Asian American Media

Stories that move
the culture forward.

88tumble is LA's home for Asian American voices covering entertainment, food, history, fashion, and the creators shaping what comes next.

Anime Expo 2026

Music

✦ Featured Story

From K-Pop Trainee to World Cup 2026 Anthem: How EJAE Went From “KPop Demon Hunters” to Global Stardom

When the 2026 FIFA World Cup opened at Estadio Azteca, millions saw Korean American EJAE stand beside Andrea Bocelli for the live debut of the tournament's official anthem.

Music

4

July 14, 2026

Read Full Story

Latest Stories

San Diego Asian Film Festival 2026 Runs Nov 4 to 15

The 27th San Diego Asian Film Festival brings more than 160 films from Asia and the diaspora to San Diego, November 4 to 15. Here is why it matters.

Marketing & Business

Wiener vs. Chan: San Francisco's Race for Pelosi's Seat Splits on AI

Scott Wiener and Connie Chan face off November 3 for Nancy Pelosi's seat. On AI and housing, the two Democrats could hardly be further apart.

Bedford Park: Stephanie Ahn's Sundance Debut Gets a March 5 Release

Stephanie Ahn's Sundance-winning debut Bedford Park opens March 5, 2027 from Sony Pictures Classics, after an awards-qualifying December run in New York and LA.

Bricks Thrown at Ohio Hindu Temple During Worship

Someone threw bricks through the windows of a Hindu temple near Cleveland while worshippers were inside. The Hindu American Foundation calls it a possible hate crime.

Remembering Ryo Uchimiya, Nobu Malibu's Sushi Chef of 25 Years

Ryo Uchimiya spent 25 years behind the counter at Nobu Malibu and dreamed of his own restaurant in Long Beach. He was killed on PCH before a shift.

Marketing & Business

New Medicare Advantage Plan Targets Asian American Seniors in LA

Alignment Health's Central Health Harmony plan offers in-language doctors, acupuncture and Asian grocery benefits in Los Angeles and Orange counties from Jan. 1, 2027.

Filipino America Is Growing in the Carolinas

The Filipino American Community of the Carolinas marks 37 years on November 14 in Charlotte, with a focus on handing culture to the next generation.

Asian Americans

Taiwanese Students Harassed at UNC Want More Than a Letter

Men made monkey gestures at a group of Taiwanese students touring UNC. Cameras caught it, police are investigating, and students want transparency.

Relative Strangers: Korean Adoptee Documentary Announced

Emmy-winning filmmaker Deanne Borshay Liem is making Relative Strangers, following six mixed-race Korean adoptees who reunite with birth families.

Sheng Thao Trial Oakland: Ex-Mayor Faces Bribery Allegations

Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and three co-defendants face a federal bribery and fraud trial. Here is what prosecutors allege, what the defense is expected to argue, and who may testify.

42% of Americans Can't Name a Famous Asian American

Asian American representation feels stronger than ever from the inside. The STAATUS Index shows how far it still has to travel to reach everyone else.

Lam's Market Seattle Food Stamp Claim Disputed by Store

An influencer alleges food stamp fraud at a Seattle International District grocery. Lam's Market disputes it, citing its register. Here is what AsAmNews reported and what remains unconfirmed.

ICE Released Bay Area Aide Ho Yin Mo. His Case Isn't Over.

The former KTSF anchor and California legislative aide spent more than two weeks in ICE detention. He is home, but his deportation case continues.

Hawaii International Film Festival 2026 Opens Oct 21

HIFF46 runs Oct. 21 to Nov. 5 on Oahu, with Sung Kang's Drifter as centerpiece and a world premiere marking 50 years since the Kahoolawe Nine landing.

Asian Americans

Washington Medicaid Cuts Hit AANHPI and COFA Families

More than 11,000 immigrants, refugees and asylees in Washington lost Apple Health on October 1. AANHPI and COFA families are among the hardest hit.

Crazy Rich Asians HBO Series Brings Back Original Cast

HBO has ordered an eight episode Crazy Rich Asians series with Henry Golding, Constance Wu and Ronny Chieng returning and Adele Lim as showrunner. No premiere date yet.

