When Margaret Cho started doing comedy in the 1980s, there were no Asian American performers to look up to, no queer women on stage, no blueprint for the path she was carving, so she created her own. Now, decades into a career that’s earned her five Grammy and Emmy nominations, she’s still building opportunities where none exist and speaking to experiences of being “othered” that she lives daily. She continues to refuse to soften her voice for anyone’s comfort.
You’ve likely seen her on HULU’s “Fire Island” or HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant” and “Hacks,” or caught one of her Netflix comedy specials where she dissects sexism, racism, and homophobia with the precision of someone who navigates all three constantly. Her film “All That We Love” drew acclaim at the Tribeca Film Festival, and Vogue has placed her among the top female comedians alongside Joan Rivers. It’s a recognition that feels both overdue and exactly right.
Margaret’s wearing even more hats lately: she’s got roles coming in Disney’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and the thriller “I Want Your S*x,” and through her production company, Animal Family Productions, she’s developing new stories to tell. Right now, though, she’s on the road with “Choligarchy,” a show that tackles the current political moment head-on because, as she puts it, talking about what you know as an artist isn’t optional.
In this interview, Margaret opens up about building a career from scratch when the industry offered her nothing, why she avoids reading criticism to protect herself from her own harsh internal critic, and her advice for young women entering entertainment: try everything, but know that success belongs to those who can keep going without immediate reward. Her advice to those who dare to enter the comedy space: dedication outlasts talent every time.
Her Agenda: As a pioneering Asian-American comedian, what are the challenges you faced breaking into this industry?
Margaret Cho: Well, mostly it’s just invisibility, because when I started, there were no Asian American performers, no other Asian American women, there were no queer women. There were really no people that I could look to for community, so it was just about being alone, and then later, when I became more involved in it, there were just no projects to get into. There were no roles I could audition for. There was nothing in the 1980s and ’90s, there was just nothing there that I could get involved in. I would have to create everything on my own. And so it was just mostly the lack of opportunities, but because of that, I created my own because I was just doing comedy, and that was fulfilling for me.
Her Agenda: How has your Asian-American heritage influenced your comedic style?
Margaret Cho: I think that my heritage helped me to just talk about being other-ed, like the way that my comedy is mostly talking about coming from the outside going in. So to be the being of other, the performing of other, the experience of other, was sort of created itself into a style of performance. And so that’s how it benefited me. Of course, I don’t know how else I would have gone about it just because I don’t have any experience being white. I don’t have any experience being a man. I don’t have any experience being straight. I don’t have any experience of these things that are kind of universally accepted as being kind of normal. And so I’ve always identified as other.
Her Agenda: How do you handle criticism and trolling?
Margaret Cho: I don’t handle it very well. I kind of just avoid it if I can, because I have such a critical mindset. I have such a very developed and loud internal critic, so I don’t want to give that any more energy than I need, because I already have a self-silencing mechanism, which is really destructive, and so the more I can avoid any kind of negativity, the better. So I generally don’t look at criticism, I don’t look at trolling, I try to avoid it. You know, there’s not a lot you can do about stuff that just comes in, and you just have to deal with it, but in general, I find avoidance is key.
Her Agenda: How do you manage to balance the different careers that you have and your personal life too?
Margaret Cho: Well, a lot of my career is my personal life. A lot of my career [is] very social being in comedy clubs and doing tours and being around comedy, doing podcasts, it’s very social. So, a lot of it sort of blends into my social life. Also, I make music, it’s all with friends, so that sort of counts as my social life, and then getting to be an actor in projects a lot of the time, I’m working for people who I’m close friends with. So I’m lucky enough to be able to balance out my work life with my social life. I think that happens a lot in art. You end up working with people that you’re friendly with, and that’s because I think art is so all-consuming that if we didn’t have the ability to kind of collaborate, we wouldn’t necessarily have a social life.
Her Agenda: How has your perspective on comedy and what you like to comment on changed over the years?
Margaret Cho: I don’t think it’s changed a lot. I think that I’m always really focused on talking about the experience of others and being othered. I think that what continually finds itself in my comedy is talking about sexism, talking about racism, talking about homophobia. All those things together, and they’re amplified now with the current administration and what’s going on.
Her Agenda: You’re vocal about social issues that matter to you; why is it important to use your platform for advocacy?
Margaret Cho: I think it’s important just because I’ve always done that. It’s because it’s my preference. It’s because I experience racism and sexism, and homophobia daily. It’s because I see it happening to others constantly. And so for me, it’s meaningful, I think it’s important to talk about it. I think it’s a valid felt experience. It’s what I know. And as an artist, it’s important to talk about what you know.
Her Agenda: Are there projects in the new year you’d like to tell us more about?
Margaret Cho: I’m just touring. I’m on the road right now with my show Choligarchy, which I’m proud of. It is talking a lot about the current administration and what we can do about it, and how I feel about it. And so I think that’s really valid and important. There’s a lot to say. So I’m doing that, and that’s going to take up most of my year.
Her Agenda: What is some advice you can give girls looking to go into entertainment?
Margaret Cho: Comedy, it’s all about going and doing what you want. There’s so many ways to break into this particular profession. Of course, now there’s social media, which is really important too. So just get out there and do it. What it feels like to do it isn’t always the perception of what we think it’s going to be like. So, really try everything, see if you like it, see if you want to devote yourself to it, because the thing about it is it’s all-consuming. If you want to do this, you have to do it for a long time, and you have to do it really in a very dedicated way to find success. You will find it. Everybody becomes successful as long as they stick with it, you know? That’s what I’ve noticed about people. I’ve noticed people who are really talented and who are really, really skilled, but they don’t have the dedication because it takes a long time to really build that, and the people who have dedication are the ones who succeed in the end. So I want people to try it and see if they like it, and if it’s something that you can continue to do without apparent reward for a long time, then you’ll be rewarded in the long run.
[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
