Ali Wong Credits Ex-Husband for Being Able to Be a ‘Non-Traditional’ Mom
Ali Wong is grateful for the support she has in her life — especially since it allows her to lead a “non-traditional” lifestyle.
The comedian, 42, spoke with InStyle for their newest cover story, opening up about the village she leans on as she parents her daughters Nikki Alex, 6, and Mari Justin, 8. Wong, who divorced her ex-husband Justin Hakuta in 2022, shares with the outlet that she has the support of a few key people as she balances motherhood with her comedy career.
“For someone like my mother, I think it can be challenging, because she’s 84, you know? In her time, you weren’t really supposed to live a life for yourself,” Wong explains to InStyle of parenting her daughters while pursuing her career. “It was all about sacrificing and servicing everyone else before you.”
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Although Wong says she’s never cared much about what others think, she’s often worried about letting others down — specifically her mother.
“It’s mostly because of her and the father of my children that I’ve been able to do everything I do, but it’s also because of her that I sometimes struggle with being ‘non-traditional,’ ” Wong shares.
She also credits her financial success for allowing her to do it all. “I was so fortunate that by the time I was going on tour, like, my first big tour, I had the means to pay for my kids to come with me,” she says.
Last December, Wong, 41, filed for divorce from her husband of seven years, citing “irreconcilable differences” in documents obtained by PEOPLE. The pair were stated to have a prenuptial agreement in place. At the time, Wong was seeking joint legal and physical custody of their two children.
In March 2023, Wong spoke with The Hollywood Reporter and discussed what it had been like having her two daughters on tour with her.
“Taking kids on the road is so beautiful. It’s the opposite of film and television where I’m just gone all day,” she explained.
“It’s a really fun family adventure because basically at night I’m performing, and then during the day, we go on adventures to the children’s museum or the gardens or we see family friends. It’s really cool that they’ve seen so much of America.”
She also expressed the importance of being present in her girls’ lives as she balanced performing at night with caring for her daughters.
“Every single morning I make my kids lunch. I pick them up every day after school. And I go out every night and do a set,” she said.