie%20liao/) |
| Late-night TV | Two appearances on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon*, on October 23, 2023 and February 11, 2025[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm8101434/?rf=cons_nm_more) |
| Special | *Silky Smooth*, released on YouTube[6](https://revel.show/comedians/leslie-liao) |
## Background
Liao was born and raised in Orange County, California, to Chinese immigrant parents, and is based in Los Angeles.[7](https://shoutoutla.com/meet-leslie-liao-stand-up-comedian/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-04-17/how-leslie-liao-left-netflixs-hr-department-to-return-as-a-rising-star-in-stand-up-comedy) She has described growing up between cultures as a source of her comedy, saying she felt different from the American kids around her and now uses stand-up to "reclaim" her identity and make fun of everything.[7](https://shoutoutla.com/meet-leslie-liao-stand-up-comedian/) Tatler Asia describes her as a Taiwanese-American comic, while most American profiles describe her comedy as anchored in her experiences as a single Chinese-American woman in Los Angeles.[8](https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/leslie-liao-interview) • [4](https://improv.com/comic/leslie%20liao/)
She attended the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california) from 2005 to 2009, where she was active in Women in Cinema and worked as a psychology research assistant, and her LinkedIn profile describes seven years of experience in feature film development, production, and talent before her comedy career.[9](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslieliao) As a child she was a fan of [Jim Gaffigan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-gaffigan), Conan O'Brien, Mitch Hedberg, and [Tig Notaro](https://www.edgepedia.org/tig-notaro), but she pictured herself working behind the scenes in entertainment rather than performing; she wanted to be a talent agent, not the star.[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-04-17/how-leslie-liao-left-netflixs-hr-department-to-return-as-a-rising-star-in-stand-up-comedy)
## Netflix HR and the move to comedy
From 2017 to January 2024, Liao worked in HR at Netflix from 9 to 5 while doing stand-up in the evenings, keeping the two parts of her life compartmentalized. She has described the schedule as exhausting: late shows followed by early meetings she sometimes had to lead. "I just didn't sleep," she told the Los Angeles Times.[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-04-17/how-leslie-liao-left-netflixs-hr-department-to-return-as-a-rising-star-in-stand-up-comedy)
The two worlds overlapped in late 2023, when she booked a set on *The Tonight Show* and a short set on Netflix's *Verified Stand-Up*, a two-part special released on the service on November 28, 2023. "My bosses at Netflix saw me on Netflix. They saw me on Jimmy Fallon," she said; rather than firing her, they encouraged her to leave, telling her "Go be a star" and "It's your time." She has said she needed that nudge to give up a safe corporate job, and that she is now a full-time comedian, free of the corporate world for the first time in her adult life.[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-04-17/how-leslie-liao-left-netflixs-hr-department-to-return-as-a-rising-star-in-stand-up-comedy) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64365462/) She first came to Netflix's attention as a performer, not an employee, when she performed in front of its stand-up team at the Los Angeles venue Dynasty Typewriter.[3](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64365462/)
## Comedy style and material
Liao's humor is described as relatable, introspective, and matter-of-fact, delivered deadpan, and is often anchored in her experiences as a single Asian-American woman living in Los Angeles.[1](https://leslieliao.com/) • [8](https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/leslie-liao-interview) Her routines cover the Los Angeles dating scene, including putting a 100-mile search radius on dating apps for "maximum efficiency," the contradictions of being attracted to men while not finding men attractive, growing up Chinese American in a white suburb of Orange County, and working a corporate job as a millennial.[2](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-04-17/how-leslie-liao-left-netflixs-hr-department-to-return-as-a-rising-star-in-stand-up-comedy) • [10](https://laist.com/news/how-to-la/comedian-leslie-liao-neflix-is-a-joke-festival)
Her debut set on Don't Tell Comedy, a company that stages shows at secret venues across North America, was titled "Fixing Straight Men" and likened women to DJs who "remix" men until they find a better one; clips went viral on Instagram and TikTok.[11](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/leslie-liao-is-ditching-her-9-5-for-stand-up-21176531.php) • [4](https://improv.com/comic/leslie%20liao/)
## Recognition and touring
Liao was selected as a New Face of Comedy at Montreal's Just For Laughs festival in 2023 and was later named one of Variety's Top 10 Comics to Watch at the same festival.[1](https://leslieliao.com/) She has performed twice on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon*, first on October 23, 2023 and again on February 11, 2025, and appeared on *Daily Blast Live* in July 2024.[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm8101434/?rf=cons_nm_more) She has opened for Fortune Feimster and [Ronny Chieng](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronny-chieng) and headlines sold-out crowds while touring globally.[1](https://leslieliao.com/)
In March 2024 she brought her show *The Nighttime Routine* to London's Soho Theatre and to the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, her first UK performances. The Guardian's review found the hour a collection of short club sets rather than a structured show, but praised her "open and engaging manner"; The Skinny, reviewing the Glasgow date, noted her "dry, matter-of-fact delivery and confidently assured presence."[12](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/mar/20/leslie-liao-review-netflix-standup) • [13](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/comedy/guide/leslie-liao-oran-mor-glasgow) Her special *Silky Smooth* has since been released on YouTube, and she continues to tour North American comedy clubs, with 2026 dates including venues in Seattle, Nashville, Chicago, and Sacramento.[6](https://revel.show/comedians/leslie-liao) • [14](https://www.leslieliaotour.com/)
## References
1. [Leslie Liao – Official site](https://leslieliao.com/)
2. [How Leslie Liao left Netflix's HR department to become a rising star in stand-up, Los Angeles Times (April 17, 2024)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-04-17/how-leslie-liao-left-netflixs-hr-department-to-return-as-a-rising-star-in-stand-up-comedy)
3. [Comedian Leslie Liao Breaks Down Her Journey From Netflix HR Gig To Netflix Special, Deadline via IMDb (December 15, 2023)](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64365462/)
4. [Leslie Liao's Bio, Improv.com](https://improv.com/comic/leslie%20liao/)
5. [Leslie Liao credits, IMDbPro](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm8101434/?rf=cons_nm_more)
6. [Leslie Liao Comedy Shows & Tour Dates, Revel](https://revel.show/comedians/leslie-liao)
7. [Meet Leslie Liao, Stand Up Comedian, Shoutout LA (October 31, 2022)](https://shoutoutla.com/meet-leslie-liao-stand-up-comedian/)
8. [Interview: Comedian Leslie Liao's journey, from Netflix's HR to a Netflix special, Tatler Asia](https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/leslie-liao-interview)
9. [Leslie Liao – LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslieliao)
10. [Dating In LA Can Be 'Aggressive' — And Funny. Comedian Leslie Liao Has Thoughts, LAist](https://laist.com/news/how-to-la/comedian-leslie-liao-neflix-is-a-joke-festival)
11. [Leslie Liao is ditching her 9-5 for stand-up, San Francisco Chronicle (December 30, 2023)](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/leslie-liao-is-ditching-her-9-5-for-stand-up-21176531.php)
12. [Leslie Liao review – heard the one about the Netflix staffer turned standup?, The Guardian (March 20, 2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/mar/20/leslie-liao-review-netflix-standup)
13. [Leslie Liao @ Òran Mór, Glasgow: comedy review, The Skinny (March 29, 2024)](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/comedy/guide/leslie-liao-oran-mor-glasgow)
14. [Leslie Liao Tour 2026 Tickets](https://www.leslieliaotour.com/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › American stand-up comedians, contemporary › Stand-up comedians born 1980 onward › Surnames A to M*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license