DOJ Moves to Strip Citizenship From 12 Asian Americans

The Justice Department filed to revoke citizenship from 40 naturalized Americans, 12 of them Asian American. How denaturalization works and what it signals.

Health & Wellness

Southeast Asian American Wellness Report Centers Elders

SEARAC's Weaving Wellness report, built on 150+ participants, says Southeast Asian American wellness is communal, from story cloths to gardens to community advocacy.

Marketing & Business

Pear Suite's Colby Takeda Is Building Pay for Community Health Workers

Hawaiʻi-raised founder Colby Takeda built Pear Suite to get community health workers paid. It now serves 300,000 members with a network of 3,000 workers in 20 languages.

Filipino American Book Festival San Francisco Turns 8

FilBookFest 8 runs Oct. 17 and 18 at the San Francisco Main Library with panels, signings and readings. Here is what is confirmed, including the SANGGALAN theme and marketplace hours.

Health & Wellness

Chinese Immigrant Elders Are Skipping Meals Over the Public Charge Rule

A new public charge rule took effect in September. Some Chinese immigrant elders are now dropping food stamps and Medicare out of fear, even when they do not have to.

Natalie Nakase, Kaitlyn Chen, Valkyries Head to WNBA Finals

The Valkyries swept the defending champion Aces and face the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals, with Natalie Nakase and Kaitlyn Chen part of the run. Game 1 is Oct. 17.

Netflix's Best of the Best Takes College Bollywood Fusion Seriously

Hasan Minhaj's Netflix film follows a UCLA Bollywood-fusion dance team, a world thousands of South Asian American students know by heart. Here is why it lands.

Stop AAPI Hate: 62% of Hate Acts Now Carry Anti-Immigrant Hostility

Stop AAPI Hate's new report finds anti-immigrant hostility in 62% of anti-Asian hate acts in early 2026, up from 42% in 2023, with threats to call ICE on the rise.

DOJ Says UCLA Law Discriminated Against Asian American Applicants

The Justice Department accuses UCLA School of Law of favoring Black and Hispanic applicants over white and Asian ones. UCLA denies it. Why Asian Americans keep landing in the middle.

Asian Americans

California Creates Its Own AANHPI-Serving College Designation

Newsom signed AB 2374 as Washington winds down federal AANAPISI grants. What the new state designation does for 460,000 AANHPI students, and what it still lacks.

Dylan Harper's Philippine Flag Tattoo and the Filipino NBA Moment

The Spurs guard inked the Philippine flag's sun and stars ahead of his second season, months after he and Jordan Clarkson made Filipino American history in the NBA Finals.

Asian Americans

LA's New Kapwa Square Puts Filipino Panorama City on the Map

Los Angeles opened Filipino American History Month by naming Roscoe and Woodman in Panorama City Kapwa Square. Why that corner, and what a street sign can and cannot do.

Oakland Exhibit Puts You Behind Dorothea Lange's Camera in 1942

At the Oakland Museum of California, BeHere / 1942 lets you look through a replica of Dorothea Lange's camera and watch Japanese American families taken from the same streets.

Ming-Na Wen's Cookbook Is a Love Letter to Pittsburgh's Chinatown

Before Mulan and The Mandalorian, Ming-Na Wen was a restaurant kid at the Chinatown Inn, the last restaurant in Pittsburgh's lost Chinatown. Her cookbook starts there.

The 2030 Census Could Stop Counting Asian Americans by Race

A proposed rule would strip race and ethnicity questions from the 2030 census and stop counting many noncitizens. Comments are open until November 2.

Dolores Sibonga, Seattle's First Councilwoman of Color, Dies at 95

The first Filipina American lawyer in Washington State spent more than a decade on the Seattle City Council and won redress for Japanese American city workers fired in 1942.

Marketing & Business

Kalshi Ads Swapped Asian Creators' Faces for White Ones

Two YouTubers found their own videos running as Kalshi ads, with AI generated white men in their place. What it means for creators, brands and the agencies in between.

Forgotten Island Is a Hit in Manila and a Flop at Home

DreamWorks built Forgotten Island from Philippine folklore and got some of the year's best reviews. It stumbled in the US and broke a record in the Philippines. Here is why that gap matters.

