She rose to prominence after starring in the ABC sitcom All-American Girl (1994–95) and became an established stand-up comic in the subsequent years.

Cho was part of the cast of the TV series Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime Television, in which she appeared as Teri Lee, a paralegal assistant.

For her portrayal of Kim Jong-il on 30 Rock, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2012.

[4] Her paternal grandfather Myung-sook Cho, a Christian minister, worked for the Japanese as a station master during their occupation of Korea.

"[6] She was raised in a racially diverse neighborhood near the Ocean Beach section of San Francisco,[4] which she described as a community of "old hippies, ex-druggies, burn-outs from the 1960s, drag queens, Chinese people and Koreans.

[11] Cho said she was "raped continuously through my youngest years" (by another acquaintance) and that when she told someone else about it and her classmates found out, she received hostile remarks justifying it, including accusations of being "so fat" that only a crazy person would have sex with her.

She also secured a coveted spot as opening act for Jerry Seinfeld; at about this time, she was featured on a Bob Hope special, and was also a frequent visitor to The Arsenio Hall Show.

[20] Though her career and personal life were challenging after the show's cancellation, Cho eventually sobered up, refocused her energy, and developed new material.

Her material dealt with her difficulties breaking into show business because of her ethnicity and weight and her resulting struggle with and triumph over body image issues and drug and alcohol addiction.

[26][27] In 2005, Cho released her second book, I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight, a compilation of essays and prose about global politics, human rights, and other topical issues.

Posters for Assassin featured Cho in paratrooper gear and holding a microphone in the style of an automatic rifle, a reference to the infamous 1974 photo of heiress Patty Hearst.

The premiere performance of Cho's "Beautiful" tour was on February 28, 2008, in Sydney, Australia as part of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival.

[36] Also in 2011, Cho played a lead role in "America 2049",[37] a Facebook-integrated game highlighting social inequities in a dystopian future.

[44] In June 2022, Cho co-starred in a romantic comedy film, Fire Island, directed by Andrew Ahn, airing on Hulu.

[45] In November 2023, Cho was a guest on Today with Hoda & Jenna, as they recounted her career and celebrated her life's work and inspiration to other comedians.

She has covered substance abuse, eating disorders, her bisexuality and obsession with gay men, and Asian-American stereotypes, among other subjects, in her stand-up routines.

She began to draw intense fire from conservatives over her fiercely anti-Bush commentary; a live performance in Houston, Texas, was threatened with picketing.

[47] In 2004, Cho was performing at a corporate event in a hotel when, after ten minutes, her microphone was cut off and a band was instructed to begin playing.

Cho's payment, which was issued by way of check directly to a non-profit organization, a defense fund for the West Memphis Three, initially bounced but was eventually honored.

Headlined by Cyndi Lauper, the tour also included Debbie Harry, Erasure, The Gossip, Rufus Wainwright, The Dresden Dolls, The MisShapes, Rosie O'Donnell, Indigo Girls, The Cliks, and other special guests.

On January 25, 2008, Cho officially gave her support to Barack Obama for the nomination on the Democratic ticket for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

[58] With fellow comedian Diana Yanez, she co-wrote "My Puss", a rap song which they recorded as the duo of "Maureen and Angela."

[60] On an episode of The Hour with host George Stroumboulopoulos, Cho mentioned that she loved Broken Social Scene and wishes to be a part of the band (offering to play the rainstick or the triangle).

[64] Released on August 24, 2010, the album was supported by music videos for "I'm Sorry," "Eat Shit and Die," and "My Lil' Wayne;" Liam Kyle Sullivan directed the first two.

[66] In May 2010, Cho directed and appeared in, the music video for "I Wanna Be a Bear," a song by "Pixie Herculon," a pseudonym of Jill Sobule.

In 2011, Cho sang the Bob Mould song "Your Favorite Thing" at the tribute concert See A Little Light with Grant-Lee Phillips.

Both play with stereotypes of people of East Asian descent in hopes that "women of color embrace their quirkiness, their sexuality, their inner child and their creativity with passion."

Also in 2016, Cho was featured on the track "Ride or Die" on the album Sweet T by American drag queen and singer/artist Ginger Minj.

In the 1980s, she identified as a lesbian, saying the title at that time had the stereotype of "wearing jean shorts, Doc Martens, a bike chain, a messenger bag and a portable CD player spinning Ani DiFranco".

[88] [N]ot all women comedians are dangerous; some are just very funny: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are too relatable, Joan Rivers was too firmly ensconced in the society that she mocked.