SAN DIEGO — J.R. De Guzman was born in the Philippines and now lives in San Diego. What’s different about him is he tells jokes with an instrument.
"What's a Filipino? Why do they have Spanish last names? Why are there so many Filipinos everywhere? A Filipino here, a Filipino there, look a Filipino under your pillow, there's Filipinos everywhere, hey!," Guzman sings while strumming his guitar inside Carin de Ria, a Filipino restaurant in Encinitas.
Guzman is a local comedian with nearly 600,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram combined. He’s been on a comedy tour across the globe, including Canada, the Philippines, and the U.S.; even selling out two shows at San Diego’s Balboa Theater.
Many of his jokes are inspired by his family, especially his father.
“They are all dentists and I'm the one comedian. I'm the black sheep. My Dad came up to me and said 'J.R., I have a joke for you. My wife; I hate her! That’s it, that’s the joke,'" Guzman laughs.
He hopes his comedy brings more recognition to the Filipino community.
"Shout out to all the Filipinos! There is so much talent in our community, but we are not represented equally to the amount of talent that we have in entertainment and media, so it's important for me to represent our culture," said Guzman.
He believes laughter can unite us all.
"Everybody get a Filipino in your life. Take one home and find one out there. Take it on a family trip. We're the best," Guzman jokes.
He says he will have more surprise pop-up shows around San Diego in the future. Click here for details.
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