# Michael Yo
**Michael Yo** (born Michael Yo Simmons; 1974) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host known for co-hosting CBS's *The Insider*, appearing on E!'s *Chelsea Lately*, and releasing the stand-up specials *Blasian*, *I Never Thought*, and *Snack Daddy*.[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/michael-yo-tvhost.html) • [2](https://www.michaelyo.com/) He is a two-time Emmy nominee and began his career in radio.[3](https://www.bravotv.com/people/michael-yo)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Yo Simmons, 1974, Houston, Texas[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/michael-yo-tvhost.html) |
| Background | Son of an African-American father and a Korean mother; his father, Oliver Simmons, was a nuclear physicist[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/michael-yo-tvhost.html) • [4](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/culture/tv/article/Comic-Michael-Yo-digs-his-Houston-roots-13413148.php) • [5](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EB%A7%88%EC%9D%B4%ED%81%B4%20%EC%9A%94) |
| Radio career | Intern at KRBE Houston, later host of Miami's Y100 afternoon top-40 show for about seven years[4](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/culture/tv/article/Comic-Michael-Yo-digs-his-Houston-roots-13413148.php) • [6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2009/RR-2009-05-29.pdf) |
| Television hosting | *Yo on E!* (Sirius/XM), *E! News*, *Daily 10*, *The Insider*, guest host on *The Talk*, contributor on *The Wendy Williams Show*[7](https://charactermedia.com/hollywood-insider/) • [3](https://www.bravotv.com/people/michael-yo) |
| Stand-up specials | *Blasian* (2018), *I Never Thought* (2022), *Snack Daddy* (2025)[2](https://www.michaelyo.com/) |
| Acting | Recurring role as Philip on Apple TV+'s *Amber Brown*; appearances in *Kevin Can Wait*, *The Bling Ring*, and *Losing Control*[2](https://www.michaelyo.com/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1382232/?nmdp=1) |
| Personal life | Married Claire Schreiner in 2016; two children; lives in Las Vegas[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/michael-yo-tvhost.html) • [2](https://www.michaelyo.com/) |
## Early life and radio career
Yo grew up in Houston, Texas, in the Sagemont area, which he says locals called "The Mont."[9](https://www.pbs.org/video/from-radio-to-comedy-michael-yo-funny-backing-95zghh/) He attended the [University of Arkansas](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-arkansas) beginning in 1993, played football for the Razorbacks, and left the sport after what he describes as too many concussions.[4](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/culture/tv/article/Comic-Michael-Yo-digs-his-Houston-roots-13413148.php) • [10](https://healthyceleb.com/michael-yo/)
Radio came first. Through Paul "Cubby" Bryant, a DJ at KRBE/104.1 FM in Houston, Yo took an internship at the station, working without pay for a year before being put on the overnight shift from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.[4](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/culture/tv/article/Comic-Michael-Yo-digs-his-Houston-roots-13413148.php) He has said he was about 14 or 15 when he started working for Bryant, who was then 17 and, by Yo's account, the youngest DJ in the country with a major show in a major market.[9](https://www.pbs.org/video/from-radio-to-comedy-michael-yo-funny-backing-95zghh/) After KRBE he worked at other Houston-area stations, KTBZ/107.5 FM (The Buzz) and KBXX/97.9 (The Box), then moved to Austin to serve as a radio-station music director before relocating to Miami.[4](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/culture/tv/article/Comic-Michael-Yo-digs-his-Houston-roots-13413148.php)
In Miami he became the afternoon host on Clear Channel's WHYI (Y100), a leading contemporary-hits station, and held that afternoon shift for seven years.[4](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/culture/tv/article/Comic-Michael-Yo-digs-his-Houston-roots-13413148.php) • [6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2009/RR-2009-05-29.pdf) His move to television began in early 2007, when an E! executive heard his Miami show; after initially declining the offer for six months because he had not wanted to do television, he accepted and moved to Los Angeles.[6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2009/RR-2009-05-29.pdf) • [9](https://www.pbs.org/video/from-radio-to-comedy-michael-yo-funny-backing-95zghh/)
## Television hosting
At E! he worked as a celebrity correspondent for *E! News* and *Daily 10* while continuing his Y100 shift remotely, and he was a semiregular roundtable guest on E!'s late-night comedy series *Chelsea Lately*, hosted by [Chelsea Handler](https://www.edgepedia.org/chelsea-handler).[6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2009/RR-2009-05-29.pdf) He also hosted the satellite radio show *Yo on E!*, a three-hour daily entertainment talk show heard nationally on both the Sirius and XM networks, combining celebrity interviews with call-in, email, and text discussions of Hollywood news.[7](https://charactermedia.com/hollywood-insider/) • [11](https://styleinterviews.com/micheal-yo/)
His celebrity-interview work included [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://www.edgepedia.org/leonardo-dicaprio), Al Pacino, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and [Denzel Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/denzel-washington); his first on-camera interview was [Jennifer Aniston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-aniston).[9](https://www.pbs.org/video/from-radio-to-comedy-michael-yo-funny-backing-95zghh/) He later covered celebrity news on *The Insider* and *Extra*, guest co-hosted CBS's *The Talk*, and appeared as a hot-topics contributor on *The Wendy Williams Show*.[3](https://www.bravotv.com/people/michael-yo) In 2013 he joined the retooled *omg!Insider*, a partnership between *The Insider* and Yahoo's omg!, as part of an effort to reach younger viewers.[12](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-jan-07-la-et-st-omg-insider-20130107-story.html)
