Comedian Margaret Cho was on Dancing with The Stars for all of three weeks this season. She had some awkward moments, including some very fug outfits and a propensity to pull ridiculous faces while she was dancing. She did show some improvement on the show, but was ultimately voted off third, after David Hasselhoff and Michael Bolton. Cho recently blogged about one of her fellow contestants who garnered a lot more attention and praise this season, Bristol Palin. Palin of course finished third overall in the competition, amid some controversy about her mother’s political influence. (I thought Bristol was a very likable go-getter this season, and that her personality and dancing improvement contributed much more to her success than any alleged voting scheme.)
Now Cho is claiming that Sarah Palin put Bristol up to doing the show, in an attempt to bolster her own political image by making her teen mom daughter less of a liability. Even if this is true, I don’t get why it took Cho so long to come out with this.
Everyone was trying to pit me against Bristol, but the truth is, we got along well. She never asked me to babysit Tripp or anything like that, but I consider her a friend. So what’s my take on her television debut? Well…
Why did Bristol do Dancing with the Stars? I heard from someone who really should know (really should seriously know the dirt really really) that the only reason Bristol was on the show was because Sarah Palin forced her to do it. Sarah supposedly blames Bristol harshly and openly (in the circles that I heard it from) for not winning the election, and so she told Bristol she “owed” it to her to do DWTS so that “America would fall in love with her again” and make it possible for Sarah Palin to run in 2012 with America behind her all the way. Instead of being supposedly “handicapped” by the presence of her teen mom daughter, now Bristol is going to be an “asset” – a celebrity beloved for her dancing. I am sure the show wasn’t in on this (but who knows anything really).
Although I don’t agree with the family’s politics at all, I really like Bristol as a person. She’s warm and incredibly supportive, and I think that she looks beautiful out on the dance floor. It’s heartbreaking that people are so awful to her about her weight. I think she looks fantastic, and why does everybody think they have a right to comment on our bodies? What are young girls going to take away from that? If people call her fat what kind of impact does that have on women who have similar body types – which is most of us??!! Still, it is a dance competition, and so I am sure that people feel they have the right to judge bodies and not just ability. That’s just wrong.
Bristol is learning. She improved a lot, in my opinion. Her tango was fierce and really the best dance she did. You really do learn to dance in this competition! I am proud of her for shaking her ass! But keep in mind there are other forces at work here and it’s not just for the love of dance.
[From Margaret Cho’s blog via Huffington Post]
So was that like a backhanded compliment to Bristol? Something like “she’s a good dancer but her mom made her do it” and “she’s bigger than a dancer but she looks fantastic“? I get that there has been a lot of commentary on Bristol’s weight not going down significantly while she was on the show, but why even bring it up in this post? It sounds snarky even though Cho complimented her. Kaiser doesn’t agree with me though, and thinks that Cho is being very complimentary to Bristol while making it clear what she thinks about her mom. She didn’t get the same passive aggressive vibe from this story that I did.
Before Bristol went on DWTS, she did an interview on Leno and she seemed so happy with the prospect of going on the show. I doubt that Sarah Palin “forced” her daughter to do it, and it was ultimately a very good move for Bristol. Whatever Sarah’s political ambitions, to bring all that up only seems to detract from Bristol’s achievements. Yes a lot of people don’t like her mother, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t get to know her daughter on the show and root for her success, even if it was her mom’s idea as Cho claims. Maybe Cho agrees with me. That said, there are rumors that Todd Palin, Sarah’s husband, is going to be on DWTS next.
Margaret Cho is shown with her partner, Louis van Amstel, on 9/20/10 ahead of DWTS. Bristol and her partner, Mark Ballas, are shown outside of Good Morning America on 11/24/10. Credit: WENN.com
I only saw one episode but thought that Bristol acted victimized and sullen. It was difficult to cheer for her.
Her mother is a celebrity first and politician second;
NOT electable, thank goodness and I am more tea party, than not. (We are spending our kids’ futures into a rabbit hole as a nation. Fiscal responsibility for me.)
It is probably true, because Sarah Palin seems like a real C*NT!! However, Margaret Cho needs to keep her mouth shut, because she had no right to reveal whether it was true or not. Some people just don’t know when to STFU!
I’m not feeling the snark there. I’m sure Cho is being sincere.