Asian Americans

Lahaina Lost Everything in 2023. Now It Is Sending Aid to Kauai.

Three years after the fire, Lahaina residents collected supplies for Kauai after Hurricane Lowell. Organizers say the harder problem is keeping donors from tiring out.

Netflix's Dang! Was Called Stereotypical Before Anyone Saw It

An August trailer for Netflix's Dang! drew accusations of Asian American stereotypes. Then the show came out, and the reviews argued about something else entirely.

Korean American Owners Brought the Southern Buffet Back to NYC

Good Time Country Buffet serves fried chicken, cornbread and Salisbury steak straight, no Korean twist. The team behind Kisa says that is exactly the point.

San Diego Built an Asian American Dance Festival From Nothing

The second Asian American Dance Festival closes Saturday with a free community day in City Heights. The two choreographers behind it spent decades building what nobody handed them.

The Asian American Writers' Workshop Laid Off Its Entire Staff

The institution whose alumni include Min Jin Lee and Cathy Park Hong is now run by volunteers, with programming paused and its Chelsea office at risk. How AAWW got here.

Marketing & Business

AB 2222: California Could Pay Newsrooms for Every Journalist They Keep

Newsom has until September 30 to sign or veto AB 2222, a refundable tax credit for every journalist a local newsroom employs. For in-language outlets, it could decide who survives.

Plate by Plate LA 2026 Recap: Project by Project at the Petersen

Project by Project turned the Petersen into a tasting gala for a Lincoln Heights tutoring program. Here is who cooked, where the money went, and where Plate by Plate goes next.

JANM Reopens in January With a Gallery Aimed at Right Now

After two years dark, the Japanese American National Museum returns with new galleries that point the incarceration story straight at the present.

Brenda Song Called an NFL Game. Look at Who Else Is in the Booth.

The Hmong and Thai American actor called a quarter of Rams football and got a 100-yard pick six for her trouble. Asian Americans in the booth remain near zero.

Asian Americans

The FBI Logged 189 Anti-Sikh Hate Crimes. It Cannot Count Indian Americans.

The 2025 FBI hate crime data has a counting problem that is not really about undercounting. It is a classification system with no box for Indian Americans.

Lei on Doyers Street Just Won Best New Restaurant in America

A 28-seat wine bar on Manhattan Chinatown's crooked alley took the 2026 James Beard Best New Restaurant award. What that does to the block is complicated.

Asian Americans

ICE Is Working the Airports and Bay Area Immigrants Are Grounded

Arrests at SFO and reports of TSA sharing passenger data have Bay Area Asian immigrant families deciding whether a domestic flight is worth the risk.

CBS Named a Show Cupertino and Cast One Asian American Lead

CBS set a legal drama in a city that is 70 percent Asian American and cast one Asian American series regular. The problem is the role, not the count.

A Retiring Congresswoman Wants CAPAC Gone Before She Leaves

Nancy Mace's resolution would pull federal recognition from CAPAC and the Asian American staff associations. The stakes are hiring, mentorship, and legislation.

Fashion & Beauty

Two Asian Fashion Weeks Open in New York. One Is on the Schedule.

New York Fashion Week runs September 10 to 15 with Prabal Gurung, Bibhu Mohapatra and Sabyasachi on the official calendar. Asian NYFW stages its own showcase on September 12.

Chinatown Night Out 2026: San Francisco's Two Safety Stories

The 12th Chinatown Night Out brings SFPD and more than 20 community groups to a Sacramento Street basketball court on September 9. It also lands in a month of federal enforcement anxiety.

Sacramento's Japanese Bazaar Turned 80. It Started in 1947.

The Buddhist Church of Sacramento's food bazaar began in 1947, after Japanese Americans returned from incarceration to find their homes and farms gone.

Olivia Rodrigo's 'Serena Joy' Went Out on 500 CDs Before Streaming

A track cut from her third album, released on 500 discs at a single Orange County record store, then handed to streaming. The distribution was the statement.

Lea Salonga Gets Her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star After 35 Years

The Hollywood Chamber calls her the first Filipina honoree. The more useful question is what took the industry three and a half decades to get here.

Fashion & Beauty

K-Beauty Is a $4 Billion US Market. Asian Groceries Sold It First.

