Meet Nancy J Lee | Stand-up Comedian and Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nancy J Lee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nancy J, looking back, what do you think was the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
Leaving LA and putting a pause on my career for an indefinite amount of time after I found out my mom had cancer. I guess the decision wasn’t difficult per se because I didn’t have a second thought about whether I would go be with my mother. However, I was in an amazing place in my career. I had just signed with James Franco’s managers (pre-sexual harassment case of course), I was a series regular on a cartoon with The Wayan’s Brothers, I just shot a David E. Kelley pilot as a series regular, I was in at every major comedy club in Los Angeles, was in a comedy theater group with Randall Park and was doing shows with Ken Jeong and Ali Wong before they became huge. I left it all to be with my mother and I’m so thankful that I did because she died a year later.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think what sets me apart are my ability to be physical on stage, my dance and acting background, and the ability to do some impressions and quite a few accents. I’m like an open sore and edgy at the same time on stage too. I should be on SNL! Getting to where I am now was not easy at all. I’ve always had a part-time bill-paying job that was usually soul-crushing. Sometimes, I’d have 3 jobs at once just to make ends meet. I overcame the challenges by recognizing that “success” is how I define it. I’m happily married to the love of my life whom I respect greatly, I live in a cool city, have dependable, fun friends, am privileged enough to drink Starbucks everyday, and my spiritual foundation is rock solid. Some lessons I’ve learned along the way is that life is not a race. Even though I’ve struggled with envy, I don’t know what kind of hardships those people I envy are going through. Nobody’s life is perfect no matter what you see on social media.

I attribute my self-confidence, self-control, compassion and peace to the fact that I am a Christian. If I didn’t have my faith, I’d probably be in maximum-security prison. I grew up with a lot of abuse and could’ve been a very violent person. But now, I cry easily if my heart is touched by something. I’m grateful to have been healed from my past. There is hope!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Definitely gotta check out Koreatown! I don’t say that just because I’m Korean. It’s one of the most vibrant areas that stay open late in the city. The late night coffee shops and all you can eat Korean BBQ spots are unbeatable! I also love nature so I’d take visitors to Malibu beach and/or hike up Runyon Canyon in case any of them are out of shape LOL. It only takes about 15 minutes uphill to get to a spot you can see almost the whole city. The view is amazing. We’d also go to The Laugh Factory on a Sunday night to watch the “Chocolate Sundaes” comedy show. It’s consistently one of the best comedy shows in all of LA. You might even have a celebrity sighting there!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Cody Woods, has been advocate of my career all along and is a phenomenal stand-up comedian. He gives me great advice for the stage, connects me with bookers, and protects me in all circumstances. His sacrificial love and constant encouragement helps me keep moving forward when I just want to give up at times! He lifts my spirits by cracking me up non-stop and drops truth-bombs left and right so I always see the bigger picture. He makes me thankful that I have a partner in this life when all else fails.

Website: www.nancyjlee.com

Instagram: @theNancyJLee

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/nancy-lee-woods-3a09245a

Twitter: @theNancyJLee

Facebook: @theNancyJLee

Youtube: @theNancyJLee

Other: Tiktok – @theNancyJLee