The 15th Annual Catalina Film Festival (CFF) announced that actor, comedian, writer and producer Ken Jeong will be honored with the prestigious King of Comedy Award during the Fest’s Milestone Anniversary and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, September 27 at 7 p.m., held inside the Avalon Theatre at the iconic Catalino Casino on Catalina Island.
From the doctor’s office to the red carpet, this year’s Catalina Film Festival King of Comedy honoree, Ken Jeong, has made one hell of a house call to Hollywood. A licensed physician turned comedic genius, Jeong earned his medical degree at UNC and completed his residency—all while moonlighting in stand-up.
Jeong became a breakout star with roles in Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, and Role Models, but it was his portrayal of Mr. Chow in The Hangover trilogy and Señor Chang in Community that cemented his status as a comedy legend. Known for turning even blink-and-you-miss-it roles into gold, even his brief Step Brothers cameo helped immortalize “It’s the (BLEEP) Catalina Wine Mixer!” as a forever pop culture anthem — and Catalina Island as its unofficial comedy landmark.
Recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Ken is a panelist on the Emmy-nominated The Masked Singer and host/executive producer of I Can See Your Voice—earning FOX’s nickname for Wednesdays: “Kensday.” Next, he’ll host the network’s upcoming game show 99 to Beat alongside Erin Andrews, where 100 contestants face off in a series of visually distinctive, laugh-out-loud challenges in a competition unlike any other.
Ken recently took a dramatic turn in Season 2 of Fox’s legal anthology Accused and appears in The 4:30 Movie, My Spy: The Eternal City, and A Great Divide. He’s known for his Netflix stand-up specialYou Complete Me, Ho (People’s Choice nominee) and hit films including Crazy Rich Asians, Fool’s Paradise, Ride Along 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Couples Retreat, Goosebumps 2, and Tom & Jerry. His voice work includes the hit Netflix film K-POP: Demon Hunters, Oscar-nominated Over the Moon, Scoob, Lady and the Tramp, and My Little Pony. On TV, he created, executive produced, and starred in ABC’s Dr. Ken was a series regular on NBC’s Community, a series regular on season two of The AfterParty, and appeared on The Office, Entourage, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The Catalina Film Institute’s King of Comedy Award honors a performer who has mastered the craft of comedy and uses it to uplift, inspire, and bring joy, celebrating comedic excellence and the power of laughter to connect us all. With a fearless voice, a wild sense of humor, and a heart bigger than his filmography, Ken Jeong has made comedy his cure-all – and will take the crown on Catalina Island at the 15th Anniversary of the Catalina Film Festival and reign as this year’s King of Comedy.
The 15th Anniversary edition of CFF runs Thursday, September 25 through Sunday, September 28 for a four-day, jam-packed celebration of cinema on Hollywood’s storied island – just 25 nautical miles off the coast of Los Angeles. Bookending the in-person festivities, is the Catalina Online Film Festival, accessible anywhere in the world, premiering Wednesday, September 24 through Tuesday, September 30, featuring CFF’s Official Film Selections for 2025. Passes are now available for purchase, offering VIP, Festival, Cinema, Day, and Virtual access. For more information or to purchase passes: Catalinafilm.org.
