Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music videos and has her own clothing line. She has frequently supported LGBT rights and has won awards for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of women, the transgender community, Asians, and the LGBT community. As an actress she has played more serious parts, such as that of John Travolta's long-suffering FBI colleague in the action movie Face/Off. She co-starred as Teri Lee, a paralegal assistant, 8on Lifetime's drama series Drop Dead Diva.

Filmography

• 2026By the Roots — Janine Sorrel
• 2026I Want Your Sex — Detective Zola
• 2026Run Amok — Principal Linda
• 2026The King of Black Goo — Opulence Montenegro
• 2025All That We Love — Emma
• 2025Queens of the Dead — Pops
• 2025TURA! — Narrator (voice), Executive Producer
• 2024Cora Bora — Electra
• Doctor Odyssey — Judy Riva
• 2024Dolly Parton's Pet Gala
• Kite Man: Hell Yeah! — Rebecca Chen (voice)
• 2024The Listener — Corinne (voice)
• Zombies: The Re-Animated Series — Ashley (voice)
• Frog and Toad — Turtle (voice)
• 2023Gianna — Kimberly
• History of the World: Part II — Sophia
• 2023Maxine — Maxine
• Not Dead Yet — Miss Cassandra
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians — Wasp
• 2023Prom Pact — Ms. Chen
• Will Trent — Therapist, Dr. Roach
• 2022Bury Me — June
• Dr. Jackie — Margaret Cho
• 2022Fire Island — Erin
• 2022I, Challenger — June
• 2022Queer Riot
• 2022Sex Appeal — Ma Deb
• 2022Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
• Call Me Kat — Val Park
• Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. — Frankie
• 2021Good on Paper — Margot
• 2021Koreatown Ghost Story — Mrs. Moon, Producer
• 2021Tara, Messenger of Death — Ms. Corrigan
• The Great North — Jan (voice)
• 2021The Sixth Reel — Doris
• Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens — Mistress Jupiter
• 2020Faith Based — Jane
• 2020Friendsgiving — Fairy Gay Mother #2
• I Can See Your Voice
• 2020Over the Moon — Auntie Ling / Gretch (voice)
• The Flight Attendant — Utada
• Good Trouble — Margaret Cho
• Miracle Workers — God's Mom
• The Masked Singer — Poodle (archive footage), Self - Poodle
• 2019Trixie Mattel: Skinny Legend — Margaret Cho
• 2019Undateable John — Hilda
• This Close — Zagat
• 2017Alaska Is a Drag — Jan
• Bill Nye Saves the World — Pistachio (voice), Self
• 2017Bright — Sergeant Ching
• 2017Curtain Down — The Mentor
• 2017Sharknado 5: Global Swarming — Simone
• The Bold Type — Margaret Cho
• 2016Ellie Kemper: Unbreakable Comedy Gala
• 2016Hurricane Bianca — Wig Shop Owner
• Party Legends
• Swedish Dicks — Agent Poll
• 2016The girls I know... get their hands dirty. — Mom (voice)
• 2015#BeRobin the Movie
• 2015Adventures in Comedy
• Dr. Ken — Dr. Wendi
• 2015Margaret Cho: PsyCHO — Self, Writer
• Metropolis
• 2015Senior Project — Ms. Ghetty
• The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show — Mulan (voice)
• 2015Tooken — Brown Finger
• 2013Amelia's 25th — Babs
• 2013Ian Harvie: Superhero — Executive Producer
• 2013In Transition — Tawny Kim, Executive Producer
• 2013Wedding Palace — The Shaman
• 2012Exotic World and the Burlesque Revival — (voice)
• 2012The Immigrant — Margaret
• Bubble Guppies — The Kraken (voice)
• 2011Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent — Self, Executive Producer, Writer
• Pound Puppies — Mrs. Wattana (voice)
• The Fran Drescher Show
• 200917 Again — Mrs. Dell
• Drop Dead Diva — Teri Lee
• 2009Margaret Cho: Beautiful — Self, Writer
• 2009The Snake — The Expert
• 2008One Missed Call — Mickey Lee
• 2008Prop 8: The Musical — California Gays and The People That Love Them
• The Cho Show — Producer
• 2008Underbelly
• 2007Dresden Dolls: Live at the Roundhouse London
• 2007Girltrash! — Min Suk
• Girltrash! — Min Suk
• Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World — Condie Ling / Jessica (voice), Condie Ling (voice), Condie Ling / Kathy Griffin (voice)
• 'Til Death — Nicole
• 30 Rock — Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Un
• 2006Falling for Grace — Janie
• 2006My Name is Jackie Beat
• 2006Phone Sex — Caller
• The Lost Room — Suzie Kang
• 2005Bam Bam and Celeste — Celeste / Mommy, Writer, Producer
• Ghost Whisperer — Professor Avery Grant
• 2005Margaret Cho: Assassin — Herself, Writer
• Wisecrack
• 2004Margaret Cho: CHO Revolution — Herself, Writer
• 2004Nobody Knows Anything! — Rental Car Agent
• 2002Grocery Store — Store Clerk(voice), Director, Executive Producer, Writer
• 2002Margaret Cho: Notorious C.H.O. — Herself, Writer
• 2000Margaret Cho: I'm the One That I Want — Herself, Writer
• 1999$pent — Travel Agent
• 1999Can't Stop Dancing — JoJo
• Family Guy — Hee-Sun (voice)
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Evelyn Lee
• 1999The Tavern — Carol
• 1998Ground Control — Amanda
• Sex and the City — Lynne
• 1998The Rugrats Movie — Lt. Klavin (voice)
• 1998The Thin Pink Line — Asia Blue / Terry
• 1997Face/Off — Wanda
• 1997Fakin' Da Funk — May-Ling
• 1997Pink as the Day She Was Born — Donna
• 1997Sweethearts — Noreen
• C Bear and Jamal
• 1996It's My Party — Charlene Lee
• Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist — Margaret (voice), Additional Writing
• Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child — Uhmuhni (voice), Hul Muh Ni (voice)
• Mr. Show with Bob and David — Margaret Cho
• 1995The Doom Generation — Clerk's Wife
• All-American Girl — Margaret Kim
• 1994Angie — Admissions Nurse #2
• 1994Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 Women — Connie Tong
• Duckman — Mai Lin (voice)
• 1994HBO Comedy Half-Hour: Margaret Cho
• 1994Margaret Cho: HBO Comedy Half-Hour
• The Critic — (voice)
• The Nanny — Caryn
• Red Shoe Diaries — Phone Sex Worker
• The Golden Palace — Fong
• Entertainment Tonight
• Better Life
• Cheap AF
• Crohnie
• Ron Forever — Gloria, Executive Producer

