Margaret Cho, whose comedy is often topical and political, has brought her national tour to New Brunswick this week.

News 12 interviewed the veteran comedian and San Francisco native before her first performance Thursday night.

Cho, 46, admitted that she's been honing her comedic chops for quite some time. "I was a professional by the time I was 16, and I was making a very good living by the time I was 19," she said. "I was sort of the Justin Bieber of my day."

And she believes that comedy can serve a higher purpose. "Comedians have a lot of political power, if you look at Bill Maher and Jon Stewart, people like that," she said. "They really can control the way the world moves and turns, and so you want to wield your power responsibly."

Cho is performing through Saturday at the Stress Factory Comedy Club in New Brunswick.