Everyone has to start somewhere.
Though Margaret Cho is now a famed comedian who has sold out shows across the country, her entry into the comedy world was rather modest. As the funnywoman tells “Oprah: Where Are They Now — Extra” in the above video, it all began with one particular comedy competition, a coveted prize and a little white lie.
Many years ago, Cho had dropped out of school to pursue comedy. That’s when she came across a stand-up competition for college students, where the winners would get to open for the one and only Jerry Seinfeld. Cho may not have been a student, but she certainly wasn’t about to let her academic status (or lack thereof) stand in the way of such an incredible opportunity.
“This is really terrible: I lied my way into this college comedy competition,” Cho admits.
Cho’s little lie paid off, because she was selected as one of the winners. Along with the other champs, Cho performed her set in front of Seinfeld himself. He couldn’t help but comment on her incredible talent as a “student” comic.
“He watched us all and then he said to me that I should probably quit school because I was really good at comedy,” Cho says. “I thought, ‘Well, I’m not even in school, so this works out perfectly!'”
It’s been quite a while since that sneaky scheme, but Cho always felt a bit guilty for what she did and made a point to later apologize to the contest founders.
“I ended up later — many years later — apologizing to the people who put the contest on and the founders. They didn’t care, obviously, at all, but I was like, ‘I feel really bad about lying! You know, I took this away from a student,'” Cho says. “They were like, ‘Yeah, but you were great. It doesn’t matter.'”
As for Seinfeld, he’s not likely too upset about the lie either.
“I don’t think Jerry Seinfeld’s mad about it,” Cho laughs. “I think it was fine.”
“Oprah: Where Are They Now — Extra” is a digital series from the OWN show “Oprah: Where Are They Now?”
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