Cameron Esposito

Last updated

Cameron Esposito
Cameron Esposito by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Esposito at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con
Born
Cameron Anne Young Anastasia Esposito [1]

(1981-10-17) October 17, 1981 (age 42)
Alma mater Boston College
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • podcaster
Years active2007–present
Spouses
(m. 2015;sep. 2018)
Katy Nishimoto
(m. 2021)
Comedy career
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • television
  • radio
  • internet
Website cameronesposito.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Cameron Anne Young Anastasia Esposito (born October 17, 1981) is an American actress, comedian, and podcaster known for her [lower-alpha 1] show Take My Wife , as well as her stand-up comedy and her podcast, Queery . Esposito substantially focuses on topics surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, feminism, social justice, and the challenges faced by members of marginalized communities. [2] [3] Originally from Western Springs, Illinois, Esposito lives in Los Angeles.

Contents

Early life

Born to Italian-American parents Brenda and Nick, Cameron Esposito was raised in Western Springs, Illinois. [4] [5] [1] She is the middle of three daughters, having an older sister and a younger sister. [6] In high school, Esposito swam breaststroke on the swim team, [7] was a member of a community service group called The Marians Society, [8] and was a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship Program. [9] She graduated from Benet Academy in 2000. [10] [11]

Esposito studied theology and English at Boston College, intending to become a social worker in Chicago. [12] While in Boston, she played rugby [13] and performed in the school's improv troupe, My Mother's Fleabag. [14] Esposito graduated from Boston College in 2004. [15]

After returning to Illinois, Esposito took a semester of social work courses at the University of Chicago before deciding to pursue a different career. [12]

Career

Early stand-up career

Esposito began her stand-up career in Chicago, performing in various local venues, including as a regular at The Lincoln Lodge from 2007 to 2011. [16] She has appeared at comedy festivals including SXSW, the Moontower, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and SF Sketchfest. To supplement her income, she worked in special education, as a law clerk, and as a nanny. [17]

2013–present

In 2013, Esposito made her television debut on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson . Fellow guest Jay Leno expressed admiration for Esposito, calling her "the future of comedy". [18] She has appeared on Conan [19] and on Last Call with Carson Daly . She voiced "Carroll the Cloud Person" on an episode of Cartoon Network's animated show Adventure Time . Entertainment website Consequence of Sound named Esposito its comedian of the year for 2014. [20]

In the fall of 2014, Esposito created a series of videos with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures titled "Ask a Lesbian", [21] in which she answers a variety of questions sent into BuzzFeed staff about lesbianism. The videos also featured then-partner River Butcher. [22] In addition to touring regularly, Esposito was a regular panelist on Chelsea Lately with Chelsea Handler [ citation needed ] and used to write a regular blog on The A.V. Club . [23]

Esposito's comedy album Same Sex Symbol was released in December 2014 by Kill Rock Stars. She appeared on Comedy Central's Drunk History as a storyteller on October 20, 2015. Esposito co-hosted the stand-up comedy podcast Put Your Hands Together with River Butcher, which was recorded weekly in front of a live audience at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles from 2013 until July 2019. [24] [25]

Esposito is known for her lesbian content creation, [26] especially hers and Butcher's television show Take My Wife , which streamed on Seeso until the service was discontinued in November 2017. [27] In March 2018, Take My Wife was picked up by iTunes. [28] The show was acquired by Starz in April 2018. [29]

Esposito's podcast Queery is an interview-style podcast focusing on contemporary queer luminaries and their life experiences. [30] Queery guests have included River Butcher, Lena Waithe, Tegan Quin, Sara Quin, Evan Rachel Wood, Jill Soloway, Mary Lambert, Andrea Gibson, Margaret Cho, Alia Shawkat, Roxane Gay, Trixie Mattel, and Lea DeLaria. [31]

On June 11, 2018, Esposito released Rape Jokes, an hour-long standup special about sexual assault from her perspective. The special was free to stream on Esposito's website, but viewers could pay to download a copy and proceeds would benefit RAINN, the United States' largest anti-sexual violence organization. [32] [33] [34] [35] By September 2018, the special had raised $65,000 in donations. [36]

On March 24, 2020, Esposito released her memoir Save Yourself. [37]

Personal life

Esposito is openly lesbian and was married to fellow stand-up comedian River Butcher from 2015 to 2018. [38] [39] [40] Butcher and Esposito collaborated on multiple projects, including the Put Your Hands Together stand-up show, the podcast Wham! Bam! Pow!, and the TV show Take My Wife .

