Ken Jeong Celebrates The Newest Character On 'Sesame Street'

Actor Ken Jeong is pretty pleased with “Sesame Street!”

The judge of Fox’s musical guessing game show “The Masked Singer” and host of Fox’s “I Can See Your Voice” has long been an advocate for Asian-American rights. He is also well-known for playing Leslie Chow in “The Hangover” film series, as well as Ben Chang on the NBC sitcom “Community.”

Only a week after Olympic gymnast Sunisa Lee revealed that she was the victim of a racist attack when she was allegedly pepper-sprayed in Los Angeles while filming “Dancing With The Stars,” the popular children’s show “Sesame Street” revealed that they were going to add a new character to increase Asian-American diversity.

Ji-Young is a new character on “Sesame Street.” The Korean-American puppet will make her debut on Thursday, November 25, during a special show titled “See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special.”

The special will feature numerous celebrity guests, including Naomi Osaka, Padma Lakshmi, and Simu Liu all coming together to celebrate diversity.

The 7-year-old puppet’s name has two meanings. “Ji” means smart or wise, whereas “Young” translates to “courageous and strong.” However, “ji” also can mean “sesame” which makes the name extremely appropriate.

In addition to enjoying playing guitar and soccer, Ji-Young will also share with her new friends some of her Korean heritage, including her favorite food: a chewy rice cake called tteokbokki.

Ken Jeong shared a screenshot of a Twitter post from The Associated Press announcing the news of the first-ever Asian-American puppet, alongside the caption “This is amazing” and three red-heart emojis.

Many fans echoed his statement, writing “LOVE” and “AMAZING” and showering the post with more red-heart emojis.

Still, other fans were surprised that it took so long. “Long overdue,” one fan wrote.

“FIRST EVER?” one fan asked. “This show has been around FOREVER.”

“Oh well this is so lovely,” another fan wrote. “Sesame Street just making me happier and happier that I had it growing up. Love this so much.”

The increased diversity on “Sesame Street” is a result of the Sesame Workshop’s “Coming Together” initiative, which was started in 2020. They are not only committed to including diversity for viewers on-screen, but they have pledged to increase diversity behind the camera as well.

In a statement, executive vice president of creative and production for the workshop, Kay Wilson Stallings, announced that “Today, we uphold [Sesame Workshop’s] mission by empowering children and families of all races, ethnicities and cultures to value their unique identities.”

She added that the new Thanksgiving Day special “continues ‘Sesame Street’s’ proud legacy of representation with an engaging story that encourages empathy and acceptance.”

“Sesame Street” is now available to stream on HBO Max and PBS Kids. The special will also be available on Sesame Street's YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram channels.