Page 110 - Nicole Ari Parker

XiXi Yang: Alpha Female Magazine Article

To the world, XiXi Yang is one of the most watched millennial television personalities.
Internationally, millions of viewers around the world have watched her anchor “Live From the
Red Carpet” for the Associated Press from some of the most glamorous nights in Hollywood like
the Oscars, Grammys, and more. Domestically, she lends her pop culture expertise on-air for
shows like “On the Story” and “Across America” on CNN and HLN. Digitally, she’s one of the
most prominent Asian-American bloggers in media and fashion. Yet underneath all her glowing
achievements and industry accolades, XiXi is just my older sister.

For as long as I can remember, XiXi has always been my “famous older sister.” It was almost
like stating a fact, nothing special about it, just something I grew up knowing. I would always
chuckle whenever my friends would ask me if I had any siblings because I knew as soon as I told
them about her, they would ogle at her social media following and all her fabulous selfies with
celebrities. But maybe that’s because beneath all those layers of fame and admiration she
receives, she’s a real person, with so many amazing, down-to-earth qualities that make me proud
to call her my sister.

Now, 19 years later, I’m sitting across from her, interviewing her for the very first time for her
first magazine cover. So you can imagine how nervous I was about this interview and this article
because I wanted do justice the XiXi I knew. So I decided to first do what we do best: crack a
joke. I bet none of you reading this right now know that my sister has a weird obsession with
Tabasco!

Erika (Q): So XiXi, what do you love more - me or Tabasco?
XiXi (A): Well, Tabasco lasts longer and goes with more things!

Erika (Q): Ha! I see how it is. Since somebody wants to get all saucy, let’s dive right into it. ​So
when and how did you know you wanted to go into the entertainment media industry?

XiXi (A): ​For as far as I can remember, I’ve always rampaged our mom’s closet, playing
dress-up and just having fun with it. I think the day that I discovered our family’s karaoke mic
was a changing moment, especially when I realized that with the press of a button, my voice
could echo through all the thin walls! And from there on out, there was not one family gathering
where you wouldn’t find me performing mock interviews with our family members. When I
reached middle school, I discovered my newest obsession in life - a little show called TRL on
MTV! This was back in the era of original VJ’s and everyday I would run home from school to
catch the latest music videos and celebrity interviews. I wanted to be a VJ so bad back then. I
really thought they were living the dream! Not only did they get to be on TV and befriend all the

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