Bobby Lee is an American comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster who has a net worth of $1 million. Bobby Lee became famous when he was cast on the FOX sketch comedy series “MADtv,” which he starred in between 2001 and 2009.
Bobby boasts over 80 acting credits, with notable films including “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” (2004), “Kickin’ It Old Skool” (2007), “Pineapple Express” (2008), “Paul” (2011), “The Dictator” (2012), and “The Wrong Missy” (2020). His television roles encompass “Animal Practice” (2012–2013), “Love” (2016–2018), “What Would Diplo Do?” (2017), “Splitting Up Together” (2018–2019), “Magnum P.I.” (2019–present), “Dream Corp LLC” (2020), “Reservation Dogs” (2021–present), and “And Just Like That…” (2021–present).
Beyond acting, Lee created, wrote, and directed the YouTube series “Talking” (2012–2013) and co-hosts the podcasts “TigerBelly” (2015–present) and “Bad Friends” (2020–present). Additionally, he lent his voice to the film “Wish Dragon” (2021) and TV series like “Family Guy” (2009; 2011), “The Awesomes” (2013–2015), “Nature Cat” (2015–2019), and “Inside Job” (2021–2022).
Early Life
Bobby Lee was born in San Diego, California, on September 17, 1971, as Robert Lee Jr. He is the son of Korean immigrants, Jeanie and Robert Lee, who owned clothing stores in Encinitas and Escondido. Unfortunately, Robert died of Parkinson’s disease in 2019.
Raised in Poway, California, Bobby has a younger brother named Steve, who is both a comedian and musician. Steve has hosted the podcasts “Steebee Weebee” and “Scissor Bros” and made guest appearances on “MADtv” alongside Bobby. During his formative years, Bobby attended Painted Rock Elementary School and Twin Peaks Middle School.
While at Poway High School, he was part of a breakdancing team. Bobby revealed that he experienced molestation during his childhood. Following high school, he enrolled at Palomar College but eventually dropped out before completing his degree.
Career
Bobby Lee worked at several cafes and restaurants before pursuing a comedy career. When the coffee shop he worked at closed abruptly in 1994, he “just went next door to get a job, which was The Comedy Store in San Diego.” After working odd jobs at The Comedy Store for several months, Lee attempted stand-up during one of the club’s amateur nights.
In his initial year of performing regular sets at the club, both Carlos Mencia and Pauly Shore invited Bobby to be their opening act. Subsequently, he became a regular performer at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, which was owned by Shore’s mother, Mitzi.
Initially, Bobby’s parents had envisioned him working in the family business and were not initially supportive of his comedic aspirations. However, after his 2002 appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” his father apologized for his previous lack of support and reluctance to endorse Bobby’s comedy career. Since then, he has appeared on many shows in the last 20 years.
Personal Life
Bobby started using marijuana and methamphetamine when he was 12 years old, and by the time he was 15, he had started using heroin. He got sober at the age of 17 after going through three drug rehabilitation programs.
After 12 years of sobriety, Bobby experienced a relapse with Vicodin. His journey to recovery began when he was fired from “MADtv,” and the show’s producer, Lauren Dombrowski, advocated for him. In a December 2019 episode of “TigerBelly,” Bobby disclosed another relapse following his father’s death earlier that year. He subsequently regained sobriety through a stint in rehab. Bobby identifies himself as a recovering alcoholic.
In 2022, Bobby and his girlfriend/”TigerBelly” co-host, Khalyla Kuhn, separated after 10 years of being together. Lee announced the news on “TigerBelly,” stating:
“I just want to announce to everybody that Khalyla and I are no longer together … I want to say that Khalyla is the love of my life, my best friend. She changed my life in so many different ways; she reinvented who I was.”
In May 2023, Lee filed a lawsuit against Wondery following the cancellation of a distribution and ad sales agreement signed with “TigerBelly” in late 2022. Wondery cited a “morals clause,” pointing to a fabricated story from 2013 in which Bobby claimed to have engaged the services of a “young-looking sex worker with tears in her eyes” in Tijuana.
The lawsuit claims that “TigerBelly” did not agree to a morals clause in its Wondery contract and that the firm would have been aware of the Tijuana story before it signed a deal with this podcast.