Las Vegas headliner holds nothing back in off-Strip residency

We’ve heard the phrase, “Buying some time.” Jiaoying Summers has actually done it.

Summers began her comedy career in 2019, not so long ago in a culture brimming with veteran stand-ups. But she has quickly become a busy club comic, launched her own podcast and just released her first concert special, “What Specie Are You” on Hulu and Disney+ over the weekend.

Summers headlines a monthly residency of that title at Tuscany’s Copa Room, returning 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and again Dec. 17.

The 35-year-old headliner grew up in China, during the country’s one-child policy period, and immigrated to the U.S. to study finance and theater at the University of Kentucky. She moved to L.A. to pursue acting and a career in comedy.

The young comic wasn’t getting invaluable experience she needed for a solid club act. So she bought the club.

“I realized that there’s not enough stage time for me to become great, so I bought a comedy club in Los Angeles, literally two weeks after I started comedy,” Summers said, referring to Hollywood Comedy Club on Melrose Avenue in L.A. “I still own the club. I actually just expanded into another room.”

Summers also bought the Pasadena Comedy Club. “I lost the Pasadena club to my ex-husband, so he took it, and the next day he just tore it down. Whatever. I still have the Hollywood Club, which is great.”

A finance background is handy in show business. Comics at the club buy time for the stage, a self-investment in career, akin to a show four-walling a venue.

“I was hosting open mics 10 hours a day to get better at my craft,” says Summer, who self-produced her stand-up special. “That was the big difference. I put in the stage time that most people can’t.”

The result is Summers tours club and theater-size venues. She recently made history as the first Chinese comedian to perform at the iconic Apollo Theatre in New York, during the sold-out New York Comedy Festival in November 2023.

“When I started touring I was doing really well in New York,” Summers says. “And, these guys slowly started to respect me. It was because I was selling tickets. The clubs, they don’t give a f—- if you are funny. If you sell tickets, they are going to book you.”

Summers has a strong Las Vegas connection. Her godmother lives at the Waldorf Astoria on the Strip. “She’s a Korean lady, and we get along great,” Summers says. “She’s a rich lady, so she takes care of me, feeds me, pampers me. She likes me. My mom hates me. So I’m happy I have a nice Korean mom who is richer and cooler than my mom.”

Summers has grown her audience on social media, selling out the Copa Room after earlier stints at Laugh Factory at the Tropicana. Her online fanbase has exceeded 4 million followers. Her “Tiger Mom” podcast boasts 475,000 subscribers. Her TikTok bits include a stretch of roasting English names through translations in Chinese.

“Your name means ‘stubborn,’” she says. “So I know you are stubborn.”

“Not so,” I say. “What does your name mean?”

“I am annoying!” she calls back.

“Can we switch those?” I say.

Summers performs as “Uber Karen” under her #uberkaren hashtag, picking up passengers and recording the interactions. It’s one-person crowd work, inside a vehicle. She leans into crowd work on “What Specie Are You?” asking people of their ethnic and cultural backgrounds, career and if the person alongside is a romantic interest. The material is sharp, adult, ignoring boundaries and borders.

Summers lives with bipolar disorder. Performing brings her solace.

“The stage high helps me feel better about myself. I let out all of the things I’m ashamed of,” says Summers, one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch in 2025. “I want my voice to be so big that I would be able to speak for people who have no voice. Empowerment is a big thing for me.”

Summers brings an entire kit of life experiences to the stage.

“This is me, talking about my life growing up in China, being a single mother, dealing with my mom, navigating divorce and career,” Summers says. “It’s me talking life. It is definitely for true comedy lovers. After you watch my special it will be harder to laugh at other comedians, because I go there.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.