Comedians often have a moment in childhood that, in hindsight, shapes them into a comic. For Cameron Esposito it may have been that, as a kid, she wore an eyepatch for eight years to correct her crossed eyes. "Yea, so it wasn't really a moment, as [it was] an entire childhood," she told host Ophira Eisenberg. "Just imagine a little sweetie Cammy Esposito: she's got an eye patch, she's got a bowl-cut, she's got glasses and braces. That's right--glasses on top of an eye patch!"
These days, Esposito is premiering her series Take My Wife. The comedy is written and performed by her and wife Rhea Butcher, about two married comedians named Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher. "So it was difficult pitching it, 'cause they were like, 'We can't imagine this,'" she jabbed. But dealing with autobiographical content is nothing new to Esposito, a lesbian comic in a world often dominated by straight white men. Esposito observed that when you're a woman in comedy, "the number one thing that happens to you is that you tell jokes, and be hilarious, and make a living. And the number two thing that happens to you is that people ask you what it's like being a woman in comedy." She continued, "I always say, 'Well, what's it like being a woman in the whole world?' Cause--scary!"
So why on Earth would she marry another comedian? "Cause I want my life to be a living nightmare," Esposito joked. "I couldn't help myself. Who would want to be in an easy relationship?" she continued. "Especially now that my marriage is legal, it's like--pfft! What am I gonna spend the rest of my time fighting for?!"
Esposito's former podcast about action and sci-fi movies, Wham Bam Pow, inspired her special Ask Me Another challenge. We read negative reviews of some recent films for Esposito to guess, and she had a lot of insight on the films.
HIGHLIGHTS
On Pitching Shows to Comedy Writing Rooms
I think...historically, writers' rooms have been dominated by straight white men, and I think sometimes straight white men can't think of another to do with a lesbian besides have her kiss a woman for ratings...But of course, you know that many types of things can happen to women, 'cause women are people!
On Talking About Being Gay in her Act
There is no experience other than that in my life. Literally not even my eyes are straight!
On the Fake Baby in American Sniper
The baby that they had booked didn't show up! First of all, I hope that they had assumed that baby was gonna get transportation. I hope there wasn't just a baby like, 'I'm booked, but I don't know how to get there cause I'm a baby!'
Heard on Cameron Esposito & Craig Robinson: Every Action Movie Has An Equal Opposite Reaction Movie
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