JOEL KIM BOOSTER, (ne Kim Joonmin) who was born on this date, is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. He co-produced and wrote for Big Mouth and The Other Two and as an actor has appeared on Shrill, Search Party, and Sunnyside. In 2022, he wrote, produced, and starred in the Hulu romantic comedy Fire Island, a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with a main cast of Asian American actors. He is one of the featured performers in the Netflix documentary Outstanding:  A Comedy Revolution and can also be seen in the Apple+ series, Loot with Maya Rudolph.

He was raised in Plainfield, Illinois, in a “conservative, white, Evangelical Christian family” and was initially homeschooled. He went to public school for the first time when he was 16, which he described as his “first time being around non-religious people.” He studied theater at Millikin University for his bachelor’s degree.

Booster is out gay and often talks about his sexuality in his stand-up. He explained he knew he was gay from childhood (“before I knew I was Asian”) but kept it a secret. During his senior year of high school, his parents found out his orientation by reading his diary where he had described his sexual encounters with other boys. Booster moved out and began to couchsurf until he stayed with a family friend.

In 2020, Booster publicly shared that he has bipolar disorder. He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.