Acting Cho spent the summer following her graduation on a medical missionary trip in Kenya. She then moved to
Los Angeles, where she worked odd jobs while trying to pursue a career in acting. Although she did not have any screen credits at the time, her first agent took her on due to her resume of musical and physical talents, which included ballet, cello, and piano. In 2008, Cho played the grown-up lead of Hyori (the younger version being played by
Megan Lee) in the short film
My First Crush, directed by Rocky Jo. In 2011, she appeared in the role of Pru, a friend of Paige McCullers in the season 1 episode "Someone to Watch Over Me" of the
ABC Family show
Pretty Little Liars. She also appeared in the role of Gia in the monster film
Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, directed by
Mary Lambert. In 2014, Cho joined the TV series
Teen Wolf as Kira, starting as a recurring character in the series's third season. She was promoted to a main cast role in the fourth season. In April 2016, ahead of her talk at
University of Illinois at Chicago for Asian American Awareness Month, Cho posted a
YouTube video on her personal channel revealing that she would not return for the sixth season of
Teen Wolf. In 2017, Cho was cast as a recurring character on season 3 of
Chicago Med as Dr. Ethan Choi's sister. Beginning in 2022, Cho starred in several projects for
Netflix, including the lead role of Ingrid Yun in the television series
Partner Track, which lasted for one season. She later said that its cancellation left her dispirited, as she "thought that was going to be my moment, then it wasn't. I pretty much quit the business and retired." She appeared as June in the
2024 live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, after which she took a hiatus lasting a year and a half, much of which she spent traveling. Cho auditioned the role of Rumi in the Netflix animated musical film
KPop Demon Hunters, attracted by the film's Korean subject. She had intended it to be her final project but found the making of it motivated her to continue acting. Upon its release in 2025,
KPop Demon Hunters was a major hit, becoming Netflix's most watched animated film of all time by July 2025 and eventually Netflix's most-watched film ever at 236million views by August, surpassing
Red Notice (2021). Cho received a number of honors, including the
Annie Award, for her performance as Rumi.
YouTube Cho was previously a part of the "Artichoke and Peachies" joint YouTube blogging channel with Grace Su. The account has since been shut down. She has also appeared in the
web series KTown Cowboys. She has her own YouTube channel, ardenBcho, with over 300 videos, predominantly featuring vlogging, song covers, and original music videos. She had over 531,000 subscribers as of May 2025. In July 2025, Cho collaborated with actor and singer
Cha Eun-woo on an acoustic cover of "Free", a song from the animated film
KPop Demon Hunters.
Modeling Cho won the 2004
Miss Korea Chicago competition, giving her the opportunity to take part in the Miss Korea Pageant in
Seoul. Cho modeled for
Reebok Korea in 2010 and for
Nike Japan in 2008. She has also modeled for
Apple and
Alexander McQueen and appeared in
Vogue,
Purple Fashion and
Nylon Magazine.
Music In 2010, Cho and
Ktown Cowboys actor Shane Yoon were the MCs for the Korean music group
JYJ's tour in the United States. In 2011, Cho released her first single, "I'm Just a Girl". Cho had plans to
tour her debut EP
My True Happy in 2013 before landing a recurring role on
Teen Wolf. Her biggest live cash was in January 2024 at the PGT Championship $1,000,000 freeroll: she came in second, winning $200,000. On February 6, 2019, it was announced that Cho had become CEO of Leonard & Church, a New York City-based watch company. The company closed in 2020. ==Personal life==