15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Margaret Cho to bring ‘most blistering and brutally honest show yet' to S.F.
Margaret Cho is fed up with the U.S. government, and plans to air her grievances during her next stand-up comedy tour.
The San Francisco native is returning to her political comedy roots for Choligarchy, her upcoming run of shows scheduled to begin Aug. 1-2 in Provincetown, Mass.
She'll then go on to hit nearly two dozen other cities — from Burlington, Vt. and Madison, Wis. to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. — throughout the fall and winter, before concluding with a one-night performance in her hometown on May 29, at the Palace of Fine Arts.
'I'm so frustrated with the state of the union and I know the only weapon I have is humor,' Cho said in a statement. 'I want to fight fascism with everything I have. This will be my most blistering and brutally honest show yet! Let's tear down racism, homophobia and sexism with all that we have.'
Ticket presales begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 16, with general sales starting at 8 a.m. Monday, July 21.
Cho broke through in the comedy scene of the early 1980s around the same time as Primetime Emmy Award winner Ellen DeGeneres. Though she recalls opening for DeGeneres at various comedy clubs before the disgraced talk show host reached widespread fame, Cho said the two never developed a friendship.
'Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,' Cho revealed during an appearance on ' The Kelly Mantle Show ' podcast in June. 'She was like a mean girl.'
Cho's claims confirm allegations DeGeneres faced in 2022 of fostering a toxic workplace and mistreating staff on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show.' Her employees' accusations ultimately prompted the show's cancellation.
Despite her strained relationship with DeGeneres, Cho has gone on to have a successful career of her own that includes acting in TV and film. Most recently, the five-time Grammy- and Emmy-nominated star has been cast in the second season of the Disney+ original series 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians" and Gregg Araki's upcoming erotic thriller 'I Want Your Sex.'
She even competed in the third season of 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' During her debut on the TV quiz show in January, she earned $54,100 for the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Friendly House, which aids women in recovery from substance abuse.
Though the win secured her a spot in the subsequent semifinal game, Cho lost to East Bay comic W. Kamau Bell, who donated part of his $1 million winnings to Oakland schools via education nonprofit DonorsChoose.
