Ken Jeong has been in enough hit movies and TV shows to recognize a legit viral smash when he sees one. That’s why during a visit to The Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday morning (March 10) the Masked Singer judge could not have more positive things to say about his small, but pivotal role as Bobby, the high-energy manager of fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix in the Netflix megahit KPop Demon Hunters.
“No words, it is the gift that keeps on giving,” Jeong said of the 2025 animated film that has racked up more than 500 million views to date, making it Netflix’s most-watched original title of all time. “I’m just but like a very, very grateful small part … I’m real life Bobby, because I play the band’s manager, Bobby, in the movie,” he said. “And in real life, every time I see them, I’m just like, ‘I love my girls!’ Like I’m just so happy. I’m happier for their success more than mine. It’s their moment, and like the song goes, they’re going up, up, up.”
Jeong said he truly loves everyone he worked with on the film and admitted that he had no clue it was going to blow up into such a major pop culture phenomenon. “When you do any project, whether you’re going in for an album or a movie, it’s all about the work,” he said. “You just do your job and hope for the best. It just happens to be one of those rare moments in life where you do your job enough in different projects and you get used to doing it and sometimes it literally hits gold.”
Jeong admitted to being “terrified” dressing up as Bobby on The Masked Singer earlier this year to sing the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Golden” with co-host Rita Ora from atop a towering platform on the show, then stuck around to play a special piano tribute to his friend of 17 years and former Community co-star Joel McHale. Spoofing “Golden,” he sang, “He’s going down, down, down/ It’s Joel’s moment/ You know he’s overrated/ That’s what I think of Joel” before busting into another playful original about his other Masked Singer pal, Robin Thicke.
Watch Jeong talk KPop Demon Hunters on The Jennifer Hudson Show below.