Bristol probably really is a sweet girl. It’s terrible the way her mother uses her and the other kids. Even though she’s an ‘adult,’ her mother has her very much under her thumb.
I hope she has some really good friends.
What an odd story. Not only do I doubt it’s true, I doubt Margaret Cho actually said it; I’ve read her blog and she’s pretty vanilla on most things. There’s no way Todd Palin would do DWTS- I think the tabs just want to keep the “Hate Palin” meme going. Pathetic.
I still don’t see how someone who is technically not a ‘star’ gets on this show in the first place. And if her mother didn’t want to detract from Bristol’s achievements then she never would have shown up front row during the telecast. She got great PR coverage out of it.
I like Margaret Cho a lot more than any of the Palins, even their dog (do they have a dog?). Anyway, leave Margaret Cho alone. She’s smart, funny, real…the absolute anti-Palin.
Oh, you know what turned me off about Bristol on DWTS? She was talking about what makes her different from the other contestants- her lack of hollywood-ness, and she actually used the word, ‘untouched’. She really sounded like she was giving one of her re-virgin speeches.
And Cho should’ve kept the confidence if she’s a friend, unless Bristol wanted that info to get out.
I’m stuck in an airport on absolutely no sleep, reading gossip to stay awake until my long delayed plane finally boards. So, basically, I’m too out of it to determine if Cho was being snarky or not. But, I did get a good laugh out of her outfit. That last picture… Lol
Everyone who saw the show knows that Margaret Cho has some loose wiring, so her bizarre political claims carry no weight.
Personally, I don’t like what I saw of Bristol and she was not a good dancer, but she deserves better than to be slimed like that.
Sounds like Cho is desperate for publicity.
I love Margaret Cho’s stand up, never saw DWTS.
However, do any of you remember She-Ra dolls in the 80’s? There was one in particular, Starburst She-Ra, and Cho is totally wearing her cape in that last pic.
What the hell is up with that guy’s face? Is that supposed to be his “Sexy Pout”? – nothing sexy about it – in fact it looks like he might have a chicken bone stuck somewhere.
If that was my Cho she’s gone soft on the lulz. I personally can’t stand dwts bc normally I don’t care for the hasbeens they have on. My final thought is (puts on her pearls) the palins need to stay in Alaska and stfu. Sell outs and celebtards are worthless all the way around.
Why SP would blame losing the election on Bristol is a sorry azz excuse, puleeze. SP chances were dim after that hideous interview she did with Katie Couric. I think people really saw her for who she is…a complete dumb bell.
Sarah Palin is a vacuous, self-centered, greedy piece of sh*t who has whored out her children to fuel her own ambition with disturbing zeal. I would put NOTHING past this woman.
I’m not a huge Palin fan, myself, but I am taken aback by the vitriol and hate directed at this woman.
Scary.
Im not feeling the snark either.
and Palins are political equivalent of Kardashians. That whole “we are from the heartland” is the biggest pile of BS ever.
I actually think Bristol is a very pretty girl and not fat…she needs a good man in her life, after she takes some time alone for a while of coarse and gets away from her mom. :/
..she needs a good man in her life? ew.
If she considers herself a friend, why would she be saying things like this publicly. Makes no sense.
Bristol did a few publicity-whore type things before this like here momentary reconciliation/engagement to Levi Johnston that “necessitated” a People magazine cover. It seems to me that she did this on her own. I don’t think her mother forced her to do anything.
Desert Cat – SP did not whore out her children. The media did that! Then the crazy, political, liberal freaks jumped on that media band wagon and stomped that poor girl and her family in the ground for simply being what millions of teens are in this country: accidentally knocked up! That was a dumb comment you made. You should use the energy you have cursing the Palins for learning something more important like the dollar being dumped by China and Russia and what that will do to our country? Kinda like what Palin and all the rest of us tea party/conservatives are trying to ram through your thick skull.
i totally believe this… i could def see SP “blaming” bristol for not winning the election. i hope that crazy bitch stays in alaska!
Really Cho? I am not a huge Palin fan, but feel the vile comments towards her are very uncalled for. I guess those spewing them are petrified of her!
Bristol seems to be in charge of her “own” life. Why would she drive from Alaska to Los Angeles by herself to do DWTS? If Palin “forced” her, one would think Bristol would have a plane ticket to LA!
No, Cho is hanging on, trying desperately to revitalize her career. Pitiful!