In April 2021, Esposito came out on Twitter and Instagram as genderfluid, stating that she uses both she and they pronouns. [41] In June 2021, Esposito announced via Twitter that she had married Katy Nishimoto, an editor for Dial Press. [42]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016 Sleight Luna
First Girl I Loved Jasmine
Operator Chloe Johnston
Mother's Day Max
2017 The Hero Herself
2020 We Bare Bears: The Movie Ranger Tabes (voice)
The Dark Divide Monty
2022 Moonshot Tabby

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013 The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson Guest1 episode
2014–2016 Last Call With Carson Daly Guest2 episodes
2014 Conan Guest1 episode
Ask a LesbianHostWeb series
2014–2016 Maron Zoe5 episodes
2014–2017 Adventure Time Carroll the Cloud Person (voice)2 episodes
2015 Comedy Bang! Bang! ServerEpisode: "Maya Rudolph Wears a Black Skirt & Strappy Sandals"
Drunk History HerselfEpisode: "Journalism"
2016 Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ LizEpisode: "Roger Me Rightly"
2016–2018 Take My Wife Cameron14 episodes; also creator, writer, executive producer
2016–2019 We Bare Bears Ranger Tabes (voice)17 episodes
2017 Danger & Eggs Rad (voice)Episode: "Chill Twins/Nightmare"
2018 Big City Greens Additional voicesEpisode: "Parade Day/DIY Guys"
2019 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Jocelyn Pryce2 episodes
2020 The George Lucas Talk Show HerselfEpisode: "The Search for Watto"
2022–2023 A Million Little Things Greta StrobeRecurring
2022 Hell's Kitchen Herselfguest diner; Episode "Breakfast 911"
2023 With Love ChaunceyEpisode: "Lily's Double Quinceañera"

Albums

YearTitleLabel
2010Grab Them AghastRooftop Comedy Records
2015Same Sex SymbolKill Rock Stars
2016Marriage MaterialComedy Dynamics
2017Back to Backaspecialthing records
2018Rape Jokesaspecialthing records

Podcasts

YearTitleRole
2021Morbid: A True Crime PodcastGuest
2013–2019Put Your Hands TogetherHost
2013–2015Wham Bam PowHost
2013–present Comedy Bang! Bang! Guest
2014 My Brother, My Brother and Me Guest
You Made It WeirdGuest
2014–2016 How Did This Get Made? Guest
2015 With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus Guest
The Nerdist Podcast Guest
2016 Bad with Money Guest
2017HomophiliaGuest
2017–2018NancyGuest
2017–2024QueeryHost
2021MorbidGuest
2023Survive or Die Trying [43] Host

Online

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018 Good Mythical Morning Guest

Books

YearTitlePublisherISBNNotes
2020Save Yourself Grand Central Publishing ISBN   9781455591442 Memoir
2021Hungry Hearts: Essays on Courage, Desire, and Belonging (contributor) The Dial Press ISBN   9780593229620 Essays

Notes

  1. Esposito uses both she/her and they/them pronouns and switches between them; this article uses she/her pronouns for consistency.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lea DeLaria</span> American comedian, actress and singer

Lea DeLaria is an American comedian, actress, and jazz singer. DeLaria is credited with being the first openly gay comic to appear on American television with her 1993 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show. She is best known for her portrayal of inmate Carrie "Big Boo" Black on Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). She's known for her work on Broadway including the revival of The Rocky Horror Show in 2000, and POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Ross</span> American stand-up comedian

Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as the "Roastmaster General" for his insult comedy, his multiple appearances at celebrity roasts held by the New York Friars Club, the Comedy Central Roast television series, and the Netflix historical comedy series Historical Roasts. In 2009 the Chicago Tribune called Ross "the new millennium Don Rickles." His directorial debut, the 2006 documentary Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie, won the prize for Best Film at the Comedia film festival held at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Williams (comedian)</span> American comedian

