Episode 131 – Who Ordered Tax? TFAL Talks Pinoy Humor (Social Distance Series)

This Filipino American Life

Filipino humor. You know what it is. Super corny one-liners your mom or dad, aunt and uncle might have said. It may be a play on words. May include using an accent. On Filipino TV shows, it may include a high-pitched, solo laugh track. Some Filipino Americans might find it hilarious. Some may not. Non-Filipinos may not get the joke. Some may. Whatever the case, Filipino humor is distinct, tickling the funny bone of so many kababayans everywhere.

In this TFAL episode, the crew dissects what makes Pinoy humor Pinoy. What is the anatomy of Filipino humor? Do other communities laugh when hearing a Filipino joke? Is it only for Filipinos of a certain class? Can Filipino humor manifest in other ways beyond accent jokes, one-liners, or punchlines? We discuss the humor we adopted growing up in Filipino households as well as popular comedians like Dolphy, Tito, Vic, and Joey, Rex Navarrete, and JR De Guzman. We also talk about what we think of Fil Am YouTube comedians and the need for humor to dig a little deeper. Hope you enjoy this episode and share a bit of laughter with one another. With the world in a constant state of crisis, laughter will always get us by.

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

Got any good Filipino jokes? Let us know by leaving a voicemail at (805) 394-TFAL.