North Korea was the butt of many jokes at last night’s Golden Globes, which was to be expected, given everything that has happened in the wake of The Interview. Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler began their opening segment with a joke about North Korea’s attempt at “forcing us all to pretend we wanted to see” the Seth Rogen-James Franco vehicle, but they didn’t stop there.
After getting in a dig at Bill Cosby, the two introduced the “newest Hollywood Foreign Press Association member,” a North Korean general—and contributor to “Movies Wow! magazine”—played by none other than Margaret Cho, dressed in full North Korean army uniform and speaking with her usual faux Korean accent. With the aim of mocking North Korea’s supposed lack of a sense of humor—a joke many critics found stereotypical and borderline racist—Cho appeared throughout the night, taking photos with Meryl Streep and providing commentary on the show’s shortcomings (“You no have Dennis Rodman”).
But this wasn’t the first tine Tina Fey and Margaret Cho have spoofed North Korea together. Cho previously guest starred on 30 Rock for a memorable running gag in which she played first a version of the late Kim Jong-il, as both a weatherman and waiter, and then Kim Jong-un, eventually earning her an Emmy nomination. Fey has since said it was one of her favorite 30 Rock moments, so it’s not at all surprising that Cho would reprise the role for Fey’s final time hosting the Golden Globes.
