On this episode of the California Now Podcast, host Soterios Johnson speaks with five-time Emmy-nominee Margaret Cho. A lifelong Californian, Cho shares how her upbringing in San Francisco helped shape her career in comedy. “I was seeing comedians like Robin Williams, Paula Poundstone, and Dana Carvey all the time, and it was a really incredible place to grow up within comedy,” Cho explains.
Cho also discusses getting back on the road for her Live & LIVID stand-up tour, showcasing iconic venues like The Largo in Los Angeles and San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall. “I'll do a show at the Comedy Store, and the other people on my bill are people like Sebastian Maniscalco, Tiffany Haddish, Arsenio Hall, Iliza Shlesinger,” Cho notes. “You'll see only heavy hitters because everybody comes to these clubs on a weeknight just to work out new material.”
Cho also dives into her favorite offstage activities, including eating late-night Korean BBQ, attending cat shows, sampling omakase in San Francisco, and dining at Hollywood’s historic Musso & Frank Grill. “All of the wooden booths contain all of the stories of the old movie stars,” she says. “You can really almost feel the history in the booths.”
GUEST
Margaret Cho
RESOURCES
Margaret Cho is a five-time Emmy-nominated actor and comedian with a high-profile career that spans four decades.
Live & LIVID Comedy Tour
San Francisco
Los Angeles
San Francisco’s Chinatown
The Other Cafe
Hollywood
Hollywood Forever Cemetery/Cinespia
San Gabriel Valley
Monterey Park
Los Angeles’ Koreatown
Largo at the Coronet
Great American Music Hall
The Comedy Store
An Japanese Restaurant
San Francisco’s Japantown
BCD Tofu House
Canter’s Deli
Fairfax District
Cat Shows of L.A.
Tartine Bakery
Haight-Ashbury
Musso & Frank Grill
California Questionnaire: Margaret Cho
ABOUT THE HOST
Soterios Johnson, formerly the local host of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition on New York radio station WNYC, has been the host of the California Now Podcast since its inception in 2018.
OUR TEAM
Host, Soterios Johnson
Editorial Director, John Godfrey
Producer, Kate Eplboim
Technical Producer, Jessica Marshall
Theme music, Aaron Taos