This week we are joined by three of the stars of HBO Max’s House of Ho, siblings Judy and Washington Ho and his wife Lesley Ho, to discuss the upcoming second season of the hit reality series. The Kardashians meets Crazy Rich Asians, the series has joined the likes of Bling Empire in featuring affluent Asian American families in the reality TV space. While the first season dealt with sibling rivalry, marital problems and a divorce, the second season sheds some light on Washington’s recovery and sobriety, as well as the family’s growth since its inaugural season in 2020. 

“I saw the success of the Kardashians and thought ‘my family’s pretty interesting, too!’” Washington shared, speaking on the origins of the series. “I had a few friends in Hollywood that were producers, made a few phone calls and they said ‘you might have something here’. Then Crazy Rich Asians came out and showed me that there was a market for this.” 

“I didn’t believe him until the cameras actually showed up!” Judy chimed in with a laugh. “And even after we filmed, I didn’t believe it until I saw the marketing for it on HBO Max. Not all of Washington’s ideas work, but when they work they’re home runs.”

When speaking on the biggest lesson learn, Washington delved into the varying generational and cultural depictions of masculinity and how “vulnerability is courage. Being an Asian male, I thought vulnerability was weakness, but having to be on-camera, being honest, and being your authentic self has really changed my life for the better.”

Season two of House of Ho premieres August 25th with new episodes weekly.