Margaret Cho

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Family name hatnote Template:Infobox comedian Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and musician.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially about race and sexuality. She rose to prominence after starring in the ABC sitcom All-American Girl (1994–95) and became an established stand-up comic in the subsequent years.

As an actress, she has acted in such roles as Charlene Lee in It's My Party and John Travolta's FBI colleague in the action film Face/Off. Cho was part of the cast of the TV series Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime Television, in which she appeared as Teri Lee, a paralegal assistant. For her portrayal of Kim Jong-il on 30 Rock, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2012. In 2022, Cho co-starred in the film Fire Island, a portrayal of the LGBT Asian American experience in the eponymous gay village off the South Shore of Long Island.

She has also dabbled in fashion and music and owns her own clothing line. Cho has also frequently supported LGBT rights and has won awards for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of women, Asian Americans and the LGBT community.

Early life and education

Cho was born in San Francisco on December 5, 1968, to a family of Korean descent.<ref name=childhood/> Her paternal grandfather Myung-sook Cho, a Christian minister, worked for the Japanese as a station master during their occupation of Korea. When Japan withdrew from Korea at the end of World War II, he was denounced as a traitor by North Korea's Communist regime and forced to move with his family, including his son, Cho's father Seung-hoon Cho, to South Korea.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the Korean War, Myung-sook ran an orphanage in Seoul. According to Margaret herself, she "grew up in the church."<ref name=christian/> She was raised in a racially diverse neighborhood near the Ocean Beach section of San Francisco,<ref name=childhood>Template:Cite web</ref> which she described as a community of "old hippies, ex-druggies, burn-outs from the 1960s, drag queens, Chinese people and Koreans. To say it was a melting pot – that's the least of it. It was a really confusing, enlightening, wonderful time."<ref name=officialbio>Template:Cite web</ref> Cho's parents, Young-Hie and Seung-Hoon Cho,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> ran Paperback Traffic, a bookstore on Polk Street at California Street in San Francisco. Her father writes joke books and a newspaper column in Seoul, South Korea.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At school, Cho was bullied, saying that "I was hurt because I was different and so sharing my experience of being beaten and hated and called fat and queer and foreign and perverse and gluttonous and lazy and filthy and dishonest and yet all the while remaining invisible heals me, and heals others when they hear it – those who are suffering right now."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Between the ages of five and twelve, Cho was "sexually molested by a family friend". On the Loveline May 21, 1997 show with Adam Carolla and Drew Pinsky, she talks about being raped by her uncle while during the same time period he was raping his three-year-old daughter.<ref name="billboard">Template:Cite magazine</ref> She often skipped class and got bad grades in ninth and tenth grades, resulting in her expulsion from Lowell High School.<ref name="billboard"/> Cho said she was "raped continuously through my youngest years" (by another acquaintance) and that when she told someone else about it and her classmates found out, she received hostile remarks justifying it, including accusations of being "so fat" that only a crazy person would have sex with her.<ref name="billboard"/>

After Cho expressed interest in performance, she auditioned and was accepted into the San Francisco School of the Arts, a San Francisco public high school for the arts. While at the school, she became involved with the school's improvisational comedy group<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> alongside actors Sam Rockwell and Aisha Tyler.

At age 15, she worked as a phone sex operator<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and she later worked as a dominatrix.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After graduating from high school, Cho attended San Francisco State University, studying drama but she did not graduate.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Career

1992–95: Early stand-up and All-American Girl

After doing several shows in a club adjacent to her parents' bookstore, Cho launched a stand-up comedy career and spent several years developing her material in clubs. Cho's career began to build after appearances on television and university campuses. In 1992, she appeared on the unsuccessful Golden Girls spin-off The Golden Palace in a small role. In 1993, Cho won the American Comedy Award for Best Female Comedian.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2010, on The View, she discussed her nervousness about doing The Golden Palace and thanked the late Rue McClanahan for her help with rehearsing. She also secured a coveted spot as opening act for Jerry Seinfeld; at about this time, she was featured on a Bob Hope special, and was also a frequent visitor to The Arsenio Hall Show.<ref name=adsample>Template:Cite web</ref>

That same year, ABC developed and aired a sitcom based on Cho's stand-up routine. The show, titled All-American Girl, was initially promoted as the first show prominently featuring an East Asian family, although the short-lived sitcom Mr. T and Tina, which had starred Noriyuki "Pat" Morita as Mr. T., preceded it by nearly two decades.

Cho has expressed subsequent regret for much of what transpired during the production of the show, specifically:

• After network executives, especially executive producer Gail Berman, criticized her appearance and the roundness of her face, Cho starved herself for several weeks. Her rapid weight loss, done to modify her appearance by the time the pilot episode was filmed, caused kidney failure.<ref name="ITOTIW-NYDN">Template:Cite news</ref>
• The show suffered criticism from within the U.S. East Asian community over its perception of stereotyping. Producers told Cho at different times during production both that she was "too Asian" and that she was "not Asian enough." At one point during the course of the show, producers hired a coach to teach Cho how to "be more Asian."<ref name=adsample />
• Much of the humor was broad and coarse, and at times, stereotypical portrayals of her close Korean relatives and gay bookshop customers were employed.