Morgan Stanley projects K-beauty will hit $4 billion in US sales this year. It moved through Korean American strip mall retailers for two decades first.

TAWA Gateway Is Rebuilding the San Gabriel Valley's Food Map

Eight restaurants have opened at the 99 Ranch-anchored center in San Gabriel since February, several as first US locations. Fourteen tenants are coming.

Plate by Plate Los Angeles 2026: What Your Ticket Actually Funds

Plate by Plate Los Angeles returns to the Petersen Automotive Museum on September 19. Here is the lineup, the ticket tiers, and the East LA tutoring program every dollar goes to.

Ozawa and Thind: The 1920s Cases Still Deciding Who Counts

In 1922 the Supreme Court told Takao Ozawa he was not white. Three months later it told Bhagat Singh Thind the same thing, using the opposite logic.

Marketing & Business

Chan Ho Park's Athletics Stake Is Bigger Than a Celebrity Buy-In

Team61 is putting up to $70 million into the Athletics, with Ken Jeong, Daniel Dae Kim and BTS's Suga among the investors. MLB approval is still pending.

Dallas Asian American Film Festival Opens Its First Edition

The inaugural DAAFF runs August 28 and 29 across three Dallas Arts District museums. Every screening is free, and most of the films were made in Texas.

The Grammy Asian Pop Category Has a Problem BTS Named First

Submissions close August 28. The Recording Academy built a category for Asian pop, BTS refused to enter it, and Asian American artists are stuck in the middle.

Asian Americans

Southeast Asian American Students Are Rising. The Funding Isn't.

Cambodian, Hmong, Lao, and Vietnamese American students are graduating and enrolling at record rates. The institutions that made that happen are the ones being defunded.

Burma TPS Termination Upheld, Leaving 4,000 Facing Deportation

A federal judge cleared the way for DHS to end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 4,000 Burmese nationals. Their work permits are already void.

Asian Americans

The Bill to Bring Deported Southeast Asian Refugees Home Is Stuck

SEADRA would halt deportations of Cambodian, Lao, and Vietnamese refugees and create a return pathway for more than 2,000 already removed. It has 100+ endorsements and no vote.

Alex Eala Won in DC and the Filipino Crowd Was the Story

Eala came back from a set down to beat the top seed. The more durable story is the Filipino American contingent that made a Washington hard court sound like Manila.

Kaitlyn Chen and Natalie Nakase Are the Valkyries' Real Story

The first Taiwanese American drafted into the WNBA plays for the league's first Asian American head coach. They met years earlier on the same Asian American tournament circuit.

Jollibee Is Back on Market Street After Fifteen Years

People lined up the night before for a chain that left San Francisco in 2011. The Market Street opening is a Filipino belonging story set in a downtown the city keeps calling empty.

Sawtelle Japantown Is Not Gentrifying. It Is Getting Denser.

Five openings in eight months on one stretch of Sawtelle Boulevard. The pattern is not a neighborhood being replaced. It is a Japantown absorbing the rest of Asia.

SB19 Just Became the First Filipino Act to Play Lollapalooza

SB19 opened with DAM and went straight into GENTO on the Allianz Stage. No cultural showcase framing, no diaspora sidebar. Just a P-pop group on a Thursday afternoon at Lollapalooza.

Jeremy Lin Stopped Waiting for the Next Linsanity and Started Building a Pipeline

Ten AAPI college players spent four days at Menlo College with Jeremy Lin. Most of it happened off the court, and that is the whole point.

The First Korean American Woman to Serve as US Ambassador to Seoul

Michelle Steel landed at Incheon and opened in Korean. She is the first Korean American woman in the post. The harder question is what diaspora identity does inside a negotiation.

Fashion & Beauty

Kayla Wong Moved Lang Out of Chinatown. What That Trade Costs.

Lang left Chinatown Central Plaza for a 2,000 square foot flagship at ROW DTLA. Kayla Wong built something better. She also left the neighborhood that built her.

Marketing & Business

Heritage Nights Are a Marketing Product. What Does the Community Get?

Seven heritage nights, custom jerseys, block party activations, and a media partner. The Angels have built a real AAPI marketing machine. The question is who it pays.

