Ali Wong is a stand-up comedian who’s best known for her popular Netflix comedy specials. You may also know her from her Netflix rom-com, Always Be My Maybe. As someone who’s received a lot of acclaim for her comedy about her pregnancy and children, Wong isn’t one to shy away from talking about her personal life. Jokes about her husband, Justin Hakuta, have been no exception. But, who is the man behind the jokes? And why are they getting a divorce?
Ali Wong And Justin Hakuta Got Married In 2014
Ali Wong and Justin Hakuta met at a friend’s wedding reception and she was immediately interested in him. Still, the two took it slow and didn’t kiss until their fifth date.
By 2014, the two were ready to get married. At this time, Wong wasn’t anywhere close to reaching her current level of success. He, on the other hand, already had a lot of money (according to his LinkedIn profile, Hakuta graduated from Harvard Business School and is currently the Vice President of Product at GoodRX). So, Hakuta’s family made sure Wong signed a prenuptial agreement before they tied the knot. Despite her jokes about now being her family’s primary breadwinner, Wong is grateful that she signed the prenup.
In her book, Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets and Advice for Living Your Best Life, Wong wrote, “I was very motivated to make my own money, because I signed a document specifically outlining how much I couldn’t depend on my husband. My father always praised ‘the gift of fear,’ and that prenup scared the shit out of me. In the end, being forced to sign that prenup was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me and my career.”
Wong and Hakuta now have two daughters: Mari and Nikki.
Hakuta Is Often A Subject Of Wong’s Comedy
Not everyone would be supportive of being the subject of much of their spouse’s standup comedy. But, Hakuta has always been a good sport. Wong told Ellen DeGeneres, “My husband mans the merch table after [my standup shows.] People think it’s a joke, but my husband, who graduated from Harvard Business School, really is in the lobby after the show slanging Ali Wong tote bags, shower curtains.”
And, Hakuta isn’t just on the sidelines at shows. He always pre-screens Wong’s jokes. She told Health Magazine, “I’ll let my husband veto stuff. It’s not so much about subject choice; it’s about word choice. So no topic is off-limits—it just depends on if I can make it funny.”
Since Wong likes letting her comedy dip into touchy and personal aspects of her life, like her marriage and her painful miscarriage, she always wants to be sure that her work doesn’t hurt Hakuta. In an interview with the New York Times, she explained, “He’s an Asian unicorn; there’s nobody like him… I have to run jokes by him or I lose my marriage,” she said. “That’s not worth a cool joke.”
Wong And Hakuta Are Getting A Divorce
Though Wong and Hakuta appeared to be a perfect match for one another, their relationship was clearly not as it seemed. In April 2022, the couple decided to divorce. According to People, “it’s amicable and they will co-parent lovingly.”
While we don’t know the exact details of their split, it’s clear now that the content of Wong’s latest standup comedy special, Ali Wong: Don Wong, foreshadows the end of their marriage. In the special, Wong jokes about envying single people and fantasizing about cheating on Haktua.
Though Wong later reassured the audience that she loves her Hakuta and doesn’t cheat on him, perhaps there was more truth in her comedy than she initially led on.