The show was canceled after suffering poor ratings and the effect of major content changes over the course of its single season (19 episodes).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

After the show's 1995 cancellation, Cho became addicted to drugs and alcohol. As detailed in her 2002 autobiography, I'm the One That I Want, in 1995, her substance abuse was evident during a performance in Monroe, Louisiana, where she was booed off the stage by 800 college students after going on the stage drunk.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1995–2002: Stand-up, acting, and writing

File:MargaretChoSanFrancisco.jpg

Cho doing stand-up in June 2005.

Though her career and personal life were challenging after the show's cancellation, Cho eventually sobered up, refocused her energy, and developed new material. She hosted the New Year's Rockin' Eve 95 show with Steve Harvey.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1997, she had a supporting role in the thriller film Face/Off starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, playing Wanda, one of the fellow FBI agents of Travolta's primary character.

In 1999, she wrote about her struggles with All-American Girl in her first one-woman show, I'm the One That I Want. That year, I'm the One That I Want won New York magazine's Performance of the Year award and was named one of the Great Performances of the year by Entertainment Weekly.<ref name=augsburg>Template:Cite web</ref> At the same time, Cho wrote and published an autobiographical book with the same title, and the show itself was filmed and released as a concert film in 2000. Her material dealt with her difficulties breaking into show business because of her ethnicity and weight and her resulting struggle with and triumph over body image issues and drug and alcohol addiction.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cho also appeared in an episode of the HBO comedy Sex and the City's fourth season. The episode, titled "The Real Me," first aired on June 3, 2001, and also guest-starred Heidi Klum.

In 2004, the show Notorious C.H.O. (the title was derived from slain rapper The Notorious B.I.G.) referred to the comedian having been reared in 1970s San Francisco and her bisexuality. After completing Notorious C.H.O., she made another stand-up film, Revolution, released in 2004, and subsequently work on her first self-written film in which she starred. Bam Bam and Celeste, a low-budget comedy about a "fag hag" and her gay best friend, co-starred Cho's friend and co-touring act Bruce Daniels. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005. On Valentine's Day of 2004, Cho spoke at the Marriage Equality Rally at the California State Capitol. Her speech can be seen in the documentary Freedom to Marry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2005–2010: Other projects and television

In 2005, Cho released her second book, I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight, a compilation of essays and prose about global politics, human rights, and other topical issues. Cho launched a national book tour in support of the collection. An audio reading of the book was also released. A DVD of a live taping of her Assassin tour was released in conjunction with the book. The same year, Cho started promoting and touring with her new show, Assassin. The show became her fourth live concert film and premiered on the gay and lesbian premium cable network Here! TV in September 2005. In this DVD, she notably includes herself when talking about gay people, saying "we" and "our community." Posters for Assassin featured Cho in paratrooper gear and holding a microphone in the style of an automatic rifle, a reference to the infamous 1974 photo of heiress Patty Hearst.

Cho launched "The Sensuous Woman,"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a burlesque-style variety show tour, in Los Angeles on August 10, 2007, with tour dates scheduled through November 3, as of October 10.<ref name="sensuous_woman_tour">Template:Cite web</ref> Scheduled tour stops meant to follow Los Angeles were Chicago, Illinois and New York City.<ref name="sensuous_woman_tour"/> On August 10, 2007 the San Francisco Chronicle reviewed the show, Cho's work, key events in her personal life and characterized the show thus: "In fact, as bawdy and bad-behaving as the cast gets, the whole show feels more like a crazy family reunion than a performance."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Also in 2007, Cho appeared in The Dresden Dolls' video of their song "Shores of California," which was MCed by Amanda Palmer<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and in The Cliks's video for "Eyes in the Back of My Head," in which she appeared as Lucas Silveira's lover.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She also provided the character voice for a character named Condie Ling on the Logo animated series Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World. Her episodes began airing in 2007.

The premiere performance of Cho's "Beautiful" tour was on February 28, 2008, in Sydney, Australia as part of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival. Cho was also the Chief of Parade for the festival's annual parade along Oxford Street on March 1. During her stay in Sydney, Cho was filmed shopping for parade outfits in a drag store with Kathy Griffin and Cyndi Lauper for Griffin's Bravo series My Life on the D-List. The episode featuring Cho aired on June 26, 2008.

