Margaret Cho defends Golden Globes' North Korea gag
Much of the Internet agrees Tina Fey and Amy Poehler nailed their opening monologue jokes at Sunday night's Golden Globes. But what would an awards show be without controversy? As the night wore on, the show faced scrutiny over Margaret Cho's bits as "Cho Young Ja," a North Korean general and journalist.
In a reference to the comedian's 30 Rock cameos, the military uniform-clad Cho spoke in a heavy accent to criticize the Globes themselves and U.S. TV, like Orange is the New Black. Some thought the gag was racist, while others called it edgy.
Cho defended her performance on Twitter and to BuzzFeed on Monday.
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"I can do whatever I want when it comes to Koreans — North Koreans, South Korean," Cho told BuzzFeed. "I’m not playing the race card, I’m playing the rice card. I’m the only person in the world, probably, that can make these jokes and not be placed in a labor camp."
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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
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