The actress said during a podcast interview that her outspoken criticism of Trump made her nervous about traveling to Canada for filming.
Actress and comedian Margaret Cho said concerns about President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prevented her from accepting a role in the popular HBO Max series Heated Rivalry.
During an appearance on the I Never Liked You podcast last week, Cho explained that she received a pilot script for a television project she immediately enjoyed, but filming was scheduled to take place in Canada.
“Last year, I got a pilot script for a show that I really loved, but it was filming in Canada,” Cho explained. “I became nervous because I’ve been very outspoken against ICE and this administration. I honestly thought there was a chance I could get stopped at the border or even detained if I traveled there.
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Cho later confirmed the project was the 2025 sports romance series Heated Rivalry, which follows two professional hockey players, portrayed by Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, who develop a close relationship while competing on rival teams.
Although she ultimately turned down the opportunity, Cho said she later became a fan of both the series and the actress who eventually took over the role she was offered. She also hinted that she could still potentially appear in the show’s second season.
“I’ve watched the series and even hosted rewatch parties for it,” Cho said. “It honestly still bothers me because I really wanted to be part of it.”
Cho has publicly criticized Trump for years and previously described him as “abhorrent” during interviews dating back to 2015.
Earlier this year, the comedian also recalled being invited multiple times to participate in Trump’s former reality show The Apprentice because Trump was reportedly a fan of her stand-up comedy.
“They invited me several times over different seasons,” Cho said in March. “They kept telling me Donald Trump really liked my comedy and wanted me involved, but something about it never felt right to me.”
Cho added that she once briefly appeared during one of the show’s challenges to support her friend Cyndi Lauper, who was competing at the time.
“I visited during one of the diner challenges to help Cyndi out,” she explained. “But even then, I had a strange feeling about the whole situation.
She continued by saying that she once appeared briefly during a diner challenge on the show but was never an official contestant, despite being invited multiple times because Trump was reportedly a fan of her comedy work.