Cho and her family and friends appeared in an episode of NBC's series Celebrity Family Feud, which premiered on June 24, 2008. Later that summer, she appeared in her own semi-scripted reality sitcom for VH1, The Cho Show, which premiered on August 21, 2008<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and lasted one season. She next appeared in the supporting cast of the series Drop Dead Diva, which debuted in July 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2011–present: Further appearances and tours

In April 2011, Cho guest starred on the comedy 30 Rock in the episode "Everything Sunny All the Time Always." She portrayed Kim Jong-Il, then the leader of North Korea, that required her to speak both Korean and English. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She later returned to portray Kim Jong-Il's son, Kim Jong-Un. [S:6, E:21] In 2010, Cho was a contestant on the 11th season of Dancing with the Stars.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Also in 2011, Cho played a lead role in "America 2049",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a Facebook-integrated game highlighting social inequities in a dystopian future.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>

Since January 2013, Cho has been the co-host of the weekly podcast Monsters of Talk along with Jim Short. Cho embarked on her "Mother" tour in the fall of 2013 and slated it for engagements in Europe in 2014. The title of the tour refers not to Cho's impressions of her own mother, but to Cho herself. It is her nickname for the figure she has played to her many gay friends over the years.Template:Sfn In 2014, she participated in Do I Sound Gay?, a documentary film directed and produced by David Thorpe. The film is about stereotypes of gay men's speech patterns.<ref name=thr>"'Do I Sound Gay?': Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter, September 8, 2014.</ref>

In January 2019, Cho competed in season one of The Masked Singer as "Poodle". She was eliminated in Episode 4.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In July 2019, Cho started a solo podcast called The Margaret Cho, which features guests who primarily work in show business. Guests have included Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness, tattooist and reality TV figure Kat Von D, screenwriter Diablo Cody, drag queen Jackie Beat, and comedian and TV host Michael Yo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cho has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.

In February 2022, she was cast in the documentary series Everything's Gonna Be All White, airing on Showtime.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 2022, Cho co-starred in a romantic comedy film, Fire Island, directed by Andrew Ahn, airing on Hulu.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In November 2023, Cho was a guest on Today with Hoda & Jenna, as they recounted her career and celebrated her life's work and inspiration to other comedians.

Comedic style and political advocacy

File:Margaret Cho at Los Angeles Pride - 20110612.jpg

Cho at Los Angeles LGBT pride parade in 2011.

Cho is also well known for discussing her relationship with her mother, particularly in imitating her mother's heavily accented speech. Her depictions of "Mommy" have become a popular part of her routine. Cho's comedy routines are often explicit. She has covered substance abuse, eating disorders, her bisexuality and obsession with gay men, and Asian-American stereotypes, among other subjects, in her stand-up routines.

A substantial segment of her material and advocacy addresses LGBT issues. In addition to her shows, Cho also developed an additional outlet for her advocacy with the advent of her website and her daily blog. When San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom directed that San Francisco's city hall issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in San Francisco in 2004 (until reversed by the state supreme court), Cho started Love is Love is Love,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a website promoting the legalization of gay marriage in the United States.

Cho's material often features commentary on politics and contemporary American culture. She has also been outspoken about her dislike of former President George W. Bush. She began to draw intense fire from conservatives over her fiercely anti-Bush commentary; a live performance in Houston, Texas, was threatened with picketing. Although protesters never showed up, she held a counter-protest outside the club until security told her she had to go inside.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2004, Cho was performing at a corporate event in a hotel when, after ten minutes, her microphone was cut off and a band was instructed to begin playing. Cho claims that this was because the manager of the hotel was offended by anti-Bush administration comments. Cho's payment, which was issued by way of check directly to a non-profit organization, a defense fund for the West Memphis Three, initially bounced but was eventually honored.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In July 2004, during the Democratic National Convention, Cho was disinvited to speak at a Human Rights Campaign/National Stonewall Democrats fundraiser out of fear that her comments might cause controversy. In November 2005, she campaigned to pardon Stanley Tookie Williams, an early Crips gang leader, for his death sentence for four murders, but this campaign failed; on December 13, 2005, after exhausting all forms of appeal, Williams was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison, California.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>

In 2007, Cho hosted the multi-artist True Colors Tour,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which traveled through 15 cities in the United States and Canada. The tour, sponsored by the Logo channel, began on June 8, 2007. Headlined by Cyndi Lauper, the tour also included Debbie Harry, Erasure, The Gossip, Rufus Wainwright, The Dresden Dolls, The MisShapes, Rosie O'Donnell, Indigo Girls, The Cliks, and other special guests. Profits from the tour helped to benefit the Human Rights Campaign as well as PFLAG and The Matthew Shepard Foundation.

On January 25, 2008, Cho officially gave her support to Barack Obama for the nomination on the Democratic ticket for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After Republican Presidential candidate John McCain announced his running mate, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, Cho said of her, "I think [Palin] is the worst thing to happen to America since 9/11."<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

After same-sex marriage became legal in California in May 2008, Cho was deputized by the City of San Francisco to perform marriages there.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other ventures

Fashion and burlesque

File:MargaretChoBurlesque.jpg

Cho performing burlesque at the 2006 Miss Exotic World Pageant.

In 2003, Cho founded a clothing line with friend and fashion designer Ava Stander called High Class Cho.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The company eventually went defunct.

