Margaret Cho calls out Nancy Mace: ‘Every time you open your mouth, trans people die’

Comedian Margaret Cho issued a blistering rebuke of Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on social media last Sunday, accusing her of causing harm to transgender people through her words and actions. In a video Cho shared online, she told the lawmaker, “Every time you open your mouth, trans people die.” She also referred to Mace as a “stupid bitch” and accused her of exploiting hatred to build her career.

Cho’s video included pointed remarks about Mace’s past statements and her claims of being a sexual assault survivor. “You’re ‘a survivor’??! Fuck you. Like, who isn’t at this point? But you are the worst predator of all,” Cho said. The comedian, one of the most visible Asian American voices in entertainment, framed Mace as a political figure whose rhetoric directly endangers lives.

Mace, who has publicly described herself as a “proud transphobe,” has faced criticism in Washington for her record on LGBTQ issues. In Feb., during a House Oversight Committee hearing, she repeatedly used a transphobic slur despite being asked to stop, responding, “I don’t really care.” Months earlier, in Nov. 2024, she introduced a resolution seeking to block Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first openly transgender woman elected to Congress, from using Capitol bathrooms consistent with her gender identity.

Cho also responded to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a TikTok video posted Tuesday following his speech to senior military leaders. In his remarks, Hegseth described “woke” culture as a threat to military readiness and called for stricter fitness, grooming and ideological standards. “Pete Hegseth, shut up Queen,” Cho said, adding, “You have a make-up room in the Pentagon.”