Asian Americans

More Than Half of AAPI New Yorkers Have Thought About Leaving the City

A new TAAF report on 1,400 AAPI New Yorkers found 55 percent have considered leaving over cost of living, even as 67 percent still call the city a place of opportunity.

Three Years After Lahaina, Maui's Crisis Is Who Can Afford to Stay

The Lahaina anniversary brings retrospectives. The ongoing disaster is quieter: local families priced off Maui entirely, and a state senator trying to build a way out of it.

Mr. Hero Is in Theaters Now: Where to Watch Thai Hoa's New Film

Thai Hoa's Mr. Hero opens across the US and Canada today. Here is what the film is about, what critics said at NYAFF, and where to find showtimes.

Greta Lee Is Leading a Netflix Sci-Fi Thriller and Nobody Is Calling It an Asian American Film

The Last House hits Netflix August 7 with Greta Lee opposite Wagner Moura. Her character's ethnicity is not the premise, and that is a bigger deal than it sounds.

You Have Until August 30 to See the Anna May Wong Exhibit in LA

The Icon: Anna May Wong closes August 30 at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles. Go for the trailblazer story. Stay for the roles she was never allowed to have.

'Beef' Got 16 Emmy Nominations. Everyone Else Got Left Behind.

Season two of Beef pulled 16 Emmy nominations. Across the full 2026 slate, only 18 of 91 acting nominees were Asian, Black, or Latino. Both facts are the story.

Head in the Clouds 2026: KATSEYE Headlines 88rising's Biggest Bet

88rising's festival returns to Pasadena on August 8 with KATSEYE at the top of the bill. The lineup is an argument about who the Asian diaspora audience has become.

The Oldest Asian American Film Festival Turns 49 This Week

The 49th Asian American International Film Festival runs July 30 to August 9 in New York. Its centerpiece is an adoption drama. Its heart is a tribute to a founder.

Mr. Hero: Thai Hoa's Viral Fraud Drama Hits US Theaters August 7

Vo Thach Thao's debut feature reaches North American theaters August 7 after premiering at NYAFF. Thai Hoa plays a father who fakes a rescue to crowdfund his daughter's care.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 Netflix Premiere Date, Cast, and Everything You Need to Know (June 25, 2026)

The live-action adaptation returns June 25 on Netflix with a powerhouse Asian American cast, a fan-favorite new character, and the show's most ambitious arc yet.

Asian Teams at World Cup 2026: Where to See Them Live in the U.S. (Dates, Cities, and Stories)

The 2026 World Cup is a rare moment when Asian national teams become visible on U.S. soil in front of the diaspora communities that have carried them from afar for years.

World Cup 2026 in Los Angeles: Asian Teams, Ethnic Watch Parties, and How Immigrant Communities Are Transforming Soccer Culture

For a metropolis built by immigrants, the World Cup is more than a tournament. It is a rolling family reunion, a chance for people to show where they come from.

Jordan Clarkson Becomes First Filipino-American NBA Champion: What His Knicks Title Means for New York City

Jordan Clarkson's first NBA championship makes him the first Filipino-American player to win an NBA title, arriving as the New York Knicks ended a 53-year championship drought.

Baryo HiFi 2026: When Historic Filipinotown Became the Heartbeat of Filipino Los Angeles

For five hours, Beverly Boulevard was transformed into a barrio, a concert ground, a food market, a fashion runway, a family reunion, and a cultural homecoming all at once.

Inside the 2026 Sweets & Snacks Expo — and Who’s Missing

The 2026 Sweets & Snacks Expo just wrapped at the Las Vegas Convention Center. North America's largest confectionery and snack trade show pulled in over 1,000 exhibitors from around the globe.

The LA Sparks Gave Out Hawaiian Shirts for AAPI Night — and the Crowd Showed Up

On May 18, the Los Angeles Sparks hosted their 2026 AAPI Heritage Night at Crypto.com Arena, with the first 3,000 fans through the doors receiving a Sparks-branded Hawaiian shirt.

The Angels Gave Taiwanese Americans a Night at the Ballpark — and It Meant More Than Baseball

On May 20, the Los Angeles Angels hosted their 2026 Taiwanese Heritage Night, inviting Taiwanese and Taiwanese American fans in Southern California to see themselves reflected at a stadium.