In 2004, Cho took up bellydancing and in 2006 started her own line of bellydancing belts and accessories called Hip Wear;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> these she sold through her website. She also had extensive tattooing done<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Hagen>Template:Cite news</ref> to cover the majority of her back.

In November 2006, Cho joined the board of Good Vibrations, a sex toy retailer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With fellow comedian Diana Yanez, she co-wrote "My Puss", a rap song which they recorded as the duo of "Maureen and Angela." Cho appeared in and directed the music video for the song.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In December 2006, Cho appeared on the Sci-Fi Channel's miniseries The Lost Room as Suzie Kang.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On an episode of The Hour with host George Stroumboulopoulos, Cho mentioned that she loved Broken Social Scene and wishes to be a part of the band (offering to play the rainstick or the triangle). On air, Stroumboulopoulos called band member Kevin Drew from his cell phone, and Cho made her request to join the band via his voicemail.<ref>Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In April 2009, Cho was photographed by photographer Austin Young and appeared in a Bettie Page–inspired "Heaven Bound" art show.<ref>Wolfson, Julie. LAist.com "Lenora Claire on her 'Bettie Page: Heaven Bound' Art Show" Template:Webarchive, laist.com, April 30, 2009.</ref>

Music

In September 2008, Cho released her single, "I Cho Am a Woman," on iTunes. The song, produced by Desmond Child,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was featured on her VH1 series.

Throughout 2010, she worked on a full-length album, going through the titles "Guitarded" and "Banjovi" before finally settling on Cho Dependent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Released on August 24, 2010, the album was supported by music videos for "I'm Sorry," "Eat Shit and Die," and "My Lil' Wayne;" Liam Kyle Sullivan directed the first two. It was nominated for a 2010 Grammy award for Best Comedy Album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2011 Showtime released a stand-up comedy special, titled Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent, which featured musical performances from the album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2010, Cho directed and appeared in, the music video for "I Wanna Be a Bear," a song by "Pixie Herculon," a pseudonym of Jill Sobule. In 2011, Cho sang the Bob Mould song "Your Favorite Thing" at the tribute concert See A Little Light with Grant-Lee Phillips. In the same year she appeared in some of Liam Kyle Sullivan's YouTube videos.

In July 2014, she appeared in "Weird Al" Yankovic's music video for "Tacky."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In April 2016, Cho released her second album, American Myth.

In May 2016, she rapped on and made an appearance in the music video for "Green Tea", a song by rapper Awkwafina. Both play with stereotypes of people of East Asian descent in hopes that "women of color embrace their quirkiness, their sexuality, their inner child and their creativity with passion."

Also in 2016, Cho was featured on the track "Ride or Die" on the album Sweet T by American drag queen and singer/artist Ginger Minj.

On December 6, 2024 Cho released the single "Lucky Gift". Produced by Garrison Starr, the track went out to digital platforms in advance of Cho's forthcoming album of the same name.

Podcast

In July 2019, Cho started a podcast called The Margaret Cho. It features guests who primarily work in show business and features original music by Garrison Starr.

Personal life

Cho married Al Ridenour, an artist involved in The Cacophony Society and the Art of Bleeding, in 2003.<ref>Louie, Rebecca. "For Edgy Wit, It's Cho Time" Template:Webarchive. Daily News. October 8, 2003. Retrieved September 20, 2008.</ref> Cho was featured in an Art of Bleeding performance in March 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She described her marriage as "very conventional and conservative, I think. I mean we're such weird people that people just can't imagine that we would have a conventional marriage. But yeah, we are very conventional."<ref>"Margaret Cho Got Married" Template:Webarchive. Bond Magazine. Retrieved October 4, 2009.</ref> They separated in September, 2014, and Cho confirmed their separation in December.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Cho referred to herself as "divorced" in an April 2015 profile in The New York Times, but actually filed for divorce in August 2015.<ref name=":0" /><ref>La Ferla, Ruth. "For Margaret Cho, Nothing Is Too Private for a Punch Line". The New York Times. April 10, 2015.</ref> In April 2019, it was reported that the divorce was finalized.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the early 1990s, Cho dated director Quentin Tarantino.<ref>Goldsztajn, Iris. "A Look At Margaret Cho's Relationship History" Template:Webarchive. Nicki Swift. August 24, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2022.</ref> She also dated musician Chris Isaak.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:As of, in a profanity-laced blog post, Cho self-identified as a Christian, although she does not agree with nor align ideologically with mainstream Christianity.<ref name=christian>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of, Cho was living in Peachtree City, Georgia,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as Drop Dead Diva was filmed in the Atlanta area.

