Margaret Cho’s Iconic California

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