Margaret Cho Says Fear of Being ‘Put in ICE Detention’ Cost Her Role in ‘Heated Rivalry’

Margaret Cho claims she could have been in the hit TV series Heated Rivalry.

Long before the Canadian gay romance became a viral sensation after it premiered on Crave and simultaneously released on HBO Max last year, the 57-year-old comedian was apparently asked to work on the pilot.

When discussing “things that I haven’t done that I should have done” during last week’s episode of the I Never Liked You podcast, Cho told hosts Matteo Lane and Nick Smith, “Last year, I got a pilot script for a show that I really loved, but it shot in Canada, and I was so scared [to go there] because I’m so vocal about hating ICE and hating this administration.”

Cho said she thought she would “get detained at the border, and I will be put in ICE detention if I go.”

Explaining that she was “struggling over” her decision due to how President Donald Trump‘s administration is handling the ongoing immigration crackdown, the All-American Girl actress said she ultimately said no to doing the project.

“It was Heated Rivalry,” she revealed. “Isn’t that horrible? Because I love [creator] Jacob Tierney, also.”

Though she didn’t get to work on the project, she said that the “pilot was beautiful” and explained that she has since watched the show and even hosted “rewatch parties.”

“It kills me, and it’s all because of Trump,” she said.

Cho alluded to the fact she’d be playing Shane’s mother, Yuna Hollander, which was ultimately played by Christina Chang. Shane is played by breakout star Hudson Williams opposite Connor Storrie as love interest Ilya Rozanov.

“I watch it, and I’m like, ‘That’s my child,'” she said. “Like Hudson is my child.”

“Of course, the woman who played the part did a great job, and she’s wonderful and iconic, and everybody in it is… It came out so perfectly,” said Cho.

The show, which follows two closeted athletes who fall in love over the course of multiple hockey seasons, is “beautiful,” Cho said.

“It really solidified the fact that as queer people, we’re here — even during this politicized time where our existence [has] become criminalized,” Cho said. “We’re here, and people want to hear our stories, and they want to see us.”