Margaret Cho facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Margaret Cho
Cho in 2011
Birth name	Margaret Moran Cho
Born	(1968-12-05) December 5, 1968 (age 56) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up television film music
Alma mater	San Francisco State University
Genres	Observational comedy surreal humor musical comedy satire
Subject(s)	American politics Asian American culture LGBT culture pop culture racism race relations current events
Spouse	Al Ridenour ​ ​ (m. 2003; div. 2019)​
Korean name
Hangul	조모란
Hanja	趙牡丹
Revised Romanization	Jo Moran
McCune–Reischauer	Cho Moran

Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and musician. She is famous for her stand-up comedy shows. In her shows, she talks about social and political issues, especially about race.

She became well-known after starring in the TV show All-American Girl (1994–95). After that, she became a very popular stand-up comedian. As an actress, she has been in movies like It's My Party and Face/Off. She also played Teri Lee in the TV series Drop Dead Diva.

In 2012, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for playing Kim Jong-il on 30 Rock. In 2022, Margaret Cho was in the movie Fire Island. This film showed the experiences of LGBT Asian Americans. She also has her own clothing line and makes music. Margaret Cho often supports LGBT rights and has won awards for helping women, Asian Americans, and the LGBT community.

Growing Up and School

Margaret Cho was born in San Francisco, California, on December 5, 1968. Her family came from Korea. Her grandfather was a Christian minister. He worked for the Japanese during their rule over Korea. After World War II, he had to move his family to South Korea. This included Margaret's father, Seung-hoon Cho.

During the Korean War, her grandfather ran an orphanage in Seoul. Margaret grew up in a neighborhood in San Francisco with many different cultures. Her parents, Young-Hie and Seung-Hoon Cho, owned a bookstore called Paperback Traffic. Her father also wrote joke books and a newspaper column in South Korea.

Margaret became interested in performing. She got into the San Francisco School of the Arts. While there, she joined an improvisational comedy group. After high school, she studied drama at San Francisco State University, but she did not finish her degree.

Her Career Journey

Starting Out: Stand-Up and All-American Girl (1994–1997)

Margaret Cho started doing stand-up comedy shows in clubs. Her career grew after she appeared on TV and at universities. In 1992, she had a small role in The Golden Palace. In 1994, she won the American Comedy Award for Best Female Comedian. She also opened for famous comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

In 1994, the ABC network made a TV show based on her comedy. It was called All-American Girl. This show was promoted as the first TV show to feature an East Asian family. However, it faced criticism from the U.S. East Asian community. Some felt it used stereotypes. Producers told Margaret she was "too Asian" and "not Asian enough" at different times. The show was canceled after one season.

Comedy, Acting, and Writing (1995–2002)

Cho performing stand-up in June 2005.

After her TV show was canceled, Margaret focused on creating new comedy material. In 1997, she was in the movie Face/Off with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. She played Wanda, an FBI agent.

In 1999, she created her first one-woman show called I'm the One That I Want. This show was about her struggles with All-American Girl. It won "Performance of the Year" from New York magazine. She also wrote a book with the same title. The show was filmed and released as a concert movie in 2000. Her comedy talked about the challenges of being in show business because of her background and weight.

She also appeared in an episode of the HBO comedy Sex and the City in 2001. In 2004, she released another stand-up film called Revolution. She also wrote and starred in her first movie, Bam Bam and Celeste, which came out in 2005. On Valentine's Day in 2004, Margaret spoke at a rally for marriage equality in California.

Other Projects and TV Shows (2005–2010)

In 2005, Margaret released her second book, I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight. It was a collection of essays about global politics and human rights. She also released a DVD of her Assassin comedy tour.

In 2007, Margaret started "The Sensuous Woman," a burlesque-style variety show tour. She also lent her voice to the animated series Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World. In 2008, she was the Chief of Parade for the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival in Sydney, Australia.

Margaret and her family were on NBC's Celebrity Family Feud in 2008. Later that year, she had her own reality TV show on VH1 called The Cho Show. From 2009 to 2014, she played Teri Lee in the TV series Drop Dead Diva.