I think Cho is actually being sincere. I don’t read anything untoward in her words. I do think she was offering so many justifications for her friendship with Bristol because Cho’s fan base, who is used to her bashing rightwing politics and politicians, would probably kvetch all over their computer screens if it seemed like Cho was chummy with a whole clan of Republicans. Other than that, I think her compliments were sincere, not backhanded. It is, however, still a bit curious that she’s offering it now… but perhaps she wanted to wait until the dust settled.
I don’t like Sarah Palin but I HATE Margaret Cho and wish they’d both shut up and disappear for a few decades. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Well, no wonder! This tad bit of info came from “Huffpo””……pffffttt!
@jensational —
I really hate to burst your bubble, but whoring her children is exactly what Sarah Palin does. Considering I’m the people who make people like Sarah famous, I do know this for a fact.
Tell me I’m a hater. Go on, let me have it. Doing so won’t make it any less true. This Is what I do for a living. I make people with money who want power powerful because they have the money to make that happen. And this has nothing to do with political sides, it’s just the way of things. Generally speaking, people who crave power, Suck.
And in all my years of experience, Sarah wants it more than anyone and at any cost. I’m not saying this as a “hater” — I’m just looking at her methods. And she’s absolutely brilliant because — love or hate her — we’re talking about her and she’s everywhere. There’s no such thing as bad press. Only Press.
I assure you, people like that will feed their children to wolves without thinking twice.
I suggest you read some of those WikiLeaks and learn how politics works. She’s not a saint. She’s a politician. They’re the worst people on earth but they pay fantastically and that’s why they run the world.
LOL at how Palin drives the Left nuts. It’s like teasing a cat. Doesn’t it bug you that she is not up nights depressed because people hate her?
Wouldn’t surprise me a bit. I can totally hear her telling Bristol she cost her the election. Of course, if Bristol hadn’t, Sarah wouldn’t be anywhere near the level of fame-whorish-ness she’s achieved. She should be thanking Bristol!
If any of us had the opportunities that the Palin women have had, we’d jump on them. Bristol still has her own baby-fat and a bit of the weight from having a baby. In five years she’ll be scorching hot, whatever that means. That being said, if America votes Palin in 2012, we’re voting them off the island.
Doesn’t it bug you that she is not up nights depressed because people hate her?
Um… no. I sure as hell am not up at night thinking about what a pathetic tool she is.
And I would never EVER sell out my family the way the Palins do. EVER.
I am so glad that more and more people are questioning the lockstep leftwingers, whose only solution to every problem is to throw more money at it.
Sarah Palin’s far from perfect, but she is brave enough to question the wisdom of that approach, which clearly isn’t working, and is not only bankrupting our nation, but it’s creating a growing culture of corruption.
jensational:
Speaking of dumb comments…
Signed; a crazy, political, liberal freak
I think Sarah Palin probably is stupid enough to believe that her daughter winning dancing with stars will ensure her a place in the white house.
Sounds like sour grapes to me.
sarah is insanely dumb, bristol seems like a spoiled bitch and margaret should just shut up.
there – i “hated” on all of them.
What i dont get is the “ZOMG! She brought her kids out! WHORE!”. In my 43 years, i have yet to see one politician NOT bring their kids out. So we are going to call Sarah Palin out on this? I am pretty sure Obama had his girls out at the DNC convention, and other important stops along the way. I remember Amy Carter being pimped to the 9s when her dad was in office.
yes, many young girls are ‘knocked up’ at an alarming rate, but my mother didn’t get her speakerphone out to say how great abstinence is and then watch her young daughter have sex, but not ANY sex, UNPROTECTED, UNEDUCATED SEX. you don’t ACCIDENTALLY have sex, you deliberately do so. to say she was accidentally knocked up is a great way to make her a victim of the situation, rather than the cause.
being a HUGE anti-choice supporter and wanting to outlaw abortion (including cases of rape an incest) and then letting your daughter be an exception to your political stance by allowing her ‘choose’ whether to keep her baby or not is SUCH bullshit. and i for one, do not want some faux-feminist acting like she’s the grestest thing for women since birth control (har har har) by taking her ‘small government’ and inserting it into my uterus.
with that being said, i don’t think sarah palin is as transparent as to force bristol into dwts (i don’t like the woman’s ideas, but her handlers are great at their jobs). if anything they probably both wanted it. sarah’s got her new reality show. i don’t think she needed to force her daughter to dance in order to offer the US a new view of their family, esp. if she’s airing their family life once a week.
and (i swear my rant is almost done)how is it fair that she gets bank for pro-abstinence seminars? i hate that she gets paid to tell people how abstinence failed her and many other young people, and still act like she’s the face of the movement. maybe the face of ‘this is why you should learn about and use condoms, because levi johnston could end up being yo baby’s daddy’ movement, but not abstinence.
