It takes a lot of practice to become a great stand-up comedian. All the funniest Asian comedians are unique, hardworking, and hilarious, whether observational, situational, absurdist, blue-collar, abstract, alternative, or long-form storytellers. When it comes to the funniest Asian women right now, old-school stand-up comedians like Margaret Cho are at the top of the list, as well as being among the funniest comedians of all time. Do you know who Margaret Cho is?
Margaret Cho from suffered kidney failure as a result of rapid weight loss. After executive producer Gail Berman of the show All-American Girl criticized her appearance.
Who is Margaret Cho?
Margaret Cho was born in San Francisco, California, on December 5, 1968, to Seung-Hoon and Young-Hie Cho.
Margaret Cho began performing comedy as a teenager. She eventually auditioned for admission to the San Francisco School of Arts for her high school years. She began performing stand-up comedy shows in venues around her hometown while attending this school.
Margaret Cho was born in San Francisco, California, on December 5, 1968, to Seung-Hoon and Young-Hie Cho.
Margaret Cho began her acting career in the early 1990s. She made her film debut in the made-for-television film Move the Crowd. Margaret Cho continued to work in minor roles in movies and television shows until 1994 when she landed a recurring role in the show All American Girl. For a season, she portrayed Margaret Kim. Following that, she resumed appearing in minor roles in television shows and films. Face/Off, Sweethearts, Ground Control, The Nanny, and Can’t Stop Dancing are among her films.
Margaret Cho enjoyed success on the comedy circuit throughout the early 1990s, opening for such popular acts as Jerry Seinfield and making frequent appearances on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” In 1994, ABC offered the young, outspoken comic her sitcom. “All-American Girl” starred Cho as Margaret Kim, a contemporary 23-year-old Korean-American who frequently clashed with her conservative, traditional family and was loosely based on Cho’s previous standup routines. The show made history by being the first major network sitcom to center on an Asian-American family. (Source: PBS)
The “All-American Girl”
Cho’s groundbreaking sitcom “All-American Girl” sought to portray an image of an American family that more accurately reflected the one she and many other Asian-Americans had grown up yearning to see. Unfortunately, the young, ambitious comedian was immediately met with suffocating pressure to conform to mainstream standards.
I didn’t have these attributes that they think of when they think of a female star of a show. I didn’t have these attributes that they think of when they think of a female star of a show – I wasn’t thin, and I wasn’t white. The major problem was that I was too overweight to play the role of myself, which is insane if you think about it. But I didn’t know that was crazy then. I just wanted to keep my job
Margaret Cho, Comedienne
Cho went on a crash diet in response to the network’s demands and lost thirty pounds in just two weeks. As a result, her health failed, resulting in years of severe kidney problems and shaky on-screen confidence for Cho. “All-American Girl” was canceled after two seasons due to low viewership, uninspired writing, and ongoing tensions between the cast and the network. (Source: PBS)
Image from TheCut