Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho ranks among the most prominent Asian-American women in recent decades. Though Korean-American stand-up performer Cho remains most closely linked to her brief network stint on All-American Girl, her trajectory has extended far beyond that early vehicle. She embodies the pressures placed on any figurehead expected to embody someone else’s vision of political correctness. After enduring an intense media onslaught, her uneven professional path records both halting career progress and parallel personal development. In the self-produced off-Broadway production I’m the One That I Want, accompanied by an identically titled autobiographical volume, Cho discloses every detail without sparing the harshest episodes. She recounts her swift ascent, the network’s humiliation when executives demanded a thinner performer to portray her on screen, and her victory over lifelong, culture-imposed self-loathing expressed through destructive relationships, misguided professional choices, substance abuse, and a persistent eating disorder—all delivered with characteristic humor. Once granted complete artistic autonomy, a concession she made to herself, she earned New York Magazine’s Performance of the Year along with further honors rather than critical dismissal.

Billing herself The Notorious C.H.O. in her next production’s title, Cho accepted a GLAAD Award that singled her out as “an entertainment pioneer who has made a significant difference promoting equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or identity.” For examining women’s evolving societal positions she received the distinguished Gracie Allen Award. She also appeared on Remarkable Journey, a program spotlighting achievements by women of color. After several years largely absent from critical attention, she “redeemed her good name” through frank accounts of her network-television ordeal on NPR’s Fresh Air and Comedy Central’s Politically Incorrect, a marked departure from the mainstream Bob Hope-style circuit that had launched her initial success. Like a phoenix, The Notorious C.H.O. has reemerged amid widespread acclaim and the enthusiasm of an expansive audience that bypasses network programming.

Born in San Francisco after her parents relocated from Seoul, Cho spent her childhood on Haight Street during the 1970s. Expelled from one high school, she gained admission to McAteer High School for the Performing Arts. At sixteen she began stand-up sets at the Rose and Thistle, the club situated above her family’s bookstore, where she captured first place in a comedy competition whose prize was an opening slot for Jerry Seinfeld. She has crisscrossed the country repeatedly, received a nomination for Campus Comedian of the Year, and captured the 1994 American Comedy Award for Best Female Comedian. Cho has supplied writing and performances to multiple films. In August 2002 she released The Notorious C.H.O., a two-disc recording of the final evening of her 2001 North American tour at Carnegie Hall; a motion picture of the same name appeared in late September. Two years afterward she preserved her sold-out Revolution tour on both CD and DVD; Revolution earned a Grammy nomination for best comedy album. Assassin, recorded at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., appeared in October 2005. Cho Dependent, her debut full-length musical project, surfaced in 2010 and included contributions from Tegan and Sara, Ani DiFranco, Fiona Apple, and additional guests. Cho returned to comedy in 2012 via Cho Dependent: Live in Concert, securing another Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album.