Margaret Cho Turned Down ‘Heated Rivalry’ Over ICE Fears

Margaret Cho almost had a seat on the ice. The comedian and actress revealed this week that she turned down a role in Heated Rivalry — HBO Max’s biggest streaming surprise of the past year — because she was genuinely afraid that crossing the border into Canada to film it could get her detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the way back.

“Last year, I got a pilot script for a show that I really loved, but it shot in Canada,” Cho said on the I Never Liked You podcast, hosted by comedians Matteo Lane and Nick Smith. “And I was so scared because I’m so vocal about hating ICE and hating this administration. I was like, I will get detained at the border and I will be put in ICE detention if I go.”

The show was Heated Rivalry. When Cho confirmed it, the podcast hosts audibly gasped.

“I was struggling over it. I had to talk to all of these people about it. And I was super upset about it, and I said no,” she continued. “It kills me. And it’s all because of Trump.”

The Role She Almost Played

Based on details Cho shared on the podcast, she was in line to play Yuna Hollander — the warm, supportive Korean mother of Shane Hollander, the closeted Canadian hockey star at the center of the show. Shane is played by Korean-Canadian actor Hudson Williams, and the mother-son dynamic would have been a natural fit for Cho, who is Korean-American and bisexual.

“I watch it, and I’m like, ‘That’s my child! Hudson is my child,’” Cho said. The role ultimately went to Taiwanese-American actress Christina Chang, and Cho was gracious about it: “Of course, the woman who played the part did a great job and she’s wonderful and iconic, and everybody in it is the perfect fit — it came out so perfectly.”

Still. You can hear the what-if in every word.

“The pilot was beautiful, and I was like, I want to do this,” Cho said.

Her fear wasn’t unfounded. Although Cho was born in San Francisco and is a U.S. citizen, federal immigration agents have detained American residents and denied entry to foreign travelers based on social media posts critical of the current administration. Cho has been among the most outspoken celebrities when it comes to Trump and ICE — a history that made crossing an international border feel like a genuine risk.

A Show That Became a Phenomenon Without Her

Heated Rivalry premiered on Canadian streamer Crave and HBO Max in November 2025, and almost immediately became one of the most talked-about shows in streaming. Created and directed by Letterkenny alum Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, the queer sports drama follows Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) — rival professional hockey players from Canada and Russia, respectively — whose fierce on-ice competition masks a years-long secret romance.

Made on a roughly $9 million budget, the show pulled in over 10.6 million viewers per episode in the U.S. and became HBO’s top-rated non-animated acquired series and one of its top-five scripted debuts of the year. It was renewed for a second season in December 2025, before the Season 1 finale even aired.

“Heated Rivalry represents the very best of what Canadian creators can deliver: rich characters, compelling drama and a world audiences want to live in. The response has been extraordinary,” said Justin Stockman, VP of content and programming at Bell Media, in a statement at the time of the renewal.

Tierney added: “Watching our show become an international phenomenon has been extraordinary. We’re profoundly grateful to everyone that has been on this journey with us. Being renewed for a second season so early is a true honour, and we can’t wait to bring you even more of what you love.”

The show’s breakout success launched both Storrie and Williams into a new tier of stardom — the pair have since presented at the Golden Globes, served as torchbearers at the 2026 Olympic Torch Relay, and attended the Met Gala. Storrie is reportedly in talks to join the A24 comedy Peaked, while Williams is set to star in the Canadian drama Yaga alongside Carrie-Anne Moss and Noah Reid.

@thatnicksmith09

Margaret Cho gagged us with this… @Matteo Lane @themargaretcho #podcast #ineverlikedyou #nicksmith #matteolane

♬ original sound – Nick Smith

Cho has been watching all of it — closely. She’s hosted rewatch parties for the show and says she still feels the sting of what could have been. “It really solidified the fact that as queer people, we’re here,” she said. “Even during this politicized time where our existence has become criminalized, we’re here, and people want to hear our stories, and they want to see us.”

She’s Not Done Trying to Get In

Cho hasn’t given up on the show entirely. She told the podcast that she’s already reached out to the Heated Rivalry team about appearing in Season 2. “I asked them. We’ll see,” she teased.

Season 2 is set to begin filming this summer and is expected to premiere in April 2027. Tierney has confirmed it will draw from The Long Game, the next book in Reid’s series focusing on Shane and Ilya. (Reid’s following novel, Unrivaled, resumes the pair’s story and is due out September 29.) Tierney told Variety in December 2025 that he’s mindful of not rushing: “We understand that everybody’s goal is to not do two years between seasons. And at the same time, I don’t want to put out a rushed shitty second season just because the show is very popular.”

Cho isn’t the only celebrity angling for a piece of the action — former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden has reportedly bid to make a cameo in Season 2 as well.

This isn’t the first time Cho has found herself in an odd orbit around the current political moment. In March, she revealed on another podcast that she was repeatedly asked to appear on Trump’s reality show The Apprentice — because Trump was reportedly “a fan” of her comedy. She declined every time, though she did make a brief appearance in one episode to support her friend Cyndi Lauper during a challenge.

“I was asked several times to be on it, season after season, and they kept saying, ‘Well, Donald Trump really loves you. Please come on,’” Cho recalled. “I just had a bad feeling about it.”

Good instincts, then and now — even if the Heated Rivalry one still stings. “It kills me,” she said one more time. “Like, it kills me.”