Of course Margaret Cho had us laughing at Moontower Comedy Fest. She's Margaret Cho.
Iconic comedian Margaret Cho is very funny. We know you know that. But did you hear the laughs out of Paramount Theatre Thursday night? Our ears are still ringing.
Cho brought down the house during her headlining set at Moontower Comedy Festival. She was delightfully gross talking about sex and relationships, strong in her anger about anti-LGBTQIA and anti-choice legislation, and downright hysterical in her impressions of her mother.
"I go really deep into abortion in this show. This is a show that I've taken to places that are really battling it, whether that is Texas, of course, and then Florida. It's important to bring these messages out there," Cho told the American-Statesman ahead of her performance. "I don't want these places to feel like they've been abandoned. And there are people in the state that need to hear this message that we have hope that it's going to get better and that we're going to get our rights back."
More:Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin, Marc Maron to headline Austin's Moontower Just For Laughs
Cho's jokes on abortion during the show, as well as her jokes about Christianity, hit with the Austin crowd.
The show is also about "the rise of the Christian evangelical movement, which is so hateful, the person who would have the most problems with it is Christ," Cho told us.
Cho has performed in Austin before and called the city "alive with creativity and purpose and intention and progression."
"I've always thought of Austin as a really important artistic place," Cho said.
Cho was among a myriad of incredible comics coming to town for Moontower Comedy Festival, which runs through April 21. Tickets to individual shows and badges for the entire festival are still available and can be purchased at: austintheatre.org.
Here's our recommendations for the rest of the fest:
Sam Jay on April 17
Jay will perform at 8 p.m. at The Creek and the Cave, 611 E Seventh St. Jay's special "Sam Jay: Salute Me or Shoot Me" premiered on HBO in September 2023. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at: tickets.austintheatre.org.
Lucas Zelnick on April 18
Zelnick will perform at 8 p.m. at Cap City Comedy Club Main Room, 11506 Century Oaks Terrace. Zelnick has almost certainly appeared on your TikTok scrolls — his jokes and confrontations with hecklers often go viral. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased at: capcitycomedy.com.
Marc Maron on April 18
Maron will perform a headlining set at 7 p.m. at Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave. Maron is another comedy icon in Austin for Moontower. Whether you know him from his podcast "WTF with Marc Maron," his roles in "Glow," "Maron," and "To Leslie," or his most recent comedy special on HBO, "From Bleak to Dark," Maron is sure to bring a good show. Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased at: tickets.austintheatre.org.
Rosebud Baker on April 19
Baker will perform at 10:30 p.m. at Cap City Comedy Club Main Room, 11506 Century Oaks Terrace. Baker, who was named as one of Variety's "Top 10 Comics to Watch" in 2022, is a writer on "Saturday Night Live." Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased at: capcitycomedy.com.
Sarah Sherman and Chloe Fineman on April 20
Sherman and Fineman will perform at 7 p.m. at Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave. The duo both currently star on "Saturday Night Live." Tickets start at $45 and can be purchased at: tickets.austintheatre.org.