Cameron Anne Young Anastasia Esposito (born October 17, 1981) is an American actor, comedian, and podcaster known for her show '' Take My Wife'', as well as her

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

and her podcast, '' Queery''. Esposito substantially focuses on topics surrounding the

LGBTQ+ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

community,

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals ...

, and the challenges faced by members of marginalized communities. Originally from Western Springs, Illinois, Esposito lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

Early life

Born to Italian-American parents Brenda and Nick, Cameron Esposito was raised in Western Springs, Illinois.Nekervis, Erin (August 1, 2011). "Chicago Crush of the Month: Cameron Esposito". ''Chicago Sun-Times''. She is the middle of three daughters, having an older sister and a younger sister. In high school, Esposito swam

breaststroke Breaststroke is a human swimming, swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and ...

on the swim team, was a member of a community service group called The Marians Society, and was a semifinalist for the

National Merit Scholarship Program The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, not-for-profit organiz ...

. She graduated from

Benet Academy Benet Academy ( ) is a co-educational, college-preparatory, Benedictine high school in Lisle, Illinois, United States, overseen by the Diocese of Joliet. Founded in 1886, the school was initially established in Chicago as the all-boys St. Proco ...

in 2000. Esposito studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

and English at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...

, intending to become a social worker in Chicago.Borrelli, Christopher (October 10, 2014). "Comedian Cameron Esposito is on a charm offensive". ''TCA Regional News'' (Chicago). While in Boston, she played

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

and performed in the school's improv troupe, My Mother's Fleabag. Esposito graduated from Boston College in 2004. After returning to Illinois, Esposito took a semester of social work courses at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

before deciding to pursue a different career.

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. She appeared at comedy festivals including

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

, the Moontower, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and SF Sketchfest. To supplement her income, she worked with students in

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

, as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

at her father's law firm, and as a

nanny A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...

2013–present

In 2013, Esposito made her television debut on ''

The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing from January 3, 2005, to December 19, ...

''. Fellow guest

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's '' The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 20 ...

expressed admiration for Esposito, calling her "the future of comedy". She has appeared on '' Conan'' and on ''

Last Call with Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''T ...

''. She voiced "Carroll the Cloud Person" on an episode of

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

's animated show ''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...

''. Entertainment website

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

named Esposito its comedian of the year for 2014. In the fall of 2014, Esposito created a series of videos with

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ke ...

Motion Pictures titled "Ask a Lesbian", in which she answers a variety of questions sent into BuzzFeed staff about lesbianism. The videos also featured then-partner River Butcher. In addition to touring regularly, Esposito was a regular panelist on ''

Chelsea Lately ''Chelsea Lately'' is an American late night comedy talk show created by Brody Stevens and hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler which was broadcast on E! The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and was produced by Handler's production company, Border ...

'' with Chelsea Handler and used to write a regular blog on '' The A.V. Club''. Esposito's comedy album ''Same Sex Symbol'' was released in December 2014 by

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally kn ...

. She appeared on Comedy Central's ''

Drunk History ''Drunk History'' is an American educational comedy television series produced by Comedy Central, based on the Funny or Die web series created by Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner in 2007. They and Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are the show's ...

'' 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. Esposito is known for her lesbian content creation, especially hers and Butcher's television show '' Take My Wife'', which streamed on Seeso until the service was discontinued in November 2017. In March 2018, ''Take My Wife'' was picked up by

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

. The show was acquired by

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz cons ...

in April 2018. Esposito's podcast ''Queery'' is an interview-style podcast focusing on contemporary queer luminaries and their life experiences. Queery guests have included River Butcher, Lena Waithe,

Tegan Quin Tegan and Sara () are a Canadian indie pop duo formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta. The band is led by identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin (born September 19, 1980). Both musicians are songwriters and multi-instrument ...

, Sara Quin,

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress and activist. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations for her work i ...

, Jill Soloway, Mary Lambert,

Andrea Gibson Andrea Gibson (born August 13, 1975) is an American poet and activist from Calais, Maine, who has lived in Boulder, Colorado since 1999. Gibson's poetry focuses on gender norms, politics, social reform, and LGBTQ topics. Personal life Gibson ...

, Margaret Cho,

Alia Shawkat Alia Martine Shawkat ( ; ar, عليا مارتين شوكت; born April 18, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in '' The Old Man'', '' State of Grace'', Maeby Fünke in the Fox/Netflix television sitcom '' Arrested Devel ...

, Roxane Gay, Trixie Mattel, and Lea DeLaria. 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. By September 2018, the special had raised $65,000 in donations. On March 24, 2020, Esposito released her memoir ''Save Yourself''.

Personal life

Esposito is openly

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

and was married to fellow stand-up comedian River Butcher from 2015 to 2018. 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''. On April 29, 2021, Esposito came out on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

as genderfluid, stating that she uses both ''she'' and '' they'' pronouns. On June 8, 2021, Esposito announced via Twitter that she had married editor Katy Nishimoto.

Filmography

Film

Television

Albums

Podcasts

Online

Books

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Esposito, Cameron American lesbian actresses American people of Italian descent American podcasters American stand-up comedians American television actresses American women comedians American women podcasters Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences alumni Feminist comedians Lesbian comedians LGBT people from Illinois Living people Non-binary comedians People of Campanian descent 1981 births 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American comedians 21st-century LGBT people American non-binary actors Genderfluid people American LGBT comedians