Margaret Cho declared Atsuko Okatsuka is her comic heir : and we so agree

Sometimes, if you blink too hard at the wrong moment, you’ll miss something important that you had been destined to know.  Like back in April 2023, and there in the New York Style Magazine, the fabulous Margaret Cho gave a generous rave endorsement to new(ish) stand-up comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, who is her junior by 20 years. 

‘The Sainted Cho’ wrote at the time “To me, humor is the unexpected thought that comes through. Atsuko’s work is observational, but it’s delivered through misdirection. She’s big in the comedy community, in terms of both the way she works and the extent to which she works — the incredible variety of things she’s been able to do, whether it’s on TikTok or Instagram, or having the cast of “Saturday Night Live” accept one of her (social media) challenges,.

It’s rare, in comedy, certainly, but in entertainment in general, to find somebody with a unique point of view that blends so seamlessly into what they do as an artist. It’s how she looks at everything — family dynamics, for example, by including her grandmother — or the way she communicates her sensibility as an Asian American: She’s got Taiwanese in there, Japanese, and Californian. And that hair. Nobody in the history of comedy has had better hair.

It’s two years since, and finally Queerguru is catching up  (and not before time!)  A year before The Sainted Cho declared her as her heir to comedy, Atsuko’s debut stand-up special The Intruder premiered on HBO and HBO Max, which The New York Times named Best Debut of 2022, and Vulture listed as one of the Best Comedy Specials of 2022. The show won best comedy special at the Gracie Awards and Variety listed her in their 2023 Comedy Impact Report.

Now her second Comedy Special ATSUKO OKATSUKA: FATHER is about to premiere on Hulu (and Disney + Internationally).  Fans call her “Mother,” but Atsuko is “Father”—thriving professionally yet clueless about basics. A seven-year laundry hiatus and learning that marriage licenses precede weddings are just some hilariously relatable discoveries she shares in her special.  UNMISSABLE