Bobby Lee

Background

Bobby Lee Jr. was born in San Diego, California, to Korean-American parents. His mother is Jeanie Lee and his father is Robert Lee. He also has a younger brother, Steve. The two brothers were brought up in Poway, California. Lee was a student of Painted Rock Elementary School, Poway High School, and Twin Peaks Middle School. In high school, Lee decided to join a breakdancing group.

He moved out of home at 18 and attended Palomar College but eventually dropped out. During this time, while working in various coffee shops and restaurants in California’s San Diego area, Lee decided to pursue a career in comedy. However, achieving this dream was not easy, and the coffee shop where he worked went out of business. Undeterred, Lee simply walked next door in the hopes of a job. The establishment was The Comedy Club, then known as La Jolla Comedy Store. Here, Lee worked odd jobs for a couple of months.

During one of the amateur nights at the club, Lee decided to try his luck in stand-up comedy. Interestingly, within one year of doing regular stand-up sets, he managed to strike gold, and comics Carlos Mencia and Pauly Shore offered Lee to open for their shows. Following this accomplishment, he began to perform regularly at L.A.’s The Comedy Store, owned by Pauly Shore’s mother, Mitzi. That said, his parents wanted him to work on their family business and were unsupportive of Lee’s comedic pursuits. In fact, during the early years of his career in stand-up, his parents rarely spoke to him. However, his familial equation took a turn for the better when he appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Following his appearance on the show, Lee’s father called him and enquired if he paid to be on the show. He also apologized for not being supportive of his dreams. Today, Lee stands tall as an accomplished actor, comedian, and podcaster, with a plethora of films, music videos, and TV shows to his credit.