Joe Yau

Biography

Joe Yau is an Indonesian-Chinese actor, TV host and emcee based in Hong Kong, known for his long-running presence on television. He studied at a Catholic primary school and a YMCA secondary school in Hong Kong before attending Columbia International College in Canada, and graduated with a degree in Economics from McMaster University in Hamilton in 2005. He rose to fame in 2006 after appearing on the game show "A Million Dollars" (一擲千金), where he shed tears on camera after winning only one dollar, earning him the nickname "One-Dollar Joe" (一蚊Joe). He later joined TVB as a trainee in the 22nd Artiste Training Class and became a contracted artiste. In 2007, he co-formed the group "TVbeople" with several fellow young actors. He hosted numerous talk and entertainment programmes on TVB, most notably the long-running magazine show "Scoop" (東張西望) from 2007 to 2023. In 2013, his reporting on the Kwai Tsing container terminal labour strike on "Scoop" drew significant viewer complaints. In 2016, he ventured into the food business by opening a Korean street food stall at the Hong Kong Food Truck Carnival. In February 2025, he announced on social media that he was leaving TVB after 18 years, and is now engaged in live-stream e-commerce sales.