Margaret Cho Recalls Embarrassing Weight-Loss Drug Incident From Early Career

Comedian and actress Margaret Cho has shared a shocking and deeply personal story about the extreme measures she once took to lose weight—and the painful consequences that followed.

Speaking on the How to Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast, Cho revealed that decades ago she used a weight-loss drug that caused her to lose control of her bowels. The incident happened during a live comedy performance while she was wearing an all-white outfit.

Cho explained that the drug prevented her body from absorbing fat, which led to oily leakage. She compared it to grease soaked from pizza. While performing onstage and getting strong laughs, she realized what was happening but continued until the end of the show. The audience gave her a standing ovation and asked for an encore, but Cho said she could only retreat backstage.

Finding no one behind the curtain, she removed her pants and tried to relieve painful cramping, leaving oily stains on the floor. She then put her clothes back on and rushed out to her car as the crowd continued applauding. Later, she discovered the oil had permanently stained her car seat, forcing her to replace the vehicle entirely.

Although the experience left her crying and feeling humiliated at the time, Cho said she can now look back and laugh at the situation. She believes the incident occurred around the Y2K era and confirmed she stopped taking the drug immediately afterward, though she continued trying other weight-loss methods in later years.

Cho has spoken openly in the past about the intense pressure to be thin in Hollywood. In a 2020 interview with Page Six, she described industry beauty standards as damaging and said they caused long-lasting emotional harm.

She also told The Guardian that in 1994 she lost 30 pounds in just two weeks through extreme dieting, exercise, and fear. That rapid weight loss led to kidney failure while she was filming All-American Girl, though she kept her hospitalization private at the time.

Looking back, Cho said she wishes she had been able to escape the self-hatred and pressure placed on her, believing she would have enjoyed her life and career much more without it.