Her latest tour, inspired by emergence from the pandemic, is a celebration of 41 years as a stand-up comedian. Cho will bring her Live and Livid Tour to The Texas Theatre on April 12.
We spoke with Cho via Zoom weeks before her arrival in Dallas. While she's in good spirits, she hasn’t lost sight of her mission — to have fun while bringing attention to important social topics.
“It's great to be back and there's lots to be livid about,” Cho says. “The anti-trans, anti-gay, anti-drag laws that are going into effect, loss of rights for women. During the pandemic, there were so many hate crimes against Asian Americans. So there's a lot to discuss.”
For these reasons, it's surprising Cho is bringing her show to Texas given the state’s laws restricting abortion laws, eliminating diversity and inclusion programs, and restricting gender-affirming care. But Cho says Texas audiences always show her love when she’s in town.
“Texas audiences are so great,” she says. “And they're so enthusiastic and wild. I always have an amazing time.”
Additionally, she looks forward to seeing friends and eating Tex-Mex while she’s in town.
Another one of Cho’s favorite places in the world is Fire Island, a queer man’s mecca on New York's Long Island. Known for its parties and tea dances, it's simply a haven for gay and bisexual men as well as their best lady friends.
In 2022, Cho starred in a movie called Fire Island alongside Bowen Yang and Joel Kim Booster, who wrote the movie. Cho played Erin, a motherlike figure to a group of gay male friends — paralleling Mr. Bennet from Pride And Prejudice, on which the movie is based. Fire Island was an instant hit within the LGBTQ+ community, with many praising its commentary on class relations and queer friendship.
“We're always bugging Joel to make another one,” says Cho. “I think there's gotta be a prequel or a sequel. I love Joel, and I love Bowen, and I love everybody in that movie. I would just love to go back and revisit it to do it again. To me, it's family, and it's also a place that is very much home. Fire Island is home to me.”
The Real Cho
If you haven’t been paying attention to her comedy, Cho is openly bisexual. But make no mistake, she’s not here for any sort of stereotypes.As a queer comedian, Cho hammers home that there’s no cookie-cutter way to be bisexual. From 2003 to 2014, Cho was married to Al Ridenour, before eventually divorcing. But during that time, she revealed that the two were in an open marriage.
In a 2013 episode of The Real, Cho she said, “We got together because we both have this [idea], 'I just don't want to have sex with the same person my whole life. That's just gross.'"
Over a decade later, she stands by what she said. She also believes that books like Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy’s The Ethical Slut and Jessica Fern’s Polysecure have helped somewhat destigmatize the idea of open marriages, relationships and polyamory.
“Ethical non-monogamy requires a lot of communication that a lot of people aren't really great at,” says Cho. “It's something that has to be a commitment — a commitment to honesty, communication, openness and understanding. There are different kinds of problems that come with opening a relationship up, or even starting with the mission statement of ‘We're gonna have an open relationship.’ So it's a very challenging thing that I think a lot of people aren't up for.
"After a long time of being around the polyamorous community and being part of it, I’ve realized that so many people don't have the emotional aptitude to deal with what comes in requirement of that. I mean, I also believe, truthfully, that I'm very incapable of any kind of romantic relationship. It's a challenge but it's worthwhile if you can do it. And it's amazing when people can get it right.”
Cho isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Amid political turmoil and social inequality, Cho emphasizes the importance of finding the joy in rough times and holding onto it. More than 40 years in, it's a hallmark of her craft.
“I think I've learned that it's really important to have fun,” says Cho. “I have to really have a good time to keep it going, and I've been able to do that. I've been able to keep that real romance that I have with stand-up comedy alive. I do a lot of shows all the time, and it's still in the forefront of my mind. It's still the biggest part of my life.”
