Ali Wong says ‘the hardest part of the divorce’ was dealing with his mother’s reaction

Ali Wong has opened up about his mother’s reaction to her divorce from Justin Hakuta in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

The 40-year-old comedian recalled that it was particularly difficult to break the news to her mother, who took a long time to deal with the separation of her daughter from her ex-husband.

The performer, who was spotted hanging out with Hakuta last month, announced she would be divorcing her husband in April.

Wong began by expressing that she didn’t anticipate the news of her separation would affect both her public and personal life.

“I didn’t expect the announcement to be so widespread, but by far the hardest part of the divorce was my mother’s reaction,” she said.

The Always Be My Maybe star then recalled that her mother didn’t want her daughter to divorce.

The comedian said that “she looked me in the eye and said, ‘Can you just wait for me to die? “She was literally asking me not to live a life for me. But she’s 82, what should I expect?

Wong went on to remark that “it was always very difficult to deal with all his fear of the shame it would bring him.”

The actress also said that after news of her separation circulated in China- and Vietnam-centric newspapers, her mother was contacted for comment by multiple sources and was able to resolve her issues.

The performer recalled that she died a million deaths in one day, then woke up the next day and said to herself, “I survived”.

Wong also said that his mother was very close to his former son-in-law, stating that “she still sees Justin a ton.”

The actress then remarked that she and Hakuta remained on good terms after their separation and were in constant contact.

“We’re really, really close; we are best friends. We’ve been through so much together. It’s a very unconventional divorce,” she said.

Wong and her former husband first met at a mutual friend’s wedding in 2010 and began dating shortly after they first met.

The couple then held a wedding ceremony in 2014 and her ex became their tour manager.

The former couple welcomed a seven-year-old daughter named Mari in 2015, and they added another five-year-old daughter named Nikki to their family two years later.

The two finally announced they had separated after eight years of marriage in April last year.

The actress then began a short-lived relationship with Bill Hader which ended amicably after just a few months.