Jo Koy reveals 'Eat Bulaga' was his childhood inspiration, comes full circle with own Pinoy variety show

As you may have gathered from the trailers and the teasers, Jo Koy's upcoming Netflix special is different from all his previous ones.

For one, it's all about the Philippines. Second, it's more a variety-slash-travel show than anything.

In a video interview with the press including GMA News Online, Jo Koy said he wanted to showcase the Philippines for his third special "Jo Koy: In His Elements" as a way of giving back to Filipinos.

"How can I highlight the Philippines without shoving it down your throat? I still want to perform, I still want to tell jokes. But I also want to show people what Filipino food looks like, I want to show the people what a jeepney looks like. I want people to hear what Tagalog sounds like. How can I cram that and mash them all together in 59 minutes? A variety special is the best way," he explained.

^{Photo courtesy of Netflix}

He said that when he lived in the Philippines from age 6 to 11, he and his sister would always watch Filipino variety shows.

"Eat Bulaga. I used to watch Tito, Vic, and Joey. Those were my inspirations.  Before I even knew what American style comedy was, Filipino variety shows were my inspiration," he said.

For Jo Koy, he's come full circle now — from watching Pinoy variety shows, to creating a variety show of his own that's all about the Philippines.

"It was inevitable. It was supposed to happen. Now it's my responsibility to make sure that it's hip, make sure that it can get to the mainstream. Hopefully people in Kansas City or Texas will watch it and go, I like that. I need to go visit that country," he said.

Jo Koy's third Netflix special, "In His Elements," is comedy, culture, food, and music, all in one.

The Filipino-American stand up comic had flown to the Philippines in January to film the show.

"Every element of this show is Filipino," he said in the Netflix teaser.

"Jo Koy: In His Elements" is premiering on Netflix on June 12.

—JCB, GMA News