Cho is openly bisexual<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has stated that she has "a lot of experience in the area of polyamory and alternative sexuality in general."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When discussing her sexuality in a 2018 Huffington Post interview, Cho said, "I don't know using 'bisexual' is right because that indicates there's only two genders and I don't believe that. I've been with people all across the spectrum of gender and who have all kinds of different expressions of gender so it's so hard to say. Maybe 'pansexual' is technically the more correct term but I like 'bisexual' because it's kind of '70s."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cho states that she "loves" Fire Island and spends summers there.<ref name=MargaretChoFireIslandSummers>Template:Cite web</ref> She first learned about sexuality in the 1960s from her parents, who had bought a gay bookstore. In the 1980s, she identified as a lesbian, saying the title at that time had the stereotype of "wearing jean shorts, Doc Martens, a bike chain, a messenger bag and a portable CD player spinning Ani DiFranco".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cho was a guest on comedian Bobby Lee's Tigerbelly Podcast Episode 71, which was uploaded on December 16, 2016.<ref name=":1">Template:Citation</ref> In that episode, she recounted an incident between her and actress Tilda Swinton. According to Cho, Swinton contacted her via email to discuss the Asian American community's reaction to the news that Swinton had been cast to play the Ancient One, who in comic books is Tibetan, in the film Doctor Strange.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cho found the inquiry odd, since she didn't know Swinton and had never talked to her before nor did she have anything to do with the film or casting.<ref name= ":1" /> On December 21, Swinton released the email exchange between her and Cho to the website Jezebel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Swinton, she had contacted Cho to better understand why Asian Americans were upset about the casting.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In response to the release, Cho stated that she stands by her words both on TigerBelly and in the email exchange.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Clarify

Cho revealed in a panel discussion that after doing genealogy testing, she discovered that she had some Chinese ancestry.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Accolades

• In 2000, her "E! Celebrity Profile" won a Gracie Allen Award from the American Women in Radio and Television organization acknowledging its "superior quality and effective portrayal of the changing roles and concerns of women."<ref name=augsburg />
• The same year, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) awarded her with a Golden Gate Award and described her as an entertainer who, "as a pioneer, has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."<ref>Margaret Cho, Billie Jean King, E*TRADE's Kathy Levinson and Dennis & Judy Shepard To Be Honored At GLAAD's Washington, DC and San Francisco Media Awards Ceremonies Template:Webarchive, GLAAD.org, April 26, 2000.</ref>
• In 2001, she was given a Lambda Liberty Award by Lambda Legal for "pressing us to see how false constructions of race, sexuality, and gender operate similarly to obscure and demean identity."<ref>Martin, Karen Doyle. Cho Nuff: Outspoken comic brings her all-inclusive act to Charlotte Template:Webarchive, April 24, 2002.</ref>
• In 2003, she was given an Intrepid Award by the National Organization for Women.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2004, she was awarded with the First Amendment Award from the American Civil Liberties Union.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2007, she won for Outstanding Comedy Performance in AZN's Asian Excellence Awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• April 30, 2008 was declared "Margaret Cho Day" in San Francisco.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2015, Joan Juliet Buck, writing in W, called Cho a modern-day femme fatale, writing:

[N]ot all women comedians are dangerous; some are just very funny: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are too relatable, Joan Rivers was too firmly ensconced in the society that she mocked. Amy Schumer relies a little too much on the word "pussy" to be any kind of threat, though she would like very much to be a bad person. On the other hand, ... Margaret Cho know[s] no boundaries and inspire[s] palpable fear anytime [she] begin[s] one of [her] riffs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tours

• "I'm the One That I Want" (1999)
• "Notorious C.H.O." (2002)
• "Revolution" (2003)
• "State of Emergency" (2004)
• "Assassin" (2005)
• "True Colors" (2007–2008)
• "Beautiful" (2008)
• "Cho Dependent" (2010)
• "Mother!" (2013)
• "The 'There's No I in Team but there is a Cho in PsyCHO' Tour" (Often referred to simply as "The PsyCHO Tour") (2015)
• "Fresh Off The Bloat Tour" (2017)

