Long before Donald Trump entered politics, comedian Margaret Cho says she repeatedly received invitations to appear on his hit reality show “The Apprentice.”
While others jumped at the opportunity, Cho trusted her instincts and declined.
Now, the comedy icon is sharing why Trump’s persistence struck her as unusual and why she ultimately decided the show was not for her.
Margaret Cho Says Donald Trump Persistently Tried To Recruit Her
Cho recently opened up about a surprising chapter from the early days of reality television.
Speaking to the Daily Mail while attending the 2026 Queerties, where she received the Icon Award, the comedian recalled how Trump repeatedly pushed for her to join the cast of “The Apprentice”.
The show, which aired long before Trump entered politics, featured aspiring entrepreneurs competing for a role within his company.
Cho said Trump seemed especially interested in having her participate, even though she never seriously considered signing up.
“It was just odd, because he really wouldn’t let up over a couple of years, he really wanted me to do it,” Cho said.
Despite the ongoing invitations, the comedian said she remained hesitant about becoming part of the reality show.
Cho Trusted Her Instincts After Visiting The Show
Margaret Cho’s doubts about “The Apprentice” intensified after she briefly experienced the show’s environment firsthand.
She visited the set while supporting her friend Cyndi Lauper, who was competing on “The Celebrity Apprentice.”
Cho attended a challenge involving a diner, but the atmosphere made a strong impression.
“And I just was like, I have bad feeling. I had gone on briefly for when my friend Cyndi Lauper had done The Apprentice,” she explained.
During the visit, Cho said the experience felt overwhelming.
She shared, “And so I went to visit her challenge in her diners, and it was just very stressful. I didn’t want to put myself in that position. I had no idea who he was.”
Cho added that she was unfamiliar with Trump at the time, partly because she had not spent much time in New York.
She explained, “I never really spent that much time in New York, and he’s such a New York kind of person. Everybody knew, but I didn’t really know.”
Margaret Cho Recalls Repeated Invitations To Join ‘The Apprentice’
The comedian previously discussed the unusual invitations during a recent appearance on “The Julia Cunningham Show.”
There, Cho shared that producers repeatedly contacted her, urging her to join the competition series.
“I was asked several times to be on it, season after season, and they kept saying, ‘Well, Donald Trump really loves you. Please come on,'” she said.
Even after her brief appearance on one challenge, the invitations continued.
She revealed, “I just had a bad feeling about it, because I did go on one of the challenges cause my friend Cyndi Lauper was competing one year, and so she did something at a diner, so I went, and I helped out.”
Cho explained that although she technically appeared during the episode, she never became a contestant.
“I was at the diner, and so I was part of an episode, but I never actually was a contestant, but I was asked several times because Donald Trump was a fan,” she said.
Ultimately, Cho trusted her instincts and stayed away from the show.
The Unexpected Political Request That Left Cho Shocked
Margaret Cho’s unusual encounters involving Donald Trump did not end with the reality show invitations.
Years later, she said she was surprised when someone associated with Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign contacted her.
The request, she recalled, left her stunned.
“At the beginning of the campaign in 2016, Michael Cohen somehow got my email and was really begging me to become part of the campaign, and I’m like, ‘That’s insane. I’m a lifelong Democrat.'”
Cho explained that the outreach made little sense given her political views.
She asked, “Why would I back somebody that… I didn’t know anything about him also, because I’m not a New Yorker. I never had any clue about really who he was. I think that he was just such a regional kind of phenomenon at that point. Nobody outside of New York really knew, but I just like, ‘Why would you ask me that?'”
Margaret Cho Uses Queerties Speech To Criticize The Trump Administration
While attending the Queerties event, Cho also spoke candidly about politics during her acceptance speech.
According to The Wrap, the comedian used the moment to express her gratitude for the community gathered at the event.
“I’m so honored to be here with all of you. I love the Queerties. I’m just proud that we have an award ceremony to acknowledge what we do — we make each other laugh, we make each other survive this terrible administration, we make each other want to revolt even harder,” the actress said.
Cho, who rose to prominence after starring in and creating the ABC sitcom “All-American Girl,” has built a career that blends comedy with sharp commentary on cultural and political issues.
Beyond her work on stage, she has also been recognized for her activism, particularly in support of LGBTQ rights, women’s advocacy, and Asian American representation.