Ken Jeong turned real-life doctor when a woman collapsed at one of his live comedy shows
Ken Jeong of "The Hangover" fame proved that he's the real "Dr. Ken" (his sitcom) when he tended to a woman who needed medical attention during one of his live comedy performances over the weekend. He leaped off the stage to help out the damsel in distress.
Ken was performing at Stand up Live Comedy Club in Phoenix on Saturday evening when a woman in his audience needed medical help, his publicist, Michelle Margolis, confirmed to USA Today. The famed actor did not think twice about stopping his performance abruptly and jumped to help her, according to witnesses present at the event.
The woman in question began having a seizure in the third row when the comedian had barely started his performance, reported TMZ. At the time, the star thought he was being heckled but soon realized that the situation was more serious than he thought. Allegedly, Dr. Ken cleared the area and examined her health until paramedics arrived at the scene. An audience member, who reportedly is an EMT, also stayed with the distressed individual until the paramedics took over.
Before leaving the venue with the responding medics, the woman was reportedly back on her feet and able to walk. In no time, Jeong reportedly got back on stage and got the audience laughing once again.
“He couldn’t see what was going on with the lights,” audience member Heather Holmberg told USA Today. “He was playing with them from the stage for a second, and it was like, ‘No, no, no. We need you!’ He realized there was an issue, and he came over. It was a moment where time stands still. Someone was having a crisis. There was a hush over the room.”
Best known for his role as gangster Leslie Chow in The Hangover trilogy, the doctor got a huge round of applause when he resumed the show. Holmberg also praised Jeong’s heroic act in a tweet:
“A woman had a medical emergency during the show. Ken thinks its heckling, when people are asking for his help. He jumps off stage to assist. An EMT helped, too,” she wrote. “Then on with the show! Great night! He is gracious and grateful…AND flipping funny!”
Jeong played the title character in ABC sitcom, Dr. Ken, that he wrote based on his own experiences as an intern.
It is obvious that if you're a patient vulnerable to certain medical conditions, Jeong's shows are a safe bet to attend as the comedian began his career as a real-life doctor. Ken graduated in 1990 from Duke University and subsequently earned a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine five years later, thereby morphing into the real-life Dr. Ken. A proud father, Jeong has two 10-year-old twin daughters with his wife, Dr. Tran Ho, named Alexa and Zooey.
But it is unlikely that the actor will ever resume his medical career any time soon.
Jeong is a licensed physician in the state of California, although he no longer practices in the field. His roles in "The Hangover" and the TV show "Community" led him to pursue acting for a number of years until now. Having said that, on Saturday, Ken proved to the world that he is as genuine as one could get.
The actor continues to voice Dr. Yap in the animated comedy series Bob's Burgers and currently has seven projects in various stages of production.