Margaret Cho, a San Francisco native born to two Korean immigrant parents, started her professional standup comedy career 42 years ago by lying to Jerry Seinfeld, and in subsequent years caught the eye of Bob Hope, Joan Rivers, the late Robin Williams and legions of other young comedy hopefuls, including—and especially—third culture funny kids wondering if they’d ever see someone who looked like them on television. She’s been nominated for Emmy and Grammy Awards and has received the First Amendment Award from the ACLU of Southern California, as well as being honored by GLAAD, PFLAG and other organizations for her outspokenness about racism, bullying and gay rights. In February, she released a new album of original, non-comedic music, Lucky Gift, which features tributes to Williams and Owasso teen Nex Benedict.
Cho will perform at 8pm Wednesday at Cain’s Ballroom as part of her “Live & Livid” comedy tour. Presented by Twisted Arts, the show will raise funds for Girls Rock! Tulsa, a program meant to empower young girls and gender-diverse youth to find their voices through music and art. I spoke with her via Zoom ahead of her trip to Tulsa.
Becky Carman: You've talked about Joan Rivers telling you that funny girls grow in power and value as you age. Is this your most powerful era?
Margaret Cho: I think so. It's really been amazing growing older in this profession. I've really come to enjoy it too. So I think that her words were very prophetic and also accurate.
Carman: This is a very unfunny time to be sensitive and alive, especially in America. Can you talk about laughter or comedy as resistance or activism? What is the value of getting onstage and doing comedy when it comes to talking about really tough things?
Cho: Well, right now, it's important to really have a voice and to have a stance. You have to take a stand. We're dealing with an incredibly racist, sexist, homophobic, classist system that is so incompetent as well. It's not just that their values are corrupt; they're not even good at it. So it's just an insane time. I’ve found out through this how much of a patriot I really am, which is kind of a shock, but I am. I think this is the only country where I could come from, be a child of immigrants with my parents coming here in 1964, and have had a real important impact on American society as a Korean-American, queer woman in an industry that does not necessarily welcome me. So it's amazing what I've been able to do, and I want to be able to keep doing it. Now more than ever, our voices are really essential.