Brad Williams is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows. He was born with achondroplasia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Maniscalco</span> American stand-up comedian and actor

Sebastian Maniscalco is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Best known for his physical comedy, Maniscalco has released six comedy specials. He has also had supporting acting roles in the films Green Book (2018) and The Irishman (2019), playing mobster Joe Gallo in the latter. He also played Frank Russo in the 2022 film Somewhere in Queens. Maniscalco co-wrote and co-starred in the 2023 film About My Father with Robert De Niro playing the role of his father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iliza Shlesinger</span> American comedian and actress (born 1983)

Iliza Vie Shlesinger is an American stand-up comedian, actress and television host. She was the 2008 winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing and went on to host the syndicated dating show Excused from 2011 to 2013. As well, she has hosted the TBS game show Separation Anxiety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannibal Buress</span> American comedian (born 1983)

Hannibal Amir Buress is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He started performing comedy in 2002 while attending Southern Illinois University. He starred on Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show from 2012 to 2020, and was featured on Comedy Central's Broad City from 2014 to 2019. He is also known for his October 16, 2014 stand-up routine, which brought the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby to public attention and outcry, for which he was lauded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jen Kirkman</span> American comic, actor, writer (b. 1974)

Jennifer Ann Kirkman is an American stand-up comedian and screenwriter, podcaster, and actress. She is known for her regular appearances as a round-table panelist on Chelsea Lately for 70 episodes from 2008 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Metzger</span> American actor

Kurt Metzger is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He won an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for his work on the television series Inside Amy Schumer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Schulz</span> American comedian and actor

Andrew Cameron Schulz is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. In addition to his stand-up, he is known for his work on MTV2's Guy Code and its two spinoffs, the Flagrant podcast with Akaash Singh, and The Brilliant Idiots podcast. Schulz's first Netflix special, Schulz Saves America, premiered on December 17, 2020. As an actor, he has appeared in IFC's Benders and the Amazon original series Sneaky Pete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Butcher</span> American comic, actor, writer, producer, and podcast host

River Buddy Butcher is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcast host. Butcher is best known for personal, observational comedy focused on his vegetarianism, feminism, love of baseball, and experiences as a queer person.

<i>Take My Wife</i> (2016 TV series) Television series

Take My Wife is an American sitcom on the Seeso comedy subscription streaming service. The show follows former real-life couple Cameron Esposito and River Butcher as they share their lives as stand-up comics who are balancing work, relationships, and the breaking down of gender barriers. On December 19, 2016, Seeso renewed the series for a second season. On August 9, 2017, Seeso announced the shutdown of its service by the end of the year, leaving Take My Wife without a home. On March 5, 2018, it was announced that season 1 and the previously unaired season 2 were now available on iTunes (US) and would be available on the Starz app starting May 1, 2018. Take My Wife is also now available on iTunes in the UK.

Feminist comedy refers to comedic acts and styles that further feminist principles, including gender equality and awareness of the social experience of gender. Comedy, the creative works with the intention of humor, has been historically dominated by men. The current comedy culture climate remains male-focused and is currently accepting of women comedians. The conversation surrounding gender-aware comedy has included articles and opinions from many male comedians and fans that are rooted in the idea that women aren’t funny, despite protest from successful female comedians and audiences. However, there is a difference between female humor and feminist humor. As a practice, feminist comedy is not solely comedy performed by women, as many women, especially early female comics, “served to reinforce… cultural stereotypes” and patriarchal views about women and gender. While some scholars have argued that this is because feminism may be antithetical to comedy, which is often described as an aggressive, necessarily masculine act in which the performer centers themselves, others have argued that humor's inclination to subvert hierarchies makes it a particularly effective communication platform for feminist comedians. Feminist comedy frequently references and discusses female-gendered issues and topics such as menstruation, rape, gender inequality, beauty norms, and machismo. Along the lines of intersectionality, which suggests that social identities and systems of oppression are interrelated, many feminist comedians also discuss homophobia, racism, and transphobia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeleine Olnek</span> Director and playwright

Madeleine Olnek is an American independent film director, producer, screenwriter, and playwright. She has written 24 plays and three feature films, including Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same, The Foxy Merkins, and Wild Nights with Emily. Her feature films have been described as "madcap comedies with absurdist leanings" and are all centered around queer characters.

