Is Margaret Cho Gay? The Comedian Identifies as Bisexual Though She Believes in Pansexuality as Well

Margaret Cho is an American comedian whose love for comedy began as a teenager. She identifies as bisexual, strongly believes in LGBT rights, and believes in pansexuality.

Margaret Cho was born on December 5, 1968, in San Francisco. Her mother resisted an arranged marriage in Korea and married her father, who pens joke books in Korean.

She followed in her father's footsteps by showing an interest in comedy as a child. At 14, she started writing jokes for stand-up and performed professionally at age 16.

Cho was bullied as a child and used her love for comedy as an escape. She was picked on and has since become an advocate to speak up for the voiceless. After launching her comedy career, she won a comedy contest where she had the opportunity to open up for Jerry Seinfeld.

Several years later, Arsenio Hall introduced her to late-night audiences, and the late legendary comedian, Bob Hope, gave her a spot on prime time special, leading her to become an overnight sensation.

Margaret Cho Was Married to Actor Al Ridenour

Margaret Cho has only been married once in her life. She was previously married to actor Al Ridenour who is best known for "The Forbidden Dimensions" (2013) and "Pox" (2011).

The multi-talented Los Angeles native is also an author and has written the English-language book, "The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas." Ridenour and Cho walked down the aisle on June 13, 2003, but they divorced in August 2015. The actress filed for divorce after eleven years of marriage.

She announced their separation in December 2014 and revealed they had split in September of that year. In the court filing, she cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the end of their union.

Cho and Ridenour did not have children together. In 2013, she revealed they had an open marriage and dished more on their relationship:

"I’m married to a man but I’m bisexual so I like both. 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."

Margaret Cho Gets Candid about Her Sexuality

Cho opened up more about her sexuality in a 2021 interview. She disclosed that when she decided to come out in showbiz, several queer icons helped her, such as B. D. Wong, Joan Rivers, and Rosie O'Donnell.

Although her parents were not accepting of her coming out, the comedian said that did not matter, adding they believe she is still coming to terms with actually coming out.

"I came out as a lesbian, I came out as straight, and then I came out as bisexual," she said. The comedian, who also believes in pansexuality, has always had to explain herself to people who doubt her sexuality, and the main reason is that she married a man. She further stated:

"Well, 'bi' means that there's only two genders, so I don’t like that because I think that's wrong. But I do love the '70s sound of bisexual."

Margaret Cho on Having an Open Marriage

During an appearance on the now-defunct chat show, "The Real," Cho was asked whether she ever felt jealous when her then-husband was another woman, and she said no.

She also divulged that she has been under the roof with Ridenour while he was busy with another woman, adding she would even "cook her dinner."

When she appeared on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" Cho stated that having an open marriage does come with specific boundaries, adding at some point, she does desire an emotional monogamist relationship with the same partner.

Being openly gay, the comedian also has strong views on LGBT rights. She said having a growing number of LGBTQ+ storylines on screens helps to do away with the "straight washing" of American history and prevents a lot of hate.