Every time his name is spoken, a gong is heard over the soundtrack (à la horses whinnying in protest of Frau Blücher in “Young Frankenstein”). As a Filipino man, Josh is more likely to be portrayed like Long Duk Dong in John Hughes’ “Sixteen Candles,” a wacky object of amusement, than the hot guy next door. Dong speaks in an affected Chinese accent and doesn’t know what quiche is. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” has been applauded for upending stereotypes about Asian men, who are rarely allowed to be heartthrobs or love interests. Their chance meeting inspires her to move to West Covina, California, which just happens to be where Josh lives, as she repeatedly reminds everyone around her. She has a great job at a New York law firm, where she’s about to be promoted to partner, but Josh represents the one thing she doesn’t have: happiness.
Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) runs into Josh, her old boyfriend from summer camp, during a depressive spell. More important, though, he’s also the show’s romantic lead. Josh is the simple but sweet “Asian bro” who loves hanging with his dudes, drinking and going to the beach, which is just four short hours by car away. (Hey, it was for this viewer.) On “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Rodriguez’s character is straight. The revelation that Josh Chan is played by an out gay man will likely be news to viewers of the show. In August the couple celebrated their one-year anniversary at Disneyland, generating some blink-and-you’ll-miss-it headlines in gay blogs. Rodriguez is married to Gregory Wright, an aspiring voiceover artist. Every year, the gay publication puts out a yearly guide to “who’s who” in the LGBT community, and this installment included Vincent Rodriguez III, who plays Josh Chan on the critically acclaimed musical comedy. There was a big present for fans of the CW’s “ Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” in yesterday’s Out 100 list.