K-EXPO USA Is Taking Over L.A. LIVE This Weekend — Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Korean culture is having its biggest LA moment yet. K-EXPO USA lands at L.A. LIVE on May 23–24, and it's free to attend.

How a Viral Video Helped Save a Vietnamese Woman’s Restaurant

Julian Becerra posted a TikTok about Mrs. Lieng's restaurant that amassed over 9.5 million views and brought massive attention to the empty Vietnamese restaurant in Florida.

Where to Actually Celebrate AAPI Month in LA 2026: The Best Food Events and AAPI Culinary Pop-Ups

The best food-centered option for AAPI Month in Los Angeles in 2026 is the AAPI LA Market at Smorgasburg ROW DTLA, along with drink pop-ups and civic events that tie food to community.

AAPI LA Market 2026 in Los Angeles Is Shaping Up as One of May’s Best Community Food Events

The fifth annual AAPI LA Market is set for Sunday, May 17, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Smorgasburg at ROW DTLA.

Asian Americans

Biggest Wasian Meetup in Central Park: When Mixed-Asian Visibility Becomes a Battleground

The Wasian meetup in NYC turned what used to be a fragmented, often lonely mixed-Asian experience into a visible, self-organized public gathering of thousands in Central Park.

APA Heritage Awards & Community Gala Kicks Off AAPI Month With Grassroots Power in San Francisco

The 2026 APA Heritage Awards & Community Gala on May 6 served as San Francisco's official civic kickoff to AAPI Heritage Month, bringing elected officials and community leaders together at City Hall.

Gold House’s 2026 Gold Gala Kicks Off AAPI Heritage Month With “A New Gold World”

Gold House opened AAPI Heritage Month with its fifth annual Gold Gala at the historic Music Center in downtown Los Angeles on May 9, honoring the 2026 Gold100 List.

EEEEEATSCON Los Angeles 2026: Asian Food Vendors to Know Before You Go

EEEEEATSCON is heading back to Los Angeles on May 16–17, 2026 at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, with a weekend built around hard-to-book local favorites and festival-only dishes.

At Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2026, Asian American Cinema Was the Story and the Industry Test

The 42nd Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival took place from April 29 to May 3, 2026, across venues including the Directors Guild of America, the Japanese American National Museum, AMC Atlantic T

Comic Con Revolution 2026 Brings Multiverse-Level Nostalgia to Ontario

Comic Con Revolution returns to the Ontario Convention Center on May 16-17, 2026, with a guest lineup that turns decades of TV, animation, gaming, and comics into a two-day nostalgia supercut.

Asian Americans

AAPI Heritage Month Begins: From California to New York, AAPI Communities Set the Stage

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month kicks off this week with coast-to-coast energy, as communities in California and New York turn May into a month of parades, film festivals, markets.

Asian Americans

September 19, 2026

The 2025 FBI hate crime data has a counting problem that is not really about undercounting. It is a classification system with no box for Indian Americans.

The FBI Logged 189 Anti-Sikh Hate Crimes. It Cannot Count Indian Americans.

The 2025 FBI hate crime data has a counting problem that is not really about undercounting. It is a classification system with no box for Indian Americans.

Also Worth Reading

San Diego Asian Film Festival 2026 Runs Nov 4 to 15

October 28, 2026

Bedford Park: Stephanie Ahn's Sundance Debut Gets a March 5 Release

October 27, 2026

Marketing & Business

New Medicare Advantage Plan Targets Asian American Seniors in LA

October 24, 2026

Relative Strangers: Korean Adoptee Documentary Announced

October 23, 2026

✦ 88tumble Agency

We amplify Asian American brands and the brands that want to reach them.

As LA's leading AAPI-focused marketing agency, we specialize in influencer campaigns, UGC, TikTok Shop, and creator marketing built on authentic cultural insight.

[Name]

[Name]

[Name]

[Name]

[Name]

View Case Studies

10K+

Creators

50M+

Reach

3x

ROI

200+

Campaigns

Trusted By

[Brand Name]

[Brand Name]

[Brand Name]

[Brand Name]

[Brand Name]

[Brand Name]