In a recent interview with CHANNEL Q’s Corey Crockett, comedian, actor and musician Margaret Cho discussed how her comedy shows have more of an impact than just making her audiences laugh.
Listen Now: Margaret Cho joins Corey on CHANNEL Q
With the recent extension of her Live & Livid comedy tour, Margaret Cho will be spending a strong majority of 2023 out on the road. But as she told CHANNELl Q, she loves everything that comes with touring, including creating a “safe space” for the LGBTQ+ community. As a bisexual woman herself, she found that her shows could be a welcomed distraction for others, especially as she traveled throughout the country and in different social-political atmospheres.
This tour in particular, Cho said, has “kind of completely become about defending drag queens” given the current climate and upcoming US election. “It's like trying to find a space where we can feel safe talking about drag, talking about trans issues, talking about the community being together, being united against hatred, against homophobia, against ignorance,” she explained, “which you know, it's like the most terrifying thing when they want to take away our joy. And I think the drag community represents a lot of joy for the queer community. And so I'm here for them and the show’s for them.”
As the saying goes, Cho is a big proponent of laughter being the best medicine. “I think we also have to laugh at the absurdity of everything going on, which I think gives us a lot of relief. Like now we're looking at the possibility of a President who's so often getting indicted because orange is the new orange. And it's like, what the hell?” she joked. “But to look at that happening, I think we need to laugh and we need somebody to kind of point that out. I think everybody is really looking to humor to get us through.”
Though, she also recognizes that being lighthearted in the face of adversity is no simple task. “It's so difficult, you know, because it's like, you want to be able to be there for people and the way that things are going, it's just really scary. But it's also the only thing we can do is to laugh at it. And the only thing we can do is remain resilient, as we have been, and survive.”
Cho has been quite focused on resilience given her career in comedy as an Asian American woman as well. While her greatest influences include Joan Rivers and even some TikTok creators nowadays, she too has become an influence to the next generation. Calling herself a full supporter of Sherry Cola, Sabrina Wu, and Atsuko Okatsuka, Cho clearly delights in the success of others as well. “I love so many of these wonderful young Asian American comedians. I'm so proud of them,” she said with adoration. “I think the thing that keeps me going, I just want to watch them all the time.” And it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Cho helped pave the way for Asian American female comedians and writers as well. “It's so inspiring and it's so exciting and it's really tremendous,” she said, reflecting on her impact in the comedy industry. “I think that's my greatest achievement. I was able to inspire them. That's the best thing that I could have ever done and I'm really grateful for that.”
Margaret Cho’s Live & Livid tour is underway, with more shows being added due to high demand. Find out if she’s coming to a city near you by checking out her tour dates, and tune in to her full interview with Audacy and CHANNEL Q above