What Jo Koy has shared about his son, Joseph Herbert Jr.

Jo Koy often jokes about his family members in his stand-up specials, and that includes his son, Joseph Herbert Jr.

Koy, whose real name is Joseph Herbert, welcomed his son and only child with ex-wife Angie King in 2003.

Over the years, his son’s antics have made their way into his comedy routines, like his latest one on Netflix, "Jo Koy: Live from Brooklyn."

“I’m dealing with a teenager,” Koy joked to the Aspen Times in 2019. “I’m living with a dude now. He thinks he’s cool, but I think he’s just a dirty-a-- roommate and I’ve got way too many stories about him.”

However, Koy said he always checks in with this son before cracking jokes about him.

“I always put my son’s feelings first,” he said. “If he doesn’t want me to talk about it, I won’t. But for the most part he’s cool with it.”

Koy may poke fun at his son on stage, but he also frequently gushes about his love for Herbert, 21, in interviews and on social media.

Read on to see what Koy has shared about his son over the years. Koy has said his ‘life began’ when his son was born

Koy opened up about what his son means to him in a sweet Instagram post for his 17th birthday in 2020.

“My son turned 17 today!!! I can’t believe my baby boy is all grown up. My life began when you were born,” Koy wrote, sharing a series of throwback photos of Herbert. “Thank you for making my life complete son. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for the future. I LOVE YOU!!”

He also shared a heartwarming post about his son for Father’s Day in 2023.

“I Love being a Dad. Happiest Dads day to all the Dads in the game,” he wrote.

The comedian credited his son for a 24-pound weight loss

Koy said he was inspired to get in shape after Herbert, who he calls Lil’ Joe, sent him a shirtless selfie.

“I could see he had biceps, a chest pump, and the outline of an ice-cube tray where abs might pop out later,” he wrote in a 2022 essay for Men’s Health.

“Why Lil’ Joe decided to share his progress with me, I have no clue,” he also wrote. “But if he was trying to motivate me to lose what my girlfriend (his then-girlfriend Chelsea Handler) calls my ‘moon face,’ it worked.”

Koy said he began working out and eating healthier and after losing 15 pounds, he texted his son, “Dad caught up.”

“Maybe I do have to start calling my son Big Joe now — which makes me Medium Jo?” Koy joked.

Koy often marks his son’s milestones with sweet Instagram posts

Koy often celebrates his son’s birthdays and accomplishments on social media.

He marked Herbert’s recent milestone birthday on Instagram, sharing several photos of them goofing around and bonding over the years.

“21 years ago my son was born… Thank God. Happy born day King!” he wrote in the caption.

In the same vein, Koy called his son his “everything” in an Instagram post marking Herbert’s 20th  birthday.

“Happy Birthday to my everything!! 20 years ago you came into my world and changed my life,” he wrote in the caption. “I love you son.”

In September 2023, Koy also shared a video of his son sinking a half-court shot at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

“My son wins one for the family!” the proud dad wrote in the caption.

Koy has shared how his own past influenced the way he parented Herbert

Koy has been candid about how his complicated relationship with his own dad affected the way he raised his son.

In a 2017 interview with Fatherly, Koy said his dad “wasn’t there” for him for much of his childhood (though he said they later reconciled), and said he wanted to give his son a very different experience.

“I learned from my dad’s mistakes. I think that’s why I’m so into my son,” he said. “I bring him lunch every day. McDonald’s, Taco Bell, whatever junk food a kid likes, I will bring it for him. I’ve canceled gigs so I could be at moments for him. That wasn’t a big thing for my dad. I don’t want my son to feel the way I felt.”

Koy said that after witnessing his own parents’ “ugly” divorce, he wanted to handle his own split with Herbert’s mom, singer Angie King, as harmoniously as possible.

“We’re good friends raising a beautiful child together — why fight over money? That only hurts my son,” he told Fatherly. “Whereas my mom and dad, their divorce was ugly. It was ugly until just recently. And it affected the kids. I didn’t want to be like that.”

Koy has said he loves ‘being a friend’ to his son

Koy opened up to Fatherly in 2017 about the dynamic he has cultivated with Herbert through the years.

“I love being a friend to my son. We go to the mall together. We shop. He picks out my clothes. We hang out. We go to different cities together. We like the same music,” he said. “I think that’s why he appreciates his mom and me so much — we treat him like a friend.”

Koy said the COVID-19 pandemic made him realize ‘just how much I need my son around me’

Koy has opened up about how the pandemic reminded him of his priorities.

“Going through this pandemic made me realize just how much I was missing (while) on the road. When you’re on the road for 15 years straight, you miss a lot,” he told Kirkus Reviews as he promoted his 2021 book, “Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo.”

“I tell my son that I’m sorry I had to sacrifice so much but that we live a great life now, and that’s what I was doing it for,” he added. “I had to do the work to get where I am, but 2020 was the reset I needed. I realized just how much I need my son around me.”

In April 2023, the comedian shared a video montage of him and his son traveling and celebrating Herbert’s birthday.

“Sacrificed a lot for him, but now we get to see the world together. I love you, son,” Koy wrote in the caption.

In one moment from the video, Herbert offered a heartwarming toast to his dad at a family dinner.

“Thank you, Dad, for being the biggest inspiration to me, and I think all of us,” he said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com