Truth in comedy: How Chinoy comedian Ansis Sy uses jokes to talk about real life
Just like actors, comedians can't help but use their experiences to inspire their work. Comedian and content creator Ansis Sy, for instance, takes a bit of his family with him whenever he puts on his Chinoy "Auntie" gear—a wig and a floral house dress—to impart practical haggling tips to his followers.
He does it so effortlessly, but it's easy to forget that when he steps offstage or ends his social media videos, he also stops being "Auntie" and reverts to quiet, introverted Ansis.
"A lot of people are surprised when they meet me in person. My persona is so different online [from] real life," Sy told PhilSTAR L!fe. "I've always been a quiet person."
While there is nothing wrong with choosing silence over talking nonstop, Sy saw it as an insecurity. Luckily for his thousands of social media followers, he used the self-doubt to forge his way down the comic path. And Philippine social media has never been the same since.
Branching out
Before the pandemic, Sy enjoyed watching local improv group SPIT Manila. That experience lit a fire in him, inspiring him enough to enroll in classes in 2018.
"Nag-enroll ako sa Third World Improv with the objective na gusto ko lang mag-come out of my shell. Gusto kong hindi masyadong maging tahimik," Sy said.
The classes did their job, but not quite.
"Parang feeling ko, tahimik pa rin ako. Hindi siya 'yung naging gateway ko para maging loud or maging extrovert," said Sy.
He was right. When PhilSTAR L!fe spoke to him, fully expecting to laugh at jokes every two minutes, we encountered someone who listened politely to our questions, replied, then stopped talking when he was done. As fellow introverts, we completely understood.
"Pero through those improv classes, doon ko na-discover na, 'Ah well, pwede. Kaya ko palang magpatawa and kaya ko mag-perform and kaya ko mag-comedy onstage,'" he added.
Until 2020, Sy continued doing improv. But he wanted to do more. In his journal, he wrote that one of his goals for 2020 was to try stand-up comedy. Then COVID shut down the world, delaying Sy's dream for three years.
He was ready in 2023. To whet his appetite, Sy participated in an open-mic night with Comedy Manila. He had to prepare three minutes of original material. So he dug deep and made jokes about what he knew best: being Chinese and being gay.
After his set, he was booked immediately for a Pride show that June.
Having reached his improv and stand-up comedy goals, one more remained: In 2024, Sy decided he would produce more online content. His TikTok account up until that point just had reels of him dancing.
"So when I started, I was just experimenting. I started doing Chinoy jokes, and that's when [my content] became viral," Sy said.
The Chinoy in him
Followers of Sy's social media are familiar with his online alter ego. "Auntie" is a daster-wearing Chinese woman who has practical advice for everything—from haggling, to the use of liniments, to Spanish lessons—which she often gives with a sneer and buckets of sarcasm.
Did you know Auntie is based on a composite of real people?
"A lot of Auntie, the character, is inspired by my grandma, my aunt, and, of course, my mom, too. All my other aunts and uncles from both sides of the family," Sy said.
Because his Auntie act covers a lot of stereotypical Chinoy traits, Sy was initially worried that his sources of inspiration, including the wider Chinoy community, would be offended. His anxiety was unfounded.
"The Chinoy community is so happy that they're seeing themselves online. Even my parents are happy," said Sy. "I think as long as they see their child successful in whatever field, they're happy."
Seeing their son earn a steady income from his content creation and comedy work was a big factor in his parents' happiness, too. They'd ingrained in him a few simple rules: Go to a good school and take up a practical course so you can find a good job after graduation.
So then Sy went to Ateneo de Manila University and got a bachelor's degree in what is unofficially known as one of the most difficult courses in the university: management engineering.
Now, despite his success with his comedy work—online and offline—Sy still maintains his virtual assistant work for one client.
When the content resonates
Apart from family members, Sy also uses his own experiences as content. His gay jokes are spot-on because he bases them on his own life.
Coming out to his parents was not as eloquent as we might imagine it would have been.
"I remember I came out to my parents because I had my first boyfriend then. It wasn't planned. I just told them I had something to tell them. But then I couldn't say the word bakla or gay. Umiyak lang ako. It was my mom who said, 'Sa tingin mo ba hindi ka lalaki?'" Sy recalled.
"They were not super accepting. But hindi rin naman sila galit. My dad just said, 'Baka magbabago ka pa. Ayaw mo bang magkaroon ng kasama habambuhay? O na may mag-alaga sa 'yo pagtanda mo, 'pag nagka-anak ka?'" he continued.
It was during the pandemic that his parents finally, categorically told him, "Yes, we accept you as gay," during an argument.
Serving as fuel for his content, Sy's jokes about growing up Chinoy have been a great comfort to his community and even people outside of it, who see loved ones in his stories.
"After shows, some people would approach me and they would say that Auntie is like their parents. Or some would tell me they're grateful for my gay content because their daughters are gay, too, and Chinese," said Sy.
Although his family belongs to the part of the Chinoy community who don't really celebrate Chinese New Year with all the traditional trimmings, Sy's content is proof that he is still deeply in touch with his family's roots.
And that is why his content often goes viral—Ansis Sy, a.k.a. Auntie, finds the funny side of things by talking about the truth.