Brittani Nichols is an American producer, actress, comedian, and writer. In 2016, Nichols wrote, produced, and starred in the film Suicide Kale, which won the Audience Award for Best U.S. Dramatic Feature at 2016 Outfest. She has written for the television programs A Black Lady Sketch Show, Take My Wife, Strangers, and Drop the Mic. Nichols is a writer and producer for Abbott Elementary and won the Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series award at the 54th NAACP Image Awards for the episode "Student Transfer". As part of the producing team of Abbott Elementary, Nichols was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2023.

<i>Queery</i> LGBTQ+ podcast

Queery is an American podcast created and hosted by comedian Cameron Esposito. As the name suggests, the podcast is centered around queerness—the facets of the LGBTQ experience—and self-identifying queer guests. Guests range from widely known public figures such as Olympic figure-skater Adam Rippon, and musician sisters Tegan & Sara, to more niche-group individuals such as Irish singer-songwriter SOAK, animator and Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar, and comedian-writer Travon Free.

Dr. Kim Fountain is the Deputy CEO of The San Diego LGBT Community Center. She was previously the Chief Operating Officer of the Center on Halsted, the Midwest's largest LGBTQ+ community center, located in Chicago, Illinois,. the executive director of the Pride Center of Vermont and the co-director for the New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. Fountain has served on the New York State Crime Victims Board and is a trainer for the Office of Victims of Crime and the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs' Reports Committee. She serves on the board of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum.

Karinda Dobbins is an American comedian. She co-produces the monthly comedy show The Resistance! alongside Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, has regularly opened for W. Kamau Bell, and additionally opened for Trevor Noah, Gina Yashere, Michelle Wolf, and Dave Chappelle. She has performed at festivals such as the Desi Comedy Fest, the Portland Queer Comedy Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and Comedy Central's Colossal Clusterfest. In 2019, SFist named her one of their 13 San Francisco Standup Comedians to Go See Now.

Whitney Chitwood is a stand-up comedian from Chicago. Her debut album, 2019's The Bakery Case, was produced by Grammy winner Dan Schlissel for Stand Up! Records. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Comedy Albums chart, and No. 1 on the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts.

Adam Burke is a stand-up comedian, writer, and comic artist in the United States, best known for multiple appearances as a panelist on the National Public Radio comedy news program Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Robin Tran is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actress, and producer. She is known for her stand-up comedy routines and roasts.

