- Megan Baker
- Rhea Butcher and Cameron Esposito
Chicago expats Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher both got their start as open mikers here in the city and have since moved to LA where they cohost the podcast Wham Bam Pow, coproduce the stand-up showcase Put Your Hands Together, and maintain separate stand-up careers, all as an engaged couple. They’re currently on tour together to promote Esposito’s new album, Same Sex Symbol, which just surpassed albums from Sarah Silverman, Jim Gaffigan, and Patton Oswalt on the comedy charts.
Rhea Butcher: Oh, I was waiting for you to start. This is very emblematic of what it’s like to be two comics in a relationship, waiting for the other one to start. I’m really excited about it. I love working with Cameron; she’s one of my favorite comics.
Some of my favorite moments are when you guys riff together, have you thought about taking that on the road?
Butcher: We just have whiteboards everywhere. Every single window in our house has been A Beautiful Mind-ed. Just full of jokes.
Esposito: And I apologized profusely because that’s a nightmare. We also try to make sure our cadences aren’t similar. Especially as female comics, people tell me things like, “You’re like Ellen!” or “You’re like Tig!” and make these comparisons that are not accurate.
What Chicago comedians do you try to check out when you’re here?