Appearances as themselves (100)

• Celebrity Weakest Link — Self - Contestant
• 2025Every Time You Lose Your Mind: A Film About Failure — Self
• Hollywood Squares — Self
• 2025It's Dorothy! — Self
• After Midnight — Self
• 2024Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution — Self
• Squid Game: The Official Podcast — Self - Guest
• 2023A Big Gay Hairy Hit! Where the Bears Are: The Documentary — Self
• 2023No One Asked You — Self
• Celebrity Jeopardy! — Self - Contestant
• 2022Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin: Ladies Night Live — Self
• 2022Sex with Sue — Self
• Sherri — Self - Guest
• 2022Soul of a Nation Presents: Together As One: Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage — Self
• 2022The Best of Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival — Self
• The Wheel — Self - Expert
• 2021Hysterical — Self
• Last Meals — Self
• Overserved with Lisa Vanderpump — Self
• Pride — Self
• 2021The Alaska Thunderfuck Extra Special Comedy Special — Self
• The Celebrity Dating Game — Self
• 2021Tig Notaro: Drawn — Self
• What's My Game? — Self - Contestant
• 2020Feeding America Comedy Festival — Self
• House Hunters Comedians On Couches: Unfiltered — Self - Guest Star
• 2020Mae West: Dirty Blonde — Self
• Sex, Explained — Self
• 2020The Paley Center Salutes Law & Order: SVU — Self
• Tournament of Laughs — Self
• Visible: Out on Television — Self - Narrator (voice)
• A Little Late with Lilly Singh — Self
• Lights Out with David Spade — Self - Panelist
• 2019Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate — Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self - Guest
• 25 Words or Less — Self
• 2018Bloodlines: The Art and Life of Vincent Castiglia — Self
• 2018Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash — Self
• 2018The Advocate Celebrates 50 Years: A Long Road to Freedom — Self
• Unapologetic with Aisha Tyler — Self
• 2017Everybody Has an Andy Dick Story — Self
• 2017Katy Perry: Will You Be My Witness? — Self
• 2017The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin — Self
• 2017This Is Bob Hope... — Self
• Truth & Iliza — Self
• Full Frontal with Samantha Bee — Self
• Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry — Self - Guest
• Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party — Self
• Original Sin: Sex — Self
• The $100,000 Pyramid — Self
• To Tell the Truth — Self - Panelist
• 2015Call Me Lucky — Self
• 2015Do I Sound Gay? — Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self
• World's Funniest Fails — Self - Panelist
• Celebrity Name Game — Self
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self
• 2014Lennon or McCartney — Self
• Beat Bobby Flay — Self
• Norm Macdonald Live — Self
• The Last Leg — Self
• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee — Self
• Finding Your Roots — Self
• Gotham Comedy Live — Self - Host
• 2012It Gets Better — Self
• 2012See a Little Light: A Celebration of the Music and Legacy of Bob Mould — Self
• The Burn with Jeff Ross — Self
• 2011Conan O'Brien Can't Stop — Self
• 2011Miss Representation — Self
• SNL Korea — Self
• 2011Sexing the Transman — Self
• America: The Story of Us — Self
• 2010Gaze — Self (archive footage)
• 2010I Am Comic — Self
• The Green Room with Paul Provenza — Self
• 2009Annul Victory — Self
• Celebrity Ghost Stories — Self
• 2009How Bruce Lee Changed the World — Self
• RuPaul's Drag Race — Self - Special Guest, Self - Guest Judge
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — Self - Guest
• Celebrity Family Feud — Self
• Dancing with the Stars — Self - Contestant
• Hell's Kitchen — Self - Restaurant Patron
• Real Time with Bill Maher — Self
• 2003Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!! — Self
• 2002Miss America — Self
• 1999Funny Is Money — Self
• 1999Get Bruce! — Self
• GayVN Awards — Self - Host
• Hollywood Squares — Self - Panelist
• 1998The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Drew Carey — Self
• The View — Self, Self - Guest
• Never Mind the Buzzcocks — Self
• Pulp Comics — herself
• Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras — Self
• 1994Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade — Self
• Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Guest
• 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour — self
• American Masters — Self
• Untitled Mitch Hedberg Documentary — Self