From an early age, comedian and actress Margaret Cho knew that her business was in making people laugh.

“I knew I wanted to do it when I was a kid. I’ve been very focused on doing this my whole life,” Cho says.

The Korean-American San Francisco native made her first appearance on the comedy stage at 16 years old. Perhaps the crude comedy that courses through her veins comes from her father (an author of Korean joke books) or the result of her upbringing in the melting pot of her 1970s San Francisco neighborhood. Whatever the case, Cho is best known for her vulgar stand-up routine on topics from politics to homosexuality, and everything in between. She has also been recognized for her efforts as a human rights activist and has showed no fear in going public with her political and social beliefs.

Witty and outspoken, Cho made a name for herself early on, securing acts on The Arsenio Hall Show in the early 1990s. Cho was the central character ABC’s 1994 one-season wonder, the sitcom All American Girl. In the fallout of the All American Girl season, Cho struggled with insecurities about her weight, her race, and her role as a woman in the comedy world. Those struggles were reflected in much of her work, culminating in a stand up routine, film and book, all titled I’m the One That I Want. She continues exploring those issues in her latest production.

“Comedy is definitely very much a man’s world and it’s very tough to break into the business. It’s just so closed off to women in so many ways,” Cho says. “It’s hard for women comics to really make an impact or get any support from the community because it’s so male dominated.”

Cho is happy to see more female comedians being embraced by the public and thinks that it is becoming easier for a woman to make her mark in the comedy world.

Now a highly successful comedian, actress, author, fashion designer and advocate for equal rights, Cho seems to have overcome the obstacles she faced with grace. It seems that the old adage “no pain, no gain” is reflected in Cho’s career: if it weren’t for the difficulties, there would be no opportunities to grow—and Cho makes it clear that she values growth, evolution and change.

“I get to do a lot of different kinds of stuff. I really love that. I love that sort of freedom of doing different things,” she says.

Currently, her energy is being channeled into her new show produced by VH1, titled The Cho Show, which show features Cho’s comedy in reality-show style.

“It’s very new and exciting to be able to work in this kind of format. It’s really different. I can’t even describe it,” she says.

Although she’s enjoying the new work, fans of Cho’s stand up can rest assured: the comedian is returning to her live comedy roots with her new tour, Beautiful. The show kicked off in Australia in February and features her usual bawdy look at hot topics, but there’s a cerebral undertone this time around: the show explores the nature of beauty and society’s unattainable standards thereof.

“It’s about how we can feel good about ourselves. I think if you feel good about yourself, you’re more apt to be more political. You’re more focused and you’re able to feel like your opinion counts and matters. That’s a big part of what I believe in,” Cho says.

Although Beautiful has an underlying message, don’t think the comedian is going soft on us. The show is crude and blunt and according to Cho, that’s what makes it so “beautiful.”

“It’s a lot about sex, it’s a lot about gender, a lot about relationships, a lot about sexuality. There’s a lot of raunchy humor, a lot of sex humor—it’s really raunchy. That’s one of the reasons it’s called Beautiful, because it’s my most raunchiest show ever,” Cho says.