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Angie	Admissions Nurse No. 2
1995	Template:Sortname	Clerk's Wife
1996	It's My Party	Charlene Lee
1997	Pink as the Day She Was Born	Donna
	Face/Off	Wanda
	Fakin' da Funk	May-Ling
	Sweethearts	Noreen
1998	Ground Control	Amanda
	Template:Sortname	Asia Blue / Terry
	Template:Sortname	Lt. Klavin	Voice<ref name="btva2">Template:Cite web A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
1999	Can't Stop Dancing	JoJo
	Template:Sortname	Carol
2000	$pent	Travel Agent (Shirley)
2002	Grocery Store	Store Clerk	Video short
2003	Nobody Knows Anything!	Rental Car Agent
2005	Bam Bam and Celeste	Celeste / Mommy	Writer
2006	Falling for Grace	Janie
2007	Love Is Love	Jealous Girlfriend at movie	Short film
2008	One Missed Call	Det. Mickey Lee
	Template:Sortname	The Expert
	Prop 8: The Musical	California Gays and The People That Love Them	Short film
2009	17 Again	Mrs. Dell
2011	Mindwash. The Jake Sessions	Dr. Francine Kovinsky	Voice, short film
	Thugs, the Musical!	Yvette	Short film
2012	Template:Sortname	Margaret	Short film
2013	Amelia's 25th	Babs
	Wedding Palace	The Shaman
	Fish Power	Queen Tilapia	Short film
2014	Senior Project	Ms. Ghetty
2015	Tooken	Brownfinger
2016	Hurricane Bianca	Wig Shop Owner	Cameo
2017	Bright	Sergeant Ching
	Sharknado 5: Global Swarming	Simone
2020	Faith Based	Jane
	Over the Moon	Auntie Ling, Gretch	Voice<ref name="btva2" />
	Friendsgiving	Fairy Gay Mother
2021	Hysterical	Herself	Documentary
	Good on Paper	Margot
2022	Sex Appeal	Ma Deb
	Fire Island	Erin
	The Listener	Corinne	Voice
2023	Cora Bora
	Prom Pact	Ms. Chen
2024	All That We Love<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Emma
2025	Queens of the Dead	Template:TableTBA
Template:TBA	I Want Your Sex	Template:TableTBA	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Move the Crowd		Television film
	Template:Sortname	Dr. Fong	Episode: "One Old Lady to Go"
1993	Red Shoe Diaries	Phone Sex Worker	Episode: "Hotline"
1994	Template:Sortname		Voice, episode: "The Pilot"
	Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women	Connie Tong	Television film
1994–95	All-American Girl	Margaret Kim	19 episodes
1995	Duckman	Mai Lin	Voice, episode: "In the Nam of the Father"
	Bill Nye the Science Guy	Self	Episode: "Populations"
1995–97	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child	Queen, Hul Muh Ni	Voice, 2 episodes<ref name="btva2" />
1998	Five Houses<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>		Television film
	Template:Sortname	Caryn	Episode: "Mom's the Word"
1999	Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist	Margaret	Voice, episode: "Wisdom Teeth"<ref name="btva2" />
2001	Sex and the City	Lynne	Episode: "The Real Me"
2002	One on One	Coach	Episode: "Me & My Shadow"
2006	Template:Sortname	Suzie Kang	2 episodes
2007	'Til Death	Nicole	3 episodes
2007–09	Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World	Condie Ling / Various	Voice, 9 episodes
2008	Two Sisters		Television film
	Sordid Lives: The Series	Therapist No. 17	Episode: "The Day Tammy Wynette Died – Part 1"
	The Cho Show	Herself	Writer, Producer and Executive Producer
2009–14	Drop Dead Diva	Teri Lee	Main role, 72 episodes
2010	Ghost Whisperer	Prof. Avery Grant	3 episodes
	Template:Sortname	Herself	Episode: "Texting and Tears"
2011–12	30 Rock	Kim Jong Il	3 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
2012-14	Sullivan & Son	Jenny
2013	Where the Bears Are	Mistress Lena	Episode: "Bears in Chains"
	Pound Puppies	Mrs. Wattana	Episode: "Rebound's First Symphony"
2014	Cabot College	Laura	Television film
	Hell's Kitchen	Herself – Restaurant Patron	Season 13 Episode 16: "Winner Chosen"
2015	Beat Bobby Flay	Herself	Season 6 Episode 12: "Rules Are Ment to Be Broken"
	Celebrity Wife Swap	Herself	Episode: "Margaret Cho/Holly Robinson Peete"
	All About Sex<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Co-host	2 episodes
	Dr. Ken	Dr. Wendi	Episode: "Dr. Wendi: Coming To L.A.!"
2016	Family Guy	Sujin	Voice, episode: "Candy, Quahog Marshmallow"
	TripTank	Ling, Dump	Voice, episode: "Deuce Ex Machina"<ref name="btva2" />
2013–2017	Fashion Police<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Co-host	21 episodes
2017	The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show	Hua Mulan	Voice, episode: "Mulan"<ref name="btva2" />
2018	Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh	Georgia	Voice, episode: "Trashbassador"<ref name="btva2" />
2019	The Masked Singer	Poodle/Herself
	High Maintenance	Doc Lee	Episode: "Pay Day"
	Law & Order: SVU	Evelyn Lee	Episode: "Counselor, it's Chinatown"
	Miracle Workers	God's Mom	Episode: "1 Day"
2020	The Bachelorette	Herself	Episode: "Week 3"
	Mike Tyson Mysteries	Michelle	Voice, episode: "Your Old Man"
	The Bold Type	Herself	Episode: "#Scarlet"
2021–2022	Tuca & Bertie	Bertie's mother	Voice, 2 episodes
2021	Infinity Train	Morgan	Voice, 3 episodes
	Pride	Herself	Episode: "2000s: Y2Gay"
	Good Trouble	Herself	3 episodes
	The Great North	Jan	Voice, episode: "Brace/Off Adventure"
	Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.	Frankie	Episode: "Career Babes"
	Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens	Mistress Jupiter	2 episodes
2022	Bubble Guppies	Lucy	Voice, Episode: "The SS Frienship!"
2022	I Can See Your Voice	Herself	1 episode
	The Flight Attendant	Charlie Utada	Recurring role (season 2)
	Hacks	Herself	Episode: "The Captain's Wife"
2023	Not Dead Yet	Miss Cassandra	Episode: "Not Scattered Yet"
	Call Me Kat	Val Park	Episode: "Call Me, Pretty Kitty"
	Launchpad	Maxine	Episode: "Maxine"
2024	Life & Beth	Dr. Collins	2 episodes
	Zombies: The Re-Animated Series	Ashley	Voice, 2 episodes
	Kite Man: Hell Yeah!	Rebecca Chen	Voice, 4 episodes
	Doctor Odyssey	Judy Riva	Episode: "Wellness Week"

