Good Trouble wraps up the first half of season 3 on Wednesday, and only ET exclusively premieres a sneak peek from the midseason premiere. In the clip, Alice (Sherry Cola) seeks out advice from legendary comedian Margaret Cho on how to navigate the choppy waters as an aspiring talent on the comedy scene.
“You were so funny,” Cho singles out Alice in the clip, catching the up-and-comer by surprise.
“Coming from you… When I was nine, I had Notorious C.H.O. on a continuous loop,” Alice says with a chuckle, referring to Cho’s 2002 stand-up special.
“Well, I apologize for corrupting your youth,” Cho quips. “And in exchange if you ever want advice or have questions…”
With the door opened, Alice — who’s winding down her time at a comedy workshop — jumps at the chance at asking Cho for guidance on how to navigate the rocky waters as a woman of color.
“When you did the program, did they make you lean into being Asian?” Alice asks.
“It was actually way worse. But we kind of leaned into the stereotypes ourselves. One difference is we were writing it, so it felt like we were in control,” Cho responds.
“If you were in control, why go there at all?” Alice inquires. As expected, the answer isn’t pretty.
Cola recently penned a guest column for CNN, where she opened up about her experiences as a U.S. immigrant and why an accurate representation of the Asian community in mainstream media matters.
“The way America sees us during a family movie night is how America sees us when we’re walking down the street. We need to be authentically visible, to be appreciated, understood, and seen in the full spectrum of life that we occupy. We need to shift from the stereotypes and derivations that depict Asians on the screen — it could single-handedly bring us closer to a state of love, and away from this current state of hate that has permeated this last year,” Cola wrote.
“This country has had such low expectations for my community, but we’re here to change that. I know that the American dream should, and will, include us. We’re so proud and more unapologetic than ever, and we’re not backing down. Get used to seeing our beautiful Asian faces, because we’re not going anywhere.”
The Good Trouble season 3 midseason finale airs Wednesday, April 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Freeform. For more, watch below.
