Margaret Cho
A pioneer of explicit confessional comedy who outlasted the nineties sitcom machine.
11 specials · 1991–2015
Start with I'm the One That I Want, the breakout (2000 · 1 h 36 min · Cho Taussig Productions)
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Margaret Cho performs with her entire body. She will plant her feet, grip the mic stand, and contort her face to sell a punchline, shifting from a quiet whisper to a sudden yell. Her delivery is bright and melodic, a deliberate contrast to the graphic material she prefers. She will detail a sexual encounter or a bodily function with the exact same cheerful rhythm she uses to complain about traffic, waiting to see who in the room breaks first.
Specials
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A mockumentary on stand-up misery anchored by veteran interviews.
Comedy Dynamics · 73 min
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A politically charged sermon on self-love, persimmons, and early-2000s rage.
Sundance Channel · 85 min
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Margaret Cho blends post-9/11 politics with physical comedy in Los Angeles.
Nettwerk America · 85 min
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An explicit victory lap full of queer culture and bodily functions.
Wellspring · 1 h 35 min
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An angry, joyful autopsy of a failed television sitcom.
Cho Taussig Productions · 1 h 36 min · also an album
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A comedian reclaims the microphone after a canceled network sitcom.
Uproar Entertainment · Album · 46 min
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A Pair of Jokers — Margaret Cho & Bobby Collins with Bobby Collins
Two distinct nineties comics split a half-hour club showcase.
Showtime · 27 min
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MTV Half-Hour Comedy Hour: Episode #1.76 with Don Barnhart Jr., Greg Behrendt & 6 more
A 1991 cable showcase packed with future stand-up stars.
MTV · 30 min
On stage
Years before the confessional hour became an industry default, Cho was doing it in theaters. She survived a nineties television machine that tried to flatten her into a sitcom stereotype, building a fiercely loyal queer audience out of the wreckage. Any comic doing longform, vulnerable material about body image or family dynamics is operating in the room she built.
Her strongest material pairs political frustration with pure filth. She relies heavily on vocal mimicry, frequently dropping into a deadpan impression of her mother to puncture her own ego.
While her defining early hours were tightly structured narratives about surviving Hollywood, her later stage work is looser and more reactive to politics. Even when a premise feels broad, she anchors it by saying the most grotesque thing possible while flashing a giant, beaming smile.
Turning points
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1994–1995
Starring in Groundbreaking Sitcom All-American Girl
Cho starred as the lead in ABC's All-American Girl, the first primetime sitcom centered on an Asian-American family. Network pressure over her appearance led to rapid weight loss and severe health complications, and the series was canceled after one season amid content retooling.
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1999–2000
Breakthrough with I'm the One That I Want
Taking full creative control after the cancellation of her sitcom and struggles with substance abuse, Cho created the self-produced solo show 'I'm the One That I Want'. The critically acclaimed performance earned New York Magazine's Performance of the Year and spawned an autobiographical book, concert film, and Grammy-nominated comedy album.
At a glance
- Born
- , San Francisco, California
- Style
- observational, satire, blue comedy, musical comedy
- Breakout
- I'm the One That I Want
- Influences
- Robin Williams, Joan Rivers
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Podcasts
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Margaret Cho · co-host
Margaret Cho and Jim Short discuss music, movies, comedy, and everything with a variety of guests.
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The Margaret Cho · host
A podcast where Margaret talks about all sorts of topics on the woman-owned network Earios.
Also on screen
- 1994–1995
- All-American Girl
- Face/Off
- Drop Dead Diva
- 30 Rock
- Fire Island
A clip to start with
A clip of Margaret Cho