For decades now, Margaret Cho has been one of the most integral celebrities within the community. As an openly bisexual Asian woman, Cho has been avidly outspoken about marriage equality and civil rights ranging from women’s rights to the Stop Asian Hate movement. Moreover, Cho has been vocal about her bouts with everything from addiction to eating disorders to mental health issues, topics which are relatable to all regardless of sexual orientation. This month, we honor her, and the impact she has had on politics and the entertainment industry collectively.
You are one of my favorite guests because I have been interviewing you for so long. Let’s kickoff with the Live & Livid tour. The tour keeps on being extended with more dates being added. How has the experience been thus far?
Margaret Cho: Thank you! It has been really exciting. I have always loved touring yet have not executed a tour this extensive since pre-pandemic. It is a big deal. People are excited and energized to go out. We miss live entertainment. So for me, it is a big deal and it is such an important year to be political.
I have attended many of your tours and they are always evolving. I can see you twice in one year, and the content changes almost entirely. I love that you are always mixing it up. For the 2024 dates, what can fans expect?
MC: The show covers a lot including recovering from the pandemic, how the Asian-American community has been impacted, the revitalized hatred against the gay community, hot-button issues like protecting drag as a constitutional right, and the weirdness surrounding Donald Trump being elected again. Political jokes aside, I dive into my own journey with aging, being the youngest an old person can be [laughs], turning 55, and my own crazy journey with abortion.
Are you surprised about the shift which has taken place recently? It seemed as though all things queer had become mainstream and you could finally let your guard down. However, there has been a recent wave of attacks. Are you shocked?
MC: Yes, I am shocked, to a degree. Part of the reason it is happening is because there has been so much progress. There has been so much genuine acceptance of the queer community by mainstream America. There has been genuine acknowledgment of our right to be here. There has been mass consumption of our art, our music, and our television shows. All of what makes art great comes predominantly from queer artists. This has always been the case except now it is much more apparent. We hold a major part of the entertainment landscape. We also have such strong allyship today, from Taylor Swift to Madonna to Beyonce, which edges out homophobia and this philosophy that heterosexuality is the lone norm.
It has become too mainstream for those who oppose it or those who don’t feel comfortable with their sexuality. Do you think the community has more power? Are we more of a threat?
MC: It is a limited mindset too because there is not really any threat. However, it threatens outdated values. At large, it boils down to this insecurity that accepting marriage between two sexes threatens the idea of being an American and a patriot. This is false; you can be both. It is a weird mindset because the two have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Yet they are reaching to make an association.
Another falsity is this notion that you can influence someone to become bisexual or gay. If that is the case, then you can also be influenced to be straight (laughs). It sounds ridiculous.
MC: I know! But you can’t influence anybody to become straight, bi, gay, whatever either. What happens with sexuality is that it just exists and it is not a matter of choice. These rights for individuality, bodily autonomy, and choosing your own path are all worth fighting for.
What is your zodiac sign?
MC: I am a Sagittarius! I am a double Sag: Sun and Rising
As a Sagittarius Rising do you like being on the go?
MC: Yes, and ironically, I finally found a comfort with being at home. I have toured for 40 years. The pandemic was the first time I spent real time at home, which I grew to love.
Congratulations on celebrating seven years sober.
MC: It is now seven and a half years. The journey has been the best. I can’t compare it to anything. I am just so relieved. There are many people in my life now who are also sober. I have a nice community which I am grateful for.
What was the epiphany which made you realize you had to cut out the substances?
MC: It was unbearable. I have had a lot of different issues throughout my life. I have survived an eating disorder, depression, and multiple battles with mental illness. Alcohol was a part of it from the beginning. My realization was a cumulative effect of everything coming to a head coupled with my people alerting me to the problem simultaneously. I already knew there was a problem, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I am grateful to the people in my life and the way I live my life now because it is so much about having a real sense of purpose. I have a huge meditation practice, lots of different kinds of therapy, and the like, which encourages my art.
What are tips you can provide to those trying to get sober and cut it all out?
MC: There are lots of ways. I LOVE REHAB! Rehab is so fun [laughs]. It is really expensive, but if you can get insurance to pay for it, it is so fabulous. Mostly, it boils down to self-reflecting and asking yourself why you are doing something that is supposed to be fun yet no longer is. Rather, it often becomes a crutch to mask dealing with the core issues. You initially engage with alcohol and drugs because it is fun, yet when it stops being fun and you continue to partake, you have to question why.
You are aware of the parties and intensity surrounding the entertainment industry. Thus, is it hard working in the entertainment industry and maintaining sobriety?
MC: Oh no! I never drank or did drugs to party. It was always about avoidance for me. Now, I am the life of the party, because I am there to actually have fun. I enjoy dressing up and networking. Temptation is not a concern of mine. I have been around Hollywood for such a long time that it does not phaze me anymore. I look at the entertainment industry parties and events as an extension of work. Yet, I understand how tempting it can be for others. I just never engaged in vices for that reason.
I remember you telling me you were working on a variety of film projects last year. What is going on with that? Do you have any other projects in the works?
MC: I have two different movies I finished, which are now in post-production. The writer’s strike held them up. I am actually going back in the studio to finish my latest album. I am really thrilled about this. It is my first album in almost a decade. I will also be doing preview shows for a play I wrote, which will most likely go out in a much larger capacity later in the year.
What is the play about?
MC: It is a one-woman show and I play my mother. It is a beautiful show I wrote, which chronicles her views on everything. It is like a drag show except it’s me and my mother.
I am a huge music buff. I worked in radio for years before getting into television. You have to give me more.
MC: I have been working on it for a long time, since 2014 actually! Sonically, it is inspired by ‘90s music, The Bangles and Jellyfish. Lyrically, it is the ‘90s meets the ‘60s. It is quite psychedelic overall. I wrote all of the songs!
I made a remix of one of your standup routines. I mixed it to a T-Pain instrumental. It was of your awkward experience at a sex club. Every time I speak with you or see you I always forget to mention it.
MC: [Laughs]. I love everything about this! Too good. I want you and everyone to come to the next show. Check MargaretCho.com for more dates to be added. Daniel Webb will be opening for me.
