Who Is Ali Wong's Ex-Husband? All About Justin Hakuta

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The couple announced their split in April 2022 but have maintained a close friendship

Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic
Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic

Ali Wong is on good terms with her ex-husband, Justin Hakuta.

The Beef actress first met Hakuta at a friend's wedding reception in 2010. After a few years of dating, the couple wed in San Francisco on Nov. 27, 2014. They later welcomed two daughters: Mari, born in 2015, and Nikki, born in 2017.

In April 2022, the couple announced they were breaking up after eight years of marriage. "It's amicable and they will continue to co-parent lovingly," a source told PEOPLE at the time. However, Wong didn't officially file for divorce until December 2023.

Despite their split, the two have maintained a close relationship, with Wong even thanking her ex-husband in her 2024 Golden Globes acceptance speech for best actress in a limited series.

From his career background to his notable family, here's everything to know about Wong's ex-husband.

Related: What Ali Wong Said About Justin Hakuta and Marriage in Her Comedy Before Split

He's a Fulbright scholar

Araya Doheny/Getty
Araya Doheny/Getty

Hakuta graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in decision science and a minor in Spanish. Following his graduation, he received a Fulbright scholarship to fund his field study, NGOs Combating Human Trafficking in the Philippines, per Carnegie Mellon University's website.

"Justin was one of the first students in our new major in decision science," said Baruch Fischhoff, the Howard Heinz University Professor of Social and Decision Sciences and Engineering and Public Policy. "As one of our program pioneers, he helped to shape the major through his strong performance and leadership. He has a passion for life and justice."

He is a Harvard Business School graduate

In addition to being a graduate of the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, Hakuta received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2011, around the same time he first met Wong.

"The first thing I learned about him was that, at the time, he was attending Harvard Business School," Wong previously said during one of her standup comedy specials. "And I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm going to trap his ass."

His father is Ken Hakuta

Hakuta is the son of famous TV inventor Ken Hakuta a.k.a. Dr. Fad, a Japanese-American inventor who developed a 1980s-era toy called the Wacky Wall Walker, and also hosted kids' invention program The Dr. Fad Show from 1988 to 1994.

Wong has mentioned him in many of her stand-up comedy specials

Over the years, the Always Be My Maybe star has made countless references to Hakuta in her stand-up comedy shows. In addition to revealing details about how they first met, she also made various jokes about their marriage, including how his parents made her sign a prenup when they first tied the knot.

"No one could have predicted this outcome," Wong joked of the fact that her income had significantly increased since then. "Now if we get divorced, their son is f-----."

He and Wong have two children together

Wong and Hakuta share two daughters: Mari, born in 2015, and Nikki, born in 2017.

In February 2024, roughly two months after Wong filed for divorce, Hakuta filed for joint legal and physical custody of their children.

He and Wong have remained "best friends" following their split

Jesse Grant/Getty
Jesse Grant/Getty

After announcing their split in April 2022, Wong spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her "unconventional divorce." "We're best friends," she told the outlet of her post-breakup relationship with Hakuta. "We've been through so much together."

In January 2023, Wong gave her ex a shoutout as she accepted the Golden Globes award for best actress in a limited series. After giving her current boyfriend Bill Hader a kiss, she thanked Hakuta on the stage.

"I really need to thank the father of my children and my best friend Justin for all of your love and support. It's because of you that I'm able to be a working mother.” (From the audience, an unbothered Hader shrugged in response to not being mentioned in Wong’s speech.)

After her time at the podium, Wong told Entertainment Tonight, "I like to keep it peaceful and grateful and amicable” when it comes to the men in her life.

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