Mexican Armenian comedian Jack Jr. finds a path to success roasting both his cultures

A birthday, a graduation and a homecoming each rolled into one.

That’s the feeling comedian Jack Assadourian Jr. — amended known arsenic Jack Jr. — gets erstwhile helium pulls up to the Alex Theatre successful Glendale, a landmark awash successful renovated Art Deco glitz, its agleam marquee popping with neon magic days earlier helium tapes the biggest drama peculiar of his career. As a section kid increasing up adjacent the theater, helium would locomotion by and look successful awe astatine the 1,400-seat venue that showcased vaudeville performances erstwhile it opened successful 1925. He ne'er dreamed that 1 time he’d beryllium capable to bring a sold-out assemblage of mostly Armenians and Mexicans unneurotic to laughter astir themselves without a combat breaking retired — a feat that could lone beryllium accomplished by 1 of the city’s autochthonal sons.

“This is my hometown, I went to simple schoolhouse here, I was calved successful Glendale,” helium said. “What amended mode to travel backmost location afloat ellipse and sprout a peculiar astatine a theatre wherever I utilized to locomotion by arsenic a kid and go, ‘Wow, what is this?’”

After a beingness moving astatine his parents’ drama club, the HaHa successful North Hollywood, and producing drama shows since 2013, Assadourian said he’s yet starting to marque bully connected his pursuit to beryllium heard with a dependable that’s authentically his. For a agelong time, helium thought being a biracial comic meant helium had to take betwixt his mother’s Mexican practice and his father’s Armenian roots successful bid to find an audience. But connected May 17, astatine his unrecorded peculiar taping, Assadourian’s hr of drama volition pat into some parts of his inheritance arsenic good arsenic his unsocial position arsenic a kid who grew up immersed successful the little glamorous broadside of the drama business.

L.A. comedian Jack Jr. has a stand-up drama peculiar that riffs connected his Armenian and Mexican heritage.

(Emil Ravelo / For The Times)

“I privation radical to cognize my story,” helium said during meal astatine Frida successful Glendale astatine (where else?) the Americana. “I’m not a spoiled small kid whose parents ain a drama club. I was a kid whose dada told maine I had to enactment scrubbing dishes, cleaning floors. So, aft the past 16 years of maine doing stand-up comedy, this is similar my graduation.”

Assadourian, who turns 40 conscionable 2 days earlier the peculiar taping , said helium grew up precise Mexican, chiefly raised by his grandma connected his mother’s side. “My Armenian broadside wasn’t truly contiguous due to the fact that they were successful Lebanon and Beirut, and Armenians are scattered each implicit antithetic countries due to the fact that of the genocide,” helium said, referring to the Armenian genocide of 1915. His father, Jack Sr., came to the U.S. successful 1975 and joined his mother, Tere, who was calved successful Mexico, and his household chiefly spoke Spanish astatine home.

When helium got older, Jack Sr. enrolled his lad successful an Armenian backstage schoolhouse truthful helium could larn the connection and the culture. But erstwhile helium started doing comedy, Jack Jr. inactive favored his Mexican side. He was inspired by comics similar Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Felipe Esparza and galore others.

“As a kid, you’re ever kinda told to prime a side,” helium said of his dual ethnicity. “I ever got asked, ‘What’s your past name?’ and I said, ‘Assadourian,’ and radical said, ‘Then that means you’re Armenian, not Mexican.’ So it was hard to beryllium both.”

Unable to execute during the COVID-19 pandemic, Assadourian spent clip astatine location penning much Armenian-influenced material. When lockdown lifted, helium started hosting a Middle Eastern drama nighttime that rapidly recovered enactment from a unrecorded assemblage and connected societal media.

He said helium precocious learned however to harvester the Mexican and Armenian jokes. “When you spell to my shows, present you spot Armenians and Mexicans — these are cultures that hated each different erstwhile I was successful precocious school. They would bushed each different up. They weren’t allowed to day each other. I’m making this full caller [angle for my comedy], which is crazy.”

L.A. comedian Jack Jr. (Emil Ravelo / For The Times)

Last year, helium sold retired 3 headlining gigs astatine L.A.’s biannual Netflix Is a Joke Festival — 2 shows astatine the Belasco Theater and 1 astatine the Bourbon Room. He’ll beryllium performing connected a national, 18-city headlining circuit and is adjacent readying a amusement successful Yerevan, Armenia, successful July astatine the Hard Rock Cafe. He present plans to mentor respective up-and-coming comics, conscionable similar Fluffy guided him erstwhile helium was younger.

“If I tin assistance different comics get seen by agents oregon managers, I wanna help. I’m really managing 3 different comedians close now,” helium said. “I emotion the concern broadside of this and helping people, and it’s bully karma arsenic well.”

Though he’s present a seasoned roadworthy comedian, helium gets the biggest laughs astatine home, performing astatine section Glendale venues similar the Brandy, wherever helium hosts monthly pop-up Armenian Mexican drama dinners with his cook pal, Armenian nutrient contented creator Ara Zada, moving retired his caller material. It’s that section assemblage that’s present supporting him by showing up to battalion the Glendale landmark helium utilized to locomotion by successful amazement arsenic a kid.

“To person that unit is simply a welcomed challenge, I emotion it,” helium said.

As for what lies up aft the peculiar wraps, his dreams stay arsenic large and agleam arsenic the Alex marquee.

“This twelvemonth is gonna unfastened doors,” helium said. “I consciousness similar I’m gonna hook thing big.”

Jack Jr. performs astatine the Alex Theatre (special taping) at 8 p.m. on May 17. Tickets and info are disposable here.