References

  1. 1 2 Nekervis, Erin (August 1, 2011). "Chicago Crush of the Month: Cameron Esposito". Chicago Sun-Times.
  2. West, Lindy (August 7, 2014). "Yo, Men, Cameron Esposito Doesn't Want to Have Sex with You Either". Jezebel. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  3. NPR Staff (October 11, 2014). "Hugs For Hecklers: Cameron Esposito on Life as a Lesbian Comedian". NPR . Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  4. "Cameron Esposito, Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich". Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  5. Bosch, Sandy Illian (March 13, 2008). "Western Springs native lands comedy nomination". The Doings (Burr Ridge–Darien–Willowbrook, Illinois).
  6. Sarah Neilson (April 8, 2020). "Stand-up comic Cameron Esposito loses her religion in 'Save Yourself'". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  7. Considine, Mike (December 5, 1997). "Lake Park places third at Upstate Eight meet: Benet". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois). p. 5.
  8. Wowchuk, Stefanie (December 27, 1998). "Marians open their hearts, ears at meetings". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois). p. 1.
  9. Wowchuk, Stefanie (November 7, 1999). "Seniors named National Merit Scholars". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois). p. 3.
  10. "Suburban childhood experiences are comedy gold". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois). February 11, 2014. p. 1.
  11. "Candidates for graduation from Benet Academy". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois). May 26, 2000. p. 7.
  12. 1 2 Borrelli, Christopher (October 10, 2014). "Comedian Cameron Esposito is on a charm offensive". TCA Regional News (Chicago).
  13. Ramirez, Kaylie (May 28, 2018). "Boston Calling Day 3 Burns Out with Enigmatic Eminem Set". University Wire (Carlsbad, New Mexico).
  14. Zaino, Nick A., III (June 17, 2015). "No slowing down: Young comic Esposito is 'grinding' out a career". The Boston Globe. p. G11.
  15. "Headliners: Week of June 14, 2015 Archived October 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine ". Boston College Magazine. Boston College. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  16. "Alumni" Archived May 25, 2022, at the Wayback Machine , The Lincoln Lodge. Accessed February 1, 2015.
  17. Parikh, Rima (November 1, 2015). "A Q & A with comedian Cameron Esposito". University Wire (Carlsbad, New Mexico).
  18. Luippold, Ross. "Jay Leno Interrupts Cameron Esposito's Stand-Up, Calls Gay Female Comic 'The Future'" Archived March 11, 2022, at the Wayback Machine . The Huffington Post , September 4, 2013.
  19. Bendix, Trish. "Watch Now! Cameron Gets Gay on Conan" Archived December 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . AfterEllen.com, August 15, 2014.
  20. Pickett, Leah. "Comedian of the Year: Cameron Esposito" Archived May 16, 2022, at the Wayback Machine . Consequence of Sound, December 7, 2014.
  21. Habersburger, Keith. "Questions You Wish You Could Ask a Lesbian" Archived June 12, 2023, at the Wayback Machine . BuzzFeed.com, October 31, 2014.
  22. Star, Erika. "Lez Stand Out: Rhea Butcher and Cameron Esposito" Archived March 29, 2023, at the Wayback Machine . AfterEllen.com, February 20, 2013.
  23. "Who in the World Is Cameron Esposito?" Archived March 11, 2022, at the Wayback Machine TheAVClub.com Accessed January 29, 2015.
  24. "Put Your Hands Together with Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher". UCB Theatre. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  25. Esposito, Cameron (June 26, 2019). "After 6.5 great yrs, @pyhtshow will end July 30. It's been my baseline in LA — thank u to everyone who ran it, performed on it & came to laugh.pic.twitter.com/15encdzcWe". Twitter . Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  26. Walrath, Rowan. "With "Rape Jokes," Cameron Esposito Turns the Lowest Form of Comedy Into Something Groundbreaking". Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  27. Johnson, Steve. "Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher's 'Back to Back' comedy tour feels more urgent with their TV show in limbo". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  28. Lyons, Margaret (March 8, 2018). "How Much Watching Time Do You Have This Weekend?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  29. Chuba, Kirsten (April 16, 2018). "Starz Acquires Original Comedy Series From Shuttered Seeso Service". Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  30. "QUEERY with Cameron Esposito by Cameron Esposito on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  31. "Queery with Cameron Esposito podcast on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  32. Robinson, Joanna. "The #MeToo Movement Has a Place in Comedy: Just Ask Cameron Esposito". HWD. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  33. Fox, Jesse David. "The Comedian Who Is Taking Rape Jokes Back for Survivors". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  34. "Cameron Esposito's 'Rape Jokes' Comedy Act Debuts Online". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  35. Framke, Caroline (June 13, 2018). "Cameron Esposito on 'Rape Jokes,' Her New Comedy Special Tackling Sexual Assault and Consent". Variety. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  36. Wright, Megh (September 7, 2018). "21 Times Our Favorite Comedy Podcasts Got Dark". Vulture . Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  37. Save Yourself. Grand Central Publishing. June 27, 2017. ISBN   9781455591442. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  38. Harwood, Erika. "Comedians Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher Announce Their Split". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  39. Esposito, Cameron (September 13, 2019). "New Hope, New Pain, Same Old Divorce". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  40. "QUEERY with Cameron Esposito: 112. Fortune Feimster on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  41. Esposito, Cameron (April 29, 2021). "Fluid like water. She *&* they. Cameron *and* Cammy. A woman + also ur boi. (i went lap swimming in my high school team suit.)". Twitter . Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  42. Esposito, Cameron (June 8, 2021). "A few weeks ago, Katy & i got married". Twitter . Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  43. "Comedian Cameron Esposito and Sony Music Entertainment Launch New Comedy Podcast Survive or die Trying Today - Sony Music". May 17, 2023. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.