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Jesse Appell, an American comedian in China, shares his 'cross-cultural journey' in new memoir

WBUR

Published September 16, 2026 at 11:04 AM CDT

The cover of "This Was Funnier in China" by Jesse Appell. (Courtesy of Avid Reader Press)

Jesse Appell is an American who mastered Mandarin Chinese, started a standup comedy career in both English and Mandarin while living in Beijing and tours the world performing in both languages. His social media posts have more than 500 million views.

He now also has a robust tea business that sells Chinese teas worldwide.

We first met Jesse when he was back home in Newton, Massachusetts, during the pandemic, raising funds for the people of Wuhan, China.

Now, he has a memoir, “This Was Funnier in China: An American Comedian’s Cross-Cultural Journey.” He recently caught up with Robin Young.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.