On Late Night, Margaret Cho shares some politically incorrect thoughts on race relations

Comedian Margaret Cho had lots of things to say on Tuesday's Late Night, beginning with how her fingers are weirder than host Seth Meyers' (they really are). When talk turned to the Golden Globes — Meyers helped write the jokes for hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and Cho had a cameo as a North Korean general — Cho noted that some people expressed outrage that she would portray a Korean person. (Cho is Korean-American.) The critics, she said, were almost all white.
And Cho was ready with an explanation: "White people like to tell Asian people how to feel about race because they're too scared to tell black people." Meyers went along with the bit. "It's a jackpot for us," he agreed. "We want to scold people about race, too, but we're too scared, so for us, when you do something like that, we're like, 'Here we go!'" Cho wasn't finished: "Whenever white and black people fight, Asians and Mexicans don't know what to do. You know, because we're, like, 'Um, are we white?' We just want to be on the winning side."
Oddly, in the second part of the interview, Cho sounds pretty unimpressed with all the complaints from comedians about a surge of joke-killing political correctness. Comedians should have the right to tell impolitic jokes, but their job is to, "in a way, just make people happy."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The Nare Hotel: a charming hideaway on the Cornish coast
The Week Recommends Upgrade your classic seaside holiday at this five-star country house hotel
By Theo Tait Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 6, 2025
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - weird science, Hoover's heels, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Gilbert & George and the Communists: an 'illuminating' look at the 'peculiar' world of the art duo
The Week Recommends The collaborative art pair's journey to Moscow in 1990 is chronicled in this 'excellent' book
By The Week UK Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published