Recent Appearances and Tours (2011–Present)

In 2011, Margaret Cho guest-starred on the comedy show 30 Rock. She played Kim Jong-Il, the leader of North Korea, and later his son, Kim Jong-Un. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as Kim Jong-Il. In 2010, she was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

Since 2013, Margaret has co-hosted a weekly podcast called Monsters of Talk. She went on her "Mother" comedy tour in 2013 and 2014. In 2019, she competed on The Masked Singer as "Poodle". In July 2019, she started her own solo podcast called The Margaret Cho. She has interviewed many people from show business on her podcast.

In 2022, she was in the documentary series Everything's Gonna Be All White on Showtime. In June 2022, she co-starred in the romantic comedy film Fire Island on Hulu. In November 2023, she was a guest on Today with Hoda & Jenna, where they celebrated her career.

Comedy Style and Activism

Cho at Los Angeles LGBT pride parade in 2011.

Margaret Cho's comedy often talks about politics and modern American culture. She has openly shared her strong opinions about past presidents. In 2007, she hosted the True Colors Tour. This tour traveled to many cities and featured artists like Cyndi Lauper. The tour helped raise money for groups like the Human Rights Campaign and PFLAG.

In 2008, Margaret supported Barack Obama for president. After John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, Margaret said she thought Palin was "the worst thing to happen to America since 9/11." When same-sex marriage became legal in California in May 2008, Margaret was given the power by San Francisco to perform marriages.

Other Creative Work

Fashion and Dance

In 2003, Margaret started a clothing line called High Class Cho, but it later closed. In 2004, she started bellydancing. In 2006, she launched her own line of bellydancing belts and accessories called Hip Wear.

Music Projects

In September 2008, Margaret released her song "I Cho Am a Woman" on iTunes. In 2010, she worked on a full music album called Cho Dependent. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. In 2011, Showtime released a comedy special called Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent, which included songs from the album.

In 2014, she appeared in "Weird Al" Yankovic's music video for "Tacky." In April 2016, she released her second album, American Myth. She also appeared in the music video for "Green Tea" by rapper Awkwafina. In December 2024, she released the single "Lucky Gift" from her upcoming album.

Personal Life

Margaret Cho married artist Al Ridenour in 2003. They separated in 2014, and their divorce was finalized in 2019. In the early 1990s, she dated director Quentin Tarantino.

In 2016, Margaret talked about an email exchange she had with actress Tilda Swinton. Swinton had contacted her to understand why some Asian Americans were upset about Swinton being cast in the movie Doctor Strange. Margaret found the email odd because she didn't know Swinton. Later, Swinton shared the emails publicly. Margaret said she stood by what she had said.

Margaret also found out through a genealogy test that she has some Chinese ancestry.

Awards and Recognition

• In 2000, her "E! Celebrity Profile" won a Gracie Allen Award. This award recognized its "superior quality" and how it showed "the changing roles and concerns of women."
• In 2003, she received an Intrepid Award from the National Organization for Women.
• In 2004, she was given the First Amendment Award from the American Civil Liberties Union.
• In 2007, she won for Outstanding Comedy Performance at AZN's Asian Excellence Awards.
• April 30, 2008, was named "Margaret Cho Day" in San Francisco.

Comedy Tours

• "I'm the One That I Want" (1999)
• "Notorious C.H.O." (2002)
• "Revolution" (2003)
• "Assassin" (2005)
• "True Colors" (2007–2008)
• "Beautiful" (2008)
• "Cho Dependent" (2010)
• "Mother!" (2013)
• "The PsyCHO Tour" (2015)
• "Fresh Off The Bloat Tour" (2017)

Selected Film and TV Roles

Movies

Television Shows

Comedy Specials

Images for kids

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  Cho in 2011

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  Cho doing stand-up in June 2005.

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  Cho at Los Angeles LGBT pride parade in 2011.

See also

In Spanish: Margaret Cho para niños