Margaret Cho began writing jokes for stand-up at 14 and was performing professionally at 16. Soon after starting her career, she won a comedy contest where first prize was opening for Jerry Seinfeld. She moved to Los Angeles in the early '90s and hit the college circuit, where she immediately became the most booked act in the market, garnering a nomination for Campus Comedian of The Year. She performed over 300 concerts within 2 years. Arsenio Hall introduced her to late night audiences, Bob Hope put her on a prime time special and seemingly overnight, she became a national celebrity.

Her groundbreaking, controversial and short-lived ABC sitcom All-American Girl soon followed. Oddly, while chosen because of who she was—a non-conformist Korean-American woman with liberal views—the network decided it wanted her to tone it down for the show. Challenging her feelings for both who she was and how she looked, she soon realized that though she was an executive producer, it was a battle she wouldn't win.

The experience was a traumatic one, bringing up unresolved feelings left over from childhood. She developed an eating disorder as a response to criticism about her body. She was so obsessive in her goal to try to be what she thought others wanted, she landed in the hospital with kidney failure. Throughout a period of self-abuse, she continued performing to sold-out audiences across the country in comedy clubs, theaters and on college campuses, working to channel her anger into something more positive.

In 1999, her groundbreaking, off-Broadway one-woman show, I'm The One That I Want, garnered national acclaim. It was made into a best-selling book and feature film. After her experience with All-American Girl, she wanted to make sure she would only have to answer to herself, making sure she was responsible for the distribution and sales of her film, taking a page from what music artist Ani DiFranco did with her Righteous Babe Records. The concert film, which garnered incredible reviews, broke records for most money grossed per print in movie history. In 2001, after the success of her first tour, she launched Notorious C.H.O., a smash-hit 37-city national tour that culminated in a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. It was recorded and released as a feature film, hailed by the New York Times as "Brilliant!" Both films were acquired by Showtime Cable Networks and produced by her production company, a testament to the success of her bold business model.

In March of 2003, she embarked on her third sold-out national tour, Revolution. It was heralded by the Chicago Sun Times as "Her strongest show yet!" The CD recording was nominated for a Grammy for Comedy Album of the Year. In 2005, she released Assassin, which The Chicago Tribune crowed "Packs passion into each punch." The concert film premiered in select theaters as well as on the gay and lesbian premium channel Here! TV in late 2005.

In 2007, she hit the road with Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and Erasure, along with indie faves The Dresden Dolls and The Cliks, to host the True Colors Tour, benefiting the Human Rights Campaign. A true entertainment pioneer, she also created and starred in The Sensuous Woman, a live variety show featuring vaudevillian burlesque and comedy, which she took for an extended off-Broadway run that fall.

She returned to TV in 2008 on the VH1 series, The Cho Show. It followed her and her eccentric entourage through a series of irreverent and outrageous experiences shaped by her 'anything goes' brand of stand-up. It was beloved for the audience it was intended for, the ones who maybe don't quite fit in.

The aptly titled Beautiful came next, exploring the good, bad and ugly in beauty as well as the unattractive politicians and marketers who shape our world. The concert premiered in Australia at The Sydney Theater, marking the first time she debuted a tour abroad. While touring through the U.S., the concert was filmed at the Long Beach theater, aired as a special on Showtime in 2009, then released as both a DVD and a book.

In 2009, she nabbed a starring role in the comedy/drama series Drop Dead Diva, which aired on Lifetime. She enjoys being part of a team, not necessarily having the sole responsibility for keeping things afloat.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, she stepped right up to the proverbial plate when asked to do Season 11 of Dancing with the Stars. Paired with pro Louie Van Amstel, she was on one of the show's most controversial seasons, dancing alongside Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, David Hasselhoff, Jennifer Grey and Bristol Palin among others.

She got a very strong reaction to her Rainbow Dancing Dress during a time when the issue of bullying, especially among gay teens, was all over the media.

2010 culminated with another high honor, a second Grammy Award nomination for Comedy Album of the Year for Cho Dependent, her collection of music featuring collaborations with Fiona Apple, Andrew Bird, Grant Lee Phillips, Tegan & Sara, Ben Lee and more. The album received critical acclaim.

She self-released Cho Dependent on her own Clownery Records and was encouraged by the acclaim, as there were only a handful of people putting out albums of comedy music—"Weird" Al Yankovic, Flight of the Conchords, The Lonely Island, to name a few—but no women. While thrilled that her hard work was rewarded with the nomination, she wasn't finished with musical comedy yet, claiming to have more music in her.

In 2011, she released the live concert film of Cho Dependent, which also had its cable network debut on Showtime. Audiences who caught these performances live can attest that she hasn't lost any of her edge on Cho Dependent, her sixth live concert DVD. Shot at the Tabernacle in Atlanta. She remains uncensored, but never unhinged: taking aim at the Palin family, appearing on Dancing with the Stars, smoking pot and living in a world with sexting. The DVD's no-holds-barred Margaret and instantly a classic.

She then filmed the sixth and final season on Drop Dead Diva. She returned as "Teri" Girl Friday to Brooke Elliott's Jane Bingham, whose body's inhabited by the soul of a vapid model sent back to earth after Heaven judges her as a zero-zero for having committed no good and no bad deeds. Drop Dead Diva's not only beloved on Lifetime, but by the many stars who have lined up to guest on the show such as Paula Abdul, Wanda Sykes, Rosie O'Donnell, Vivica Fox and Kim Kardashian.

Not one to rest on her laurels, she spent whatever free time she had crafting her all new stand-up show Mother, which kicked off in September 2012, including both a U.S. and European tour.

Paradox not lost, she re-scheduled some of the shows she had booked mid-September so she could attend the Emmy Awards, having been nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her stint on 30 Rock as gender-bending North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.

In 2014, she filmed a pilot for FOX and was thrilled to work with Tina Fey as well as the producing team from 30 Rock. The multi-camera comedy takes place at a women's college that had just opened its doors to men for the first time.

While thrilled with her 2 Grammy and recent Emmy nomination, she has never turned away from the causes that are important to her. She's active in anti-racism, anti-bullying and gay rights campaign. She has been recognized for her unwavering dedication, receiving the Victory Fund's 2008 Leadership Award and the first ever Best Comedy Performance Award at the 2007 Asian Excellence Awards. She also received the First Amendment Award from the ACLU of Southern California and the Intrepid Award from the National Organization for Women (NOW). Throughout her career, she has been honored by GLAAD, American Women in Radio and Television, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and PFLAG for making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for all, regardless of race, sexual orientation or gender identity. In June 2011, she was honored by L.A. Pride with a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing an individual whose lifetime body of work has left a lasting major imprint on the LGBT community.

Through her hard work, she has had the opportunity to be heard, to extend her point of view and become regarded as a true pioneer in her field. She takes none of it for granted.