Comedy Specials

Year	Title	Studio	Formats
1994	HBO Comedy Half-Hour	HBO	Broadcast / Streaming (2015)
2000	Filmed Live in Concert – I'm the One That I Want	Fox Lorber CentreStage / Winstar / Matchbox Films	Broadcast / VHS/DVD (2001) / Download/Streaming (2013)
2002	Filmed Live in Concert – Notorious C.H.O.	Vagrant Films / Wellspring / Matchbox Films	Broadcast / VHS/DVD / Download/Streaming (2013)
2004	CHO Revolution	Cho Taussig Productions / Wellspring / Matchbox Films	VHS/DVD / Download/Streaming (2013)
2005	Assassin	Regent Releasing/Here! Films / Koch Vision / Matchbox Films	Theatrical / DVD / Download/Streaming (2013)
2009	Beautiful	Asian Crush / Showtime / Image Entertainment / Matchbox Films	Broadcast / DVD / Download/Streaming (2013)
2011	Cho Dependent	Clownery Productions / Showtime / Matchbox Films	Broadcast / DVD / Download/Streaming (2013)
2015	PsyCHO	Clownery Productions / Showtime / Comedy Dynamics	Broadcast / DVD / Download / Streaming

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Web

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	Girltrash!	Min Suk	Episode 3
2013	Gayle	Yo-Yo Ma	Episode: "Chibby Point"
2013	In Transition	Tawny Kim	13 episodes

Podcasts

Monsters of Talk

2013–2015: Co-hosted w/ Jim Short, 131 episodes

The Margaret Cho

Date	Guests
July 15, 2019	Jonathan Van Ness and Katie Malia
July 22, 2019	Kat Von D and Drew Droege
July 29, 2019	Michael Yo and Lucas Peterson
August 5, 2019	Robin Tran
August 12, 2019	Fortune Feimster and Jodi Long
August 19, 2019	Diablo Cody, Durk Dehner, and S. R. Sharp
August 26, 2019	Cherie Currie and Helen Hong
September 2, 2019	Daniel Webb
September 9, 2019	Jo Koy and Ian Harvie
September 16, 2019	Trixie Mattel
September 23, 2019	Amy Landecker
October 1, 2019	Jackie Beat and Mary H.K. Choi

Bibliography

Year	Title	Publisher	Formats
2001	I'm the One That I Want	Random House	Hardcover / Paperback / Kindle / CD / Audible (Read by the Author)
2005	I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight	Penguin-HighBridge	Hardcover / Paperback / Kindle / CD / Download (Read by the Author)

Discography

Comedy albums

Year	Title	Label	Formats
1996	Drunk with Power	Uproar Entertainment	Cassette / CD / Download
1998	Live in Houston	Soundball International	CD
2001	Live in Concert – I'm the One That I Want	Cho Taussig Productions / Nettwerk America	2xCD / Download
2002	Notorious C.H.O. – Live at Carnegie Hall	Nettwerk America	2xCD / Download
2003	Revolution	Nettwerk America	CD / Download
2005	Assassin	Nettwerk	CD / Download
2009	Live and Uncut – Beautiful	Image Entertainment	Download
2011	Cho Dependent – Live at the Tabernacle	Clownery Records	Download
2015	PsyCHO	Clownery Productions	Download

Music albums

Year	Title	Label	Formats
2010	Cho Dependent	Clownery Records	LP / CD / Download
2016	American Myth	Clownery Records	Download
2025	Lucky Gift	Clownery Records	LP / Download

EPs

Year	Title	Label	Formats
2021	Pair of Jokers: Margaret Cho & Bobby Collins	Clown Jewels	Download

Singles

Year	Title	Other Artists	Label	Formats
2002	Daddy Gay Story	Junior Vasquez Mix	Nettwerk America	12" Promo
2008	I Cho Am a Woman		Deston Entertainment	Download
2011	Sexting	Gomi & Sherry Vine	None	Download
2012	I Drink / How Little Men Care	Neil Hamburger	Million Dollar Performances	7" / Download
2014	See U Next Tuesday	Adam Barta	Margaret Cho	Download
2015	Fat Pussy		Clownery Records	Download
	M**********n' Emojis!	Princess Superstar	Princess Superstar	Download
	Ron's Got a DUI	Garrison Starr	Clownery Records	Download
2016	Anna Nicole		Clownery Records	Clear 7" Promo / Download
2017	Asians in Hollywood (Live at Largo)	7-Inches for Planned Parenthood	℗ 7-Inches For™, LLC	7" / Download
2024	4Skin (feat. Margaret Cho) (Cho Remix)	Gay Virgin	Gay Virgin Records	Download