On one hand, I’m a little disappointed that Cho betrayed a friend’s confidence, but on the other, I can totally see Sarah berating Bristol – so I guess I’m more or less neutral on this story.
A bunch of roadwarriors and myself were trapped in a hotel in a blizzard during the finale of DWTS. No one in our party was really emotionally invested, but it was between DWTS, QVC, and a bizarre interview with. . . (wait for it!). . . Sarah Palin.
DWTS was truly the least offensive choice.
(And after watching her dance at the finale, we all came to the conclusion that Bristol’s mother had some sort of influence over her placing – be it passive or active. Girl looked sloppy!)
Why the hate towards Sarah Palin? Really? She sums up everything that is bad about American politics and the country. This woman never had altruistic reason to run for office, she did it to become famous and it worked. To think she could have been a heartbeat away from being President is flat out scary. Even my die hard republican mother thought so. Then she lied when she quit the governorship. She quit to make money, plain and simple, and I do not blame her for that, but she should have been honest about it. She loves money more than her country. She is the luckiest bitch on earth. Thanks John McCain for unleasing this looney broad on us. Thanks.
Enough with the Palins. I hope they stay in Alaska and out of our livingrooms.
Oh pleeaassee! I dont buy any of this Sarah Palin forcing her to do the show-oh brother thats so untrue! Margaret is quoting a third party – she didnt hear it herself so she is just gossiping!
Danny – that is funny =)
Jensational – are you kidding? She held up her downs syndrome baby to the crowd like he was the Lion King at the RNC. Desert Cat is spot on.
I tend to feel bad for Sarah Palin’s children. It really does appear that she probably pushes them to do public things… anything to garner some sort of positive attention that will reflect well on Sarah.
I’m not saying that was the case with DWTS, but I wouldn’t be shocked to find that it was true. I just don’t think there was any reason for Bristol to be chosen for dancing with the stars without Sarah being involved.
Country going bankrupt wouldn’t have anything to do with ginormous tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations or entangling our country in a war against a country that never attacked us or had the ability to do so. Remember which president that was? Yeah, keep that lockstep going.
I don’t agree with Palin’s politics but I liked Bristol on the show. Well, what I saw on the show. In fact, as long as Sarah isn’t talking politics, I like her too. I like her and her family, I just don’t want her running the country.
I love love love seeing people squirm with unbridled hatred of Sarah Palin. Only stupid people are scared of her. What the hell is there to be scared of? Our Constitution? Terrifying!
Oh, and she’s dumb alright…dumb like a fox.
Hate to break it to you, but she’s loved waaaaay more than she’s hated.
Am I the only one who is tired of seeing these doucheface smiles on people? Do they WANT to look like ducks?
Speaking of narcissistic personality disorder. I wonder what would happen if Sarah Palin and Kate Gosselin tried to collaborate? I’m betting which ever part of the continent those two were on would not big enough. Crazy hates Crazy. Lol…
@DSM – “I wonder what would happen if Sarah Palin and Kate Gosselin tried to collaborate?”
The apocalypse. x_x
Didn’t Cho used to be some kind of comedian or something about 25 years ago?
I have to laugh when I read people calling Palin names like “bitch” etc. It shows the level of education that they are lacking not to mention their lack of class. I wonder what kind of parents would raise kids like that?
Margaret Cho is a despicable neverwas hasbeen. Why she would write that crap about her “friend” is beyond me, except that it demonstrates that she has no idea of what a “friend” is. How sad for her and pathetic too.
Margaret Cho as a the voice of truth? Yeah, right.
And seriously, does anyone “make” Bristol do anything?
More than likely it was probably Palin and Cho’s PR people/managers who pushed for their clients to appear on DWTS. We’re not talking Olympics here people. In the grand scheme of things it’s of no importance who appears, who wins and who loses. It’s just another sucky reality show.