Kamau chats with comedy legend Margaret Cho about her evolution from prodigy stand-up to comedy elder, activist, and craft‑obsessed lifer. They bond over their shared San Francisco roots and how he sees her as a “comedy mother.” Cho embraces that role, saying she loves taking ownership when younger comics build on what she did and “make it better.”

 

They dig into her landmark solo show I’m the One That I Want, which kicked open the door for comics to be vulnerable and “give a damn” onstage. Cho contrasts traditional self‑deprecation with a philosophy of self‑affirmation, arguing that comics can “choose yourself,” insist “I matter,” and avoid self‑deprecation that, for comics of color, can reestablish white supremacy in front of mostly white audiences.

 

Asked for her “state of the comedy universe,” she critiques the Kevin Hart roast as disheartening, praising Cheryl Underwood while condemning the racist jokes about lynching, George Floyd, and Underwood’s husband’s suicide, as ugly and unimaginative. This leads into a broader discussion of how comedy has drifted from speaking truth to power and punching up toward being “cozy with power,” with some comics mistaking racist or “forbidden word” jokes for genuine edginess.

 

Cho’s decades‑long LGBTQ advocacy runs through the episode. The host notes she identified as queer early and helped define the universe of what comedy could be, especially in San Francisco’s queer scene. She warns that comics “testing” boundaries around trans people without understanding the stakes contributes to real‑world harm: “when you take trans lives lightly… trans people die.” She calls current conditions “really sad” and “scary,” citing bathroom and identity laws, driver’s license issues, and the re‑legalization of conversion therapy, and says “we’re in the middle of a transgenocide” that demands action to keep trans people safe and restore equality.

 

The episode also touches on grief and community as Cho and the host remember their friend, brilliant but troubled comic Jim Short, reflecting on his neurodivergence, volatility, and genius, and wishing more people would discover his work.

 

Support Friendly House, which provides assistance for low‑income women dealing with addiction, at https://friendlyhousela.org.

 

Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Distributed by Pushkin Industries.

Kamau chats with comedy legend Margaret Cho about her evolution from prodigy stand-up to comedy elder, activist, and craft‑obsessed lifer. They bond over their shared San Francisco roots and how he sees her as a &ldquo;comedy mother.&rdquo; Cho embraces that role, saying she loves taking ownership when younger comics build on what she did and &ldquo;make it better.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
They dig into her landmark solo show I&rsquo;m the One That I Want, which kicked open the door for comics to be vulnerable and &ldquo;give a damn&rdquo; onstage. Cho contrasts traditional self‑deprecation with a philosophy of self‑affirmation, arguing that comics can &ldquo;choose yourself,&rdquo; insist &ldquo;I matter,&rdquo; and avoid self‑deprecation that, for comics of color, can reestablish white supremacy in front of mostly white audiences.
&nbsp;
Asked for her &ldquo;state of the comedy universe,&rdquo; she critiques the Kevin Hart roast as disheartening, praising Cheryl Underwood while condemning the racist jokes about lynching, George Floyd, and Underwood&rsquo;s husband&rsquo;s suicide, as ugly and unimaginative. This leads into a broader discussion of how comedy has drifted from speaking truth to power and punching up toward being &ldquo;cozy with power,&rdquo; with some comics mistaking racist or &ldquo;forbidden word&rdquo; jokes for genuine edginess.
&nbsp;
Cho&rsquo;s decades‑long LGBTQ advocacy runs through the episode. The host notes she identified as queer early and helped define the universe of what comedy could be, especially in San Francisco&rsquo;s queer scene. She warns that comics &ldquo;testing&rdquo; boundaries around trans people without understanding the stakes contributes to real‑world harm: &ldquo;when you take trans lives lightly&hellip; trans people die.&rdquo; She calls current conditions &ldquo;really sad&rdquo; and &ldquo;scary,&rdquo; citing bathroom and identity laws, driver&rsquo;s license issues, and the re‑legalization of conversion therapy, and says &ldquo;we&rsquo;re in the middle of a transgenocide&rdquo; that demands action to keep trans people safe and restore equality.
&nbsp;
The episode also touches on grief and community as Cho and the host remember their friend, brilliant but troubled comic Jim Short, reflecting on his neurodivergence, volatility, and genius, and wishing more people would discover his work.
&nbsp;
Support Friendly House, which provides assistance for low‑income women dealing with addiction, at <a href="https://friendlyhousela.org">https://friendlyhousela.org</a>.
&nbsp;
Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Distributed by Pushkin Industries.

