Daniel Dae Kim’s 2 Sons Taught Him What ‘Zaddy’ Means

Daniel Dae Kim has been affectionately called a “zaddy” on social media, and now he finally knows that it’s a compliment thanks to his two sons.

Defined by Dictionary.com as “an attractive man who is also stylish, charming, and self-confident,” Kim, 55, initially thought that the word was a misspelling meant to read “daddy.”

“The first time I saw that, I thought it must be a typo. I don’t know why there’s a ‘z’ in front of there,” he said on the Thursday, March 7, episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show. “I heard it on the internet, that was the first time.”

He continued, “And then my kids kind of told me, ‘Oh, it kind of means this and that,’ and I was like, ‘Oh.”

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Kim shares sons Zander, 27, and Jackson, 22 with his wife, Mia Kim. The pair have been married for nearly 30 years.

Kim has been considered a “sex symbol”for many years. He was named as one People’s Sexiest Men Alive in 2005, when he was starring in Lost. He was also recognized on the magazine’s sexy list in 2021.

While the rest of the world may thirst after him, the actor says that his sons don’t get caught up in the celebrity hype, noting that he’ll “always be dad to them.”

“But I actually do think they’re happy that I don’t look like an old man,” Kim added. “That I still could make that list.”

Kim was born in South Korea, and his family moved to New York City when he was just an infant. Although he has resided in the United States ever since, he always remembers his South Korean roots.

He recalled that being recognized by People in 2005 was significant because of his heritage.

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“Because at that time, there weren’t that many men who looked like me who were in a list like that,” Kim explained.“Nowadays, with K-pop and K-drama, there’s a lot more awareness of Korea. But we’re talking 2004, 2005. It was pretty different then.”

Reflecting on being one of the sexiest men in the world, Kim said he didn’t allow it to blow up his ego.

“It didn’t change my life in any way. I still had to take out the garbage,” he joked. “But I liked what it meant representationally.”

Kim takes pride in representing Asians during his three decades as an actor. He recently told ABC Salt Lake City, Utah affiliate KTVX that he feels gratified to see more Asian Americans breaking through in show business.

“We’ve always had the talent. We’ve always had the desire,” he said during the January interview. “And now we have the opportunity.”