Atsuko Okatsuka: I Was Kidnapped and Brought to the U.S.

Atsuko Okatsuka (stand-up comedian) joins us in studio to discuss her “Scooby-Doo” brand of comedy, her parents meeting on a Japanese dating show, and how her mom’s schizophrenia impacted her childhood. She opens up about why it’s difficult for her to identify her own needs, how navigating the uncertainty of her childhood led her to disordered eating, and rebelling against her family with her first romantic relationship. Atsuko also explains first bonding with her husband over his own mother’s schizophrenia diagnosis and their recent, hilarious discovery that they were not actually legally married. She considers her blind optimism and love of people as a result of her upbringing, Margaret Cho’s influence on her comedy and career, the origins of her distinctive hairstyle, and living at the complicated intersection of different Asian cultures.