What Kind Of Doctor Is Community's Ken Jeong In Real Life?

He's been entertaining fans for years, but Ken Jeong is much more than a guy who knows how to wisecrack. He's a gameshow panelist, a comedian, and — as of very recently — the recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

But not only is he mega talented, he's also improved lives as a practicing doctor who continues to keep his license up to date, though he's too busy in the entertainment world to do much with his medical degree. His previous profession provided him with a sitcom plot, and his comedy chops have helped him attain all sorts of gigs beyond the examination room. Does Ken Jeong still practice medicine — or indeed, does he still want to? How did he become famous as an actor, and what has he been up to since "Community" went off the air? Here's a primer that will catch you up on Jeong's backstory and all of his latest antics. 

Ken Jeong became a household name in the 2000s, but he's been acting and doing stand-up comedy since the 1990s. He moved from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 1995 to pursue his dream. Although he began with dramatic roles in "Crossing Jordan" and "The Shield," he also appeared in many comedies, such as "Two and a Half Men." His big break finally arrived with the memorable role of Dr. Kuni in "Knocked Up," which led to more work via "The Hangover," where he played the deliciously wicked Mr. Chow (a part he went on to play in both sequel films). From Chow's SUV, he rose to "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," where he played Jerry Wang. Then he became former Spanish professor Señor Chang in "Community." 

It was his time at Duke University that urged Jeong to join the acting game. "By the time fall semester sophomore year rolled around, I was just like, 'Maybe I'll just try an intro to acting course.' Once I took that acting class, it was immediate. I was in love with acting, in love with comedy, no doubt. I was smart enough to be a critical thinker and just, 'What are my chances?' and that it would be frustrating. So, I was weighing all these pros and cons. It wasn't just following your gut and your dream. It was really also applying critical thinking as well. It was hard, but again, I was only 18. It was really, really tough," he admitted to the Duke University Magazine. Jeong is so loyal to Duke he still does alumni activities with the university. 

What sort of physician is Ken Jeong? According to multiple statements and his Duke University interview, Jeong has a degree in general medicine. That means he is an internist. He got his sheepskin from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine after graduating from Duke. 

Jeong then went to New Orleans to complete a residency rotation. He was on track to become your everyday physician specializing in adult medicine when fate came knocking. He continued to do stand-up while working his day job as a doctor-to-be. After receiving kind words from a producer, everything changed, and he soon found himself sparring with superstars onscreen instead of taking blood samples and reading test results. 

"During the day, I was a doctor, At night, you know, I was a comic. And it was really just to let off some steam. It became like golf, you know, in many ways. Most doctors have golf as a hobby. Mine was doing comedy," he explained to NPR. And he definitely needed that release, if his description of the intensity with which he practiced medicine is anything to go by.

Despite Ken Jeong's career in comedy, one thing is for sure: He definitely didn't bring his sense of humor into the examination room while he was practicing as a doctor. "I always hated that trope, laughter is the best medicine. No, medicine is the best medicine. I hated the 'Patch Adams' arc of going 'you've got herpes, but I've got your nose!'" he told People Magazine. 

He further explained, "I was so intense as a doctor, and I was always stressed out, patients were surprised I did stand-up comedy on the side." To NPR, he admitted, "I was hardcore. I wanted to make sure I did my job right. I worked hard at it."

This committment to excellence is something that he carried over from his work as a doctor into the world of entertainment. When Hollywood came calling, Jeong brought that kind of attention to detail to his acting roles. But although he's now a successful actor and comedian, he continues to keep a toe in the medical world.

While Ken Jeong keeps his physician's license current, he is not currently practicing medicine. "Honestly, it's more of a reminder of where I came from. I'm not actively practicing. I don't have a desire to actively practice. It's a hard-won skill, and it's just a reflection of that, to me, more than anything," he said of keeping his license current in Duke Magazine. When asked what, if anything, he missed about practicing medicine actively, he told Talent Recap, "I miss the patients. I miss the patient care. I don't miss the hours. Every physician, they're working every other holiday. It's real work. But I do miss connecting."

Jeong told People Magazine that his wife still works as a doctor and he has a lot of doctor friends, so he has connections to the medical world. But he's naturally quite busy with his acting career — which, interestingly enough, has occasionally required him to apply a bit of his medical knowledge to fictional circumstances.

Once "Community" closed up shop, Ken Jeong took on a large variety of on-screen and voiceover roles. First, he played a version of himself in the ABC sitcom "Dr. Ken," which ran for two seasons. He played AJ in "Ride Along 2," as well as Wye Mun Goh in "Crazy Rich Asians," the latter of which provided him with his favorite filming day ever. He was Gene in three episodes of "Fresh off the Boat" and Feng during Season 1 of AppleTV+'s "The Afterparty." He's slated to return as Ben Chang in the "Community" movie, and he also had a starring role in Charlie Day's directorial debut, "Fool's Paradise." 

When it comes to voiceover roles, Jeong continues to regularly play Toyman for various DC Animated projects. He voiced Cooper in "Wonder Park" and its spin-off series, played Mr. Chang in Nickelodeon's "The Casagrandes," and has recurred as Dr. Yap on "Bob's Burgers." 

Jeong's other big project has him acting as a judge for Fox's celebrity game show, "The Masked Singer." He continues to avoid classification, working in both live-action and animated projects, as well as both reality and scripted television. He's one of the busiest men in the entertainment field — and sports the kind of work ethic any doctor would dream of.