Kamau Bell is known for embracing uncomfortable conversations that acknowledge differences, confront embarrassment, and change people’s perspectives. Throughout his career, Kamau has talked with everyone from KKK members to Oprah Winfrey to strangers on the streets. Each time, Kamau fills these conversations with humor, heart, and intellect, showing that a simple conversation can lead to surprising revelations and spark change, one person at a time.

Kamau brings all that and more to his new weekly podcast, Who’s With Me? Inspired by Kamau’s popular Substack newsletter of the same name, Who’s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times. 

In every episode, Kamau addresses what has caught his attention in the current cultural or political landscape. He also sits down with someone he admires deeply—a time for Kamau to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place. Kamau will talk to celebrities, his fellow comedians, his fellow Oaklanders, activists, and sometimes he will talk to someone like Daveed Diggs, who is all of that in one body. So… who’s with Kamau? New episodes every Wednesday. 

Kamau Bell is known for embracing uncomfortable conversations that acknowledge differences, confront embarrassment, and change people&rsquo;s perspectives. Throughout his career, Kamau has talked with everyone from KKK members to Oprah Winfrey to strangers on the streets. Each time, Kamau fills these conversations with humor, heart, and intellect, showing that a simple conversation can lead to surprising revelations and spark change, one person at a time.
Kamau brings all that and more to his new weekly podcast,&nbsp;Who&rsquo;s With Me? Inspired by Kamau&rsquo;s popular Substack newsletter of the same name, Who&rsquo;s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times.&nbsp;
In every episode, Kamau addresses what has caught his attention in the current cultural or political landscape. He also sits down with someone he admires deeply&mdash;a time for Kamau to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place. Kamau will talk to celebrities, his fellow comedians, his fellow Oaklanders, activists, and sometimes he will talk to someone like Daveed Diggs, who is all of that in one body. So&hellip; who&rsquo;s with Kamau? New episodes every Wednesday.&nbsp;

Who's with Me? with W. Kamau Bell

Who’s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times. Every Wednesday, stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell sits down with someone he admires deeply to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place.

W. Kamau Bell is a Peabody Award winner, 4X Emmy Award winner, documentary filmmaker, Celebrity Jeopardy! champion, Official Ambassador of the band Fishbone, self-proclaimed #1 Bruce Lee Expert (non-Asian division), part-time activist, and full-time family man. Kamau is also known for his CNN docuseries United Shades of America, his four-part docuseries We Need To Talk About Cosby, and for scrawling “HAHA!” over his enemies’ faces on his Instagram account.

Who&rsquo;s With Me? is more than just a simple question. It is an invitation to connect, a call to action, and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in these increasingly hectic times. Every Wednesday, stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell sits down with someone he admires deeply to give them their flowers, ask his most burning questions, and invite his guest to give him and his audience homework on how to make the world a better place.
W. Kamau Bell is a Peabody Award winner, 4X Emmy Award winner, documentary filmmaker, Celebrity Jeopardy! champion, Official Ambassador of the band Fishbone, self-proclaimed #1 Bruce Lee Expert (non-Asian division), part-time activist, and full-time family man. Kamau is also known for his CNN docuseries United Shades of America, his four-part docuseries We Need To Talk About Cosby, and for scrawling &ldquo;HAHA!&rdquo; over his enemies&rsquo; faces on his Instagram account.

Margaret Cho on Choosing to Matter

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/318ff045-7a12-4b84-b759-b4a4000deec6/transcript