Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Unlike some celebrity "LGBT allies," Margaret Cho has been proudly supportive and queer since the minute she stepped foot onstage. When she stormed the comedy circuit in 1993 and landed her own sitcom called All-American Girl, it was easy to root for her complete honesty and bad-ass best friend charm. She was once described as "the Comedy Madonna," and I think she'll rightfully carry that title forever.
Margaret is particularly special to me because her amazingly candid and funny memoir I'm the One That I Want came out when I was a freshman in high school. I'd watched her HBO standup special and All-American Girl when I was a little kid, so it was jarring to realize that the confident, pleather-pantsuited comic from my youth had dealt with -- in the years following her sitcom's cancellation -- drug addiction, long-term eating disorders, and the absolute worst Hollywood people I can imagine. But reading as she spared no detail giving perspective on those personal issues was a coming-of-age moment for me, and it was the first time I realized that adulthood is sometimes about plundering your own pain until you realize it's hilarious too. Word to Margaret.
Today the righteous Ms. Cho turns 44, and what better way to celebrate her decades of greatness than with a rundown of her most classic stuff. Here are some I remember well.
Hey, She's Korean! (from her first HBO special, click to the 12th minute)
"I'm Korean. I don't have a store or anything." (Waits.) "Not anymore."
Mom's Explanation of Gayness (from Notorious C.H.O.)
"You love your friend so much, you just don't know what to do."
The Legendary "Asian Chicken Salad" Throwdown (from Revolution)
God, the dramatic pauses here are heaven. Also: I really hope that flight attendant doesn't exist. But you know he did.
Christians Often Suck (from Assassin)
"They need to read the scripture. In Matthew, chapter 4, verse 17, it says, 'Shut the f*ck up.'"
(Here's an additional extemporaneous ditty about Jesus' gayness for the hell of it.)
And for the hell of it: Kim Jong-il tells us the weather. (From her Emmy-nominated turn on 30 Rock)
Thank you for everything, Margaret! I hope one day to meet you, lean in, and whisper "Do you know who Prince is?"
What are your fave Margaret anecdotes and one-liners?
