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Cameron Esposito

Cameron Anne Young Anastasia Esposito (born October 17, 1981) is an American actress, comedian, and podcaster known for her[a] 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.

Cameron Esposito
Esposito at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con
Born
Cameron Anne Young Anastasia Esposito[1]

(1981-10-17) October 17, 1981 (age 43)
Western Springs, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materBoston 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
Websitecameronesposito.com Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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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 children, 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

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Early stand-up career

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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

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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

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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

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
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

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson Guest 1 episode
2014–2016 Last Call With Carson Daly Guest 2 episodes
2014 Conan Guest 1 episode
Ask a Lesbian Host Web series
2014–2016 Maron Zoe 5 episodes
2014–2017 Adventure Time Carroll the Cloud Person (voice) 2 episodes
2015 Comedy Bang! Bang! Server Episode: "Maya Rudolph Wears a Black Skirt & Strappy Sandals"
Drunk History Herself Episode: "Journalism"
2016 Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ Liz Episode: "Roger Me Rightly"
2016–2018 Take My Wife Cameron 14 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 voices Episode: "Parade Day/DIY Guys"
2019 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Jocelyn Pryce 2 episodes
2020 The George Lucas Talk Show Herself Episode: "The Search for Watto"
2022–2023 A Million Little Things Greta Strobe Recurring
2022 Hell's Kitchen Herself guest diner; Episode "Breakfast 911"
2023 With Love Chauncey Episode: "Lily's Double Quinceañera"

Albums

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Year Title Label
2010 Grab Them Aghast Rooftop Comedy Records
2015 Same Sex Symbol Kill Rock Stars
2016 Marriage Material Comedy Dynamics
2017 Back to Back aspecialthing records
2018 Rape Jokes aspecialthing records

Podcasts

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Year Title Role
2021 Morbid: A True Crime Podcast Guest
2013–2019 Put Your Hands Together Host
2013–2015 Wham Bam Pow Host
2013–present Comedy Bang! Bang! Guest
2014 My Brother, My Brother and Me Guest
You Made It Weird Guest
2014–2016 How Did This Get Made? Guest
2015 With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus Guest
The Nerdist Podcast Guest
2016 Bad with Money Guest
2017 Homophilia Guest
2017–2018 Nancy Guest
2017–2024 Queery Host
2021 Morbid Guest
2023 Survive or Die Trying[43] Host

Online

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 Good Mythical Morning Guest

Books

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

Notes

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

References

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.
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