Who is Ali Wong’s ex-husband and ‘best friend’, Justin Hakuta? The Golden Globe winner and star of Netflix’s Beef is now dating Bill Hader, and shares two daughters with her former spouse
In a video shared on X, the beloved comedian can be seen kissing her current beau Bill Hader before getting up on stage to collect her award – where she chose to thank her ex-husband, Justin Hakuta, for his support throughout the years.
“I really need to thank the father of my children and my best friend Justin for all of your love and support,” the actress said in her speech, “It’s because of you that I’m able to be a working mother.”
So, who is the man who’s been by Ali Wong’s side throughout? Here’s what we know:
Justin Hakuta has impressive educational qualifications
Anyone who has seen Wong’s 2016 Netflix stand-up special Baby Cobra will remember the comedian describing her husband as the ultimate catch thanks to his impressive educational background.
“The first thing I learned about him was that, at the time, he was attending Harvard Business School,” Wong said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to trap his ass. Going to trap his ass!’ And I trapped his ass initially by not kissing him until the fifth date, which is a very unusual move on my part. But I did it on purpose because I knew that he was a catch.”
Besides having an MBA from the prestigious university, Hakuta previously received a Fulbright scholarship to support his field study, NGOs Combating Human Trafficking in the Philippines, according to Carnegie Mellon University’s website.
His father is a famous TV inventor
Hakuta hails from a noteworthy family, as his father was the 80s-famous TV personality and toy inventor Ken Hakuta – aka Dr. Fad – per People. Ken Hakuta became famous for inventing the Wacky Wall Walker toy and was host of the The Dr. Fad Show in the 80s and 90s.
He has two children with Ali Wong
Wong and Hakuta, both 41, share two daughters together, per People. Their first child, Mari, was born in 2015, and they welcomed their second, Nikki, in 2017. The girls occasionally join their mum on work trips.
“Taking kids on the road is so beautiful. It’s the opposite of film and television where I’m just gone all day,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
They’re still best friends
He bears an uncanny resemblance to Ali Wong’s on-screen husband in Beef …
Some netizens have likened Wong’s on-screen husband in Beef George Nakai to her real-life ex and the personal experiences she’s been through. Parallels between Nakai and Hakuta include the fact that they both have Japanese backgrounds, hail from influential families, and that they’re the ultimate “good guys”.
“I truly believe that the character of George Nakai is a very thinly veiled stand-in for Ali Wong’s husband, Justin Hakuta,” explained one Reddit fan. “From having a famous father and seemingly limitless potential when they started dat[ing], to the reality of George and (presumably) Justin becoming dissatisfied stay-at-home-fathers while Amy Lau and Ali Wong were achieving great success in their respective careers, the relationship arc is very similar.”
- Ali Wong made history as the first Asian-American to win best actress in a limited series for her role in Netflix’s hit show Beef at the 81st annual Golden Globes recently
- She thanked her ex-husband in her speech, saying, ‘I really need to thank the father of my children and my best friend Justin for all of your love and support’ – so who is he?