August 17, 2008 --
Margaret Cho's 1994 ABC sitcom, "All-American Girl," marked two notable firsts. It was the first sitcom ever to center on an Asian-American family, and, most likely, the first to ever place such pressure on its star that it landed her in the hospital with kidney failure. But now, 14 years later, Cho, age 39, is finally returning to series TV, and this time very much on her own terms. VH1's "The Cho Show" is a scripted/reality hybrid that shows that the provocative comedian is out to please no one but herself.NYP: Your last TV series experience landed you in the hospital. How did you insure that nothing like that would happen again?Margaret Cho: I grew up and became a total bitch. I became much more confident. I've been around a long time, so I'm able to say what I need to say. NYP: You've always talked about your parents in your act, and now they're on your show. Are they prepared to be recognized and have fans?MC: They're expecting it. They can't wait. NYP: Are they getting big egos?MC: Yeah, they're all Hollywood now. They're on a lemon juice cleanse, and they won't return my calls. NYP: You often address society's standards of beauty. Given that you're thinner now, do people treat you differently? MC: I don't know, because I was younger then, so I was hot/young. It's different to be hot/young than to be hot/old. I had youth on my side when I was heaviest, so I could work the youth. Now I have the age thing, so that's fun.NYP: You have a lot of tattoos. What's their significance?MC: They're just beautiful and decorative. I grew up around gay people who were very flamboyant, and one of them had a very beautiful, detailed Japanese bodysuit tattooed on him. That's what I've always wanted. That's what I'm working toward.NYP: In one upcoming episode, you talk about having a haunted vagina. Explain, please.MC: Some time ago, I was walking down the street, and this fortune teller grabbed me and dragged me back to her shop, very panicked. She said, "I have to tell you something. Your vagina is haunted. You have to get rid of this demon, or you will never have a happy relationship; you will never have good sex; you will never be happy." I was really freaked out. She wanted me to give her all this money so she could do some spell on my vagina. NYP: You're incredibly open about your sexuality. How did you become so comfortable with that?MC: When I was doing "All-American Girl," at my first screen test, I was wearing this midriff shirt that bared my stomach, and the executive freaked out and said, "please never, ever bare your stomach in public ever again!" I was so mortified! That's why I'm naked all the time on my show now, because I want people to see what an almost 40-year-old woman's body looks like. My cure for my body issues is just showing it to as many people as I can. NYP: Gary Busey makes an appearance on the show. Why has he become a reality show staple?MC: I think it's because he's so natural and in the moment, like this warlock or soothsayer. He says these interesting and deep things, and he's just so weird. The dude is weird. I love him, but he's f**king weird.

THE CHO SHOW

Thursday, 11 p.m., VH1