Ken Jeong Reveals His Iconic Naked Scene in ‘The Hangover’ was His Own Idea
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The Masked Singer panel judge Ken Jeong is celebrating 15 years since the debut of his comedy film series The Hangover. The solo comedian then revealed that he was the mastermind behind the legendary naked scene in the said film.
Ken Jeong Says His Nude Scene in The Hangover was His Idea
During her latest appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the comedian took the time to talk about his previous works. According to Jeong, his getting naked in one scene in The Hangover was originally out of the script.
“I told Todd Phillips, the director,” he said. “Because I did have slacks on in the script, and I just said, wouldn’t it just be so shocking?”
For those who may not know, Jeong’s character in The Hangover was basically his jumpstart to fame. Jeong perfectly portrayed the nitty-gritty of Leslie Chow, the main antagonist and supporting character of the series.
“Because you had Mike Tyson, you had the tiger, that already happened in the movie. So I asked Todd, I said ‘what do you think about Mr. Chow jumping out naked?” he said.
As soon as Phillips heard the suggestion, he immediately made Jeong sign a “nudity write-up” where it was written that he “couldn’t change my mind to do it.” Interestingly, such genius idea is contrary to what Jeong really is in reality.
“In real life, I don’t even like taking my shirt off to go to the beach. I’ll wear those tight skinned like swim shirts when I go.”
Nonetheless, it’s obvious that Jeong didn’t regret his random suggestion to Phillips years back.
He Reflects on His Early Days in Comedy
Elsewhere in the interview, Jeong reflected on his first time doing comedy. As recalled by him, he had his first ever funnyman stint through an open mic.
“It was an open mic. I brought 20 friends, did well, performed next week, brought no friends and bombed. So, I distinctly remember that. And I stayed in medicine for 10 more years,” he said.
According to Jeong, it “broke” him that he failed to do very well during his second try. Nevertheless, those live performances with only one mic as the weapon had made him strong over the years.
“When you do well, you feel like a million bucks. When you bomb, you broke. Emotionally and financially,” he said.
Currently, The Masked Singer panel judge is promoting satirical comedy film  Fool’s Paradise. The same is Charlie Day’s directorial debut. Its storyline follows a down-on-his-luck publicist who has gotten his lucky break when he discovers a mute man recently released from a mental health facility.