## Stand-up comedy
Yo came up in stand-up under the mentorship of Chelsea Handler and [Jo Koy](https://www.edgepedia.org/jo-koy) and now headlines clubs and theaters across the country.[3](https://www.bravotv.com/people/michael-yo) He has said Jo Koy was the reason he turned to comedy, telling him that their shared experience of mixed-race families, Jo Koy with a white father and Asian mother, Yo with a Black father and Korean mother, was material worth telling.[9](https://www.pbs.org/video/from-radio-to-comedy-michael-yo-funny-backing-95zghh/) His first stage set ran 15 minutes, after which he called his mother to say he had found what he was born to do.[9](https://www.pbs.org/video/from-radio-to-comedy-michael-yo-funny-backing-95zghh/)
He has released three full stand-up specials: *Blasian* (2018), *I Never Thought* (2022), and *Snack Daddy* (2025).[2](https://www.michaelyo.com/) *Blasian*, named for his Black and Asian heritage, centers on his parents, and he has described it as a celebration of survival rather than an exercise in rage.[4](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/culture/tv/article/Comic-Michael-Yo-digs-his-Houston-roots-13413148.php) Much of his material draws on family life, including parenting and marriage.[2](https://www.michaelyo.com/) [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) audiences first saw his stand-up on season 15 of *America's Got Talent* in 2020, where he received four yeses from the judges and advanced to the Quarter-Finals.[2](https://www.michaelyo.com/) • [10](https://healthyceleb.com/michael-yo/) He holds a residency at [Jimmy Kimmel](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-kimmel)'s Comedy Club at THE LINQ in Las Vegas and appears as a featured comedian in *Mad Apple* by [Cirque du Soleil](https://www.edgepedia.org/cirque-du-soleil).[13](https://comedyworks.com/comedians/michael-yo) • [2](https://www.michaelyo.com/)
## Acting and current work
Yo's film credits include *Losing Control* (2011), *The Cookout 2* (2011), and [Sofia Coppola](https://www.edgepedia.org/sofia-coppola)'s *The Bling Ring* (2013).[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/michael-yo-tvhost.html) • [14](https://tv.apple.com/na/person/michael-yo/umc.cpc.1vsf0p4e6081fwi9p0hzs1bkc) On television he had a recurring role on *Kevin Can Wait*, shot the CBS pilot *Happy Together* with [Damon Wayans Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/damon-wayans-jr), and was a principal in [Facebook Watch](https://www.edgepedia.org/facebook-watch)'s first sitcom series, *Starter Pack*.[3](https://www.bravotv.com/people/michael-yo) He currently recurs as Philip on the Apple TV+ series *Amber Brown*.[2](https://www.michaelyo.com/)
His hosting work continues on television and in podcasts. He fronts the family-friendly game show *Scrambled Up* and leads the travel-food adventure series *1,000 Ways to Dine*; his own site identifies the series as airing on A&E, while Comedy Works lists it on E!.[2](https://www.michaelyo.com/) • [13](https://comedyworks.com/comedians/michael-yo) In 2012 he and Jo Koy launched the podcast *The Michael Yo and Jo Koy Show*, and he now hosts *The Yo Show* podcast, mixing road stories with conversations with fellow entertainers.[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/michael-yo-tvhost.html) • [2](https://www.michaelyo.com/) He is also a regular guest on *The Joe Rogan Experience*.[2](https://www.michaelyo.com/)
## References
1. [Michael Yo – Age, Bio, Family, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/michael-yo-tvhost.html)
2. [Michael Yo – Comedian / Actor, official website](https://www.michaelyo.com/)
3. [Michael Yo, BravoTV.com](https://www.bravotv.com/people/michael-yo)
4. [Comic Michael Yo digs his Houston roots, Houston Chronicle](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/culture/tv/article/Comic-Michael-Yo-digs-his-Houston-roots-13413148.php)
5. [마이클 요, Namu wiki](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EB%A7%88%EC%9D%B4%ED%81%B4%20%EC%9A%94)
6. [Michael Yo balances radio and TV careers at opposite ends of America, Radio & Records (May 29, 2009)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2009/RR-2009-05-29.pdf)
7. [Hollywood Insider, Character Media (2007)](https://charactermedia.com/hollywood-insider/)
8. [Michael Yo, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1382232/?nmdp=1)
9. [From Radio to Comedy: Michael Yo & Funny Backing, Vegas All In, PBS](https://www.pbs.org/video/from-radio-to-comedy-michael-yo-funny-backing-95zghh/)
10. [Michael Yo Height, Weight, Age, Net Worth, Family, HealthyCeleb](https://healthyceleb.com/michael-yo/)
11. [Michael Yo – Style Interviews (2008)](https://styleinterviews.com/micheal-yo/)
12. ['The Insider' joins forces with YahooOmg, Los Angeles Times (2013)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-jan-07-la-et-st-omg-insider-20130107-story.html)
13. [Michael Yo, Comedy Works](https://comedyworks.com/comedians/michael-yo)
14. [Michael Yo Films and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/na/person/michael-yo/umc.cpc.1vsf0p4e6081fwi9p0hzs1bkc)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Television presenters and hosts › Music and entertainment news hosts*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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