Appearances

Year	Title	Tracks	Label	Formats
2001	Paul McCartney & Friends: The PeTA Concert For Party Animals	"Margaret Cho"	Image Entertainment	VHS / DVD
2006	Wed-Rock: A Benefit For Freedom To Marry	"Read the Administration" / "Origin of Love"	Centaur Entertainment	CD / Download
2010	Drop Dead Diva (Music from the Original Television Series)	"Would I Lie To You" / "Restraining Order"	Madison Gate Records	CD / Download
	New Music Seminar – New York City – 7/21/10 (5th Movement – The Breaks)	Moderator	New Music Seminar, LLC	Download
2013	An Evening With Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer	"Margaret Cho Introduces The Show"	8 ft. Records	LP / CD / Download
	See a Little Light: A Celebration of the Music and Legacy of Bob Mould	"Your Favorite Thing"	Granary Music	DVD / Download
2014	2776: A Levinson Bros & Rob Kutner Presentation	"Mt. Rushmore"	Levinson Bros & Rob Kutner	CD / Download
2015	Mitre: Mitre	"Bulletproof"	Mitre Records, Inc.	Download
2016	Ginger Minj: Sweet T	"Ride or Die"	Producer Entertainment Group	CD / Download
2018	Just for Laughs – Premium, Vol. 26	"Fresh off the Boat" (Jfl 2015)	Just for Laughs	CD / Download

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Videography

Music videos as main artist

Year	Title	Other Artists	Director	Album
2006	My Puss	Diana Yanez, Kurt Hall, Maureen & Angela	Margaret Cho	Cho Dependent
2009	Eat Shit and Die (Live at Largo)	Grant-Lee Phillips & Alexander Burke
	25 Random Things (Live at Largo)	Alexander Burke		Non-album track
2010	My Lil' Wayne	Ben Lee, Nic Johns; camera Ione Skye	Al Ridenour
	I'm Sorry	Andrew Bird	Liam Sullivan	Cho Dependent
	Eat Shit and Die	Grant-Lee Phillips
	Lice	Ben Lee
	Intervention	Tegan and Sara
2011	Captain Cameltoe	Ani DiFranco	Roberutsu
	Hey Big Dog	Fiona Apple; co-writer Patty Griffin	Al Ridenour
	Asian Adjacent	Grant-Lee Phillips	Tani Ikeda
	Baby I'm with the Band	Brendan Benson	Liam Sullivan
2013	Doesn't It Remind You of Something	Ken Stringfellow (Feat. Margaret Cho)	Casey Curry	Danzig In the Moonlight
2015	How Close Is Glenn Close	John Roberts	Ned Stressen Rueter & Katherine Kendall	Non-album track
	Fat Pussy		John Asher	American Myth
	Ron's Got a DUI	Garrison Starr; starring Leslie Jordan	Bryan Mir
	I Wanna Kill My Rapist	Andy Moraga & Roger Rocha	Bryan Mir & Ben Eisner
	M**********n' Emojis!	Princess Superstar	Francis Legge	Non-album track
	DICKtator		Andy Moraga
2016	Anna Nicole	Garrison Starr	Bryan Mir	American Myth
	Come With Me
	Anna Nicole (Live Acoustic)
	Green Tea	Awkwafina	Tony Kim	In Fina We Trust EP

Directed by

Year	Title	Artist	Featuring
2006	Former Miss Ontario	The Music Lovers	Princess Farhana, Bobby Pinz, Kelly, Vima & Margaret Cho
2007	Masculin Feminin		Diana Yanez & Ian Harvie
	Dancing Pom-Chi	Latin Jazz	Gudrun, directed with Al Ridenour
	Understood	Garrison Starr	Kurt Hall, Diana Yanez, Pleasant Gehman, Liam Sullivan & Bruce Daniels; shot with Scott Silverman & Ian Harvie
	Eyes in the Back of My Head	The Cliks	Margaret Cho, Diana Yanez & Amanda Palmer
2009	San Francisco	Jill Sobule	Lorene Machado, Mookey Goh, Violet Blue, Monistat, Peter Acworth, Lorelei Lee, Mark Eitzel, Cecilia Chung & Tita Aida
2010	Young James Dean	Girlyman	Original Plumbing- Amos Mac & Rocco Kayiatos, Ian Harvie, Madison Young, Donna Delore & Tomcat
	The Bear Song	Pixie Herculon	Danny Blume & Gary Meister

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External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:IMDb name
• Alternet.org video
• Margaret Cho Video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America
• Margaret Cho Wilbur Theatre in Boston, MA review and photos by Jen Vesp
• Interview with MEAWW
• Template:C-SPAN