Renowned actress and comedian Margaret Cho has attributed the loss of a role in the popular HBO Max series “Heated Rivalry” to President Trump and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In a recent episode of the “I Never Liked You” podcast, Cho shared, “Last year, I received a script for a pilot that I was really enthusiastic about, but it was being filmed in Canada.”
She expressed her concerns over her outspoken criticism of ICE and the Trump administration, saying, “I was terrified that my vocal stance against ICE and this administration would lead to my detention at the border and possible imprisonment in an ICE facility if I attempted to travel there.”
Cho confirmed that the project was the 2025 sports romance show centered on two professional hockey players, portrayed by Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, who develop a romantic relationship despite playing for opposing teams.
Despite missing out on the role, Cho shared that she has since grown to appreciate the show and admires the actress who ultimately took on her intended role.
Cho also suggested she is looking to potentially appear in its second season.
“I’ve watched it. I’ve hosted some rewatch parties, and I’m like it kills me, like it kills me because of Trump,” Cho said.
Cho has been among many celebrities who have attacked Trump in the past, calling him “abhorrent” in 2015.
Earlier this year, Cho recalled being asked to appear on Trump’s show “The Apprentice” because Trump was reportedly “a fan” of her comedy, which she found “weird.”
“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,’” Cho said in March.
“I just had a bad feeling about it, because I did go on one of the challenges because my friend Cyndi Lauper was competing one year, and so she did something at a diner, so I went, and I helped out.”
She continued, “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.”