River Butcher (formerly Rhea Harriett Butcher; born August 12, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcast host. He is best known for personal, observational comedy focused on his vegetarianism, feminism, love of baseball, and experiences as a queer person.Flaherty, Bridget (August 17, 2006). "Rhea Butcher lays down all that she is and more on "Butcher"". The Laugh Button. Retrieved November 3, 2016.

Early life Butcher was raised in the Kenmore neighborhood of Akron, Ohio,Rabinowitz, Amanda (August 26, 2016). "Comedian Rhea Butcher Keeps Akron at the Heart of Her Success" WKSU. Retrieved May 31, 2017. an only child whose parents divorced when Butcher was one month old.Bigley II, James (November 16, 2016). "Comedian Rhea Butcher is the Real Deal". Cleveland Magazine. Retrieved May 31, 2017. They attended Our Lady of the Elms High SchoolO'Connor, Bill (May 3, 1995). "Youths Horrified by Nazi Camps: Study of Holocaust Fills Students with Wonder at Evil of WWII Slaughter". Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio). p. D1. and graduated from Archbishop Hoban High School in 2001.Heldenfels, Rich (October 12, 2014). "Akron Native to Perform at Musica: Rhea Butcher Returning Home with Stand-up Act". Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio). p. B1.

While attending the University of Akron, Butcher worked at a skateboard shop named Summer SquallWallace, Julie (September 11, 2000). "Falls to Be Popular with Skateboarders". Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio). p. B1. and an indoor skating facility called Joe's Skate Park,Wallace, Julie (September 14, 2001). "Park for Skaters Ready to Roll Out Mayor, Councilman to Unveil Akron Site Tomorrow". Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio). p. D1. and helped design a skatepark that opened in Akron in 2001. He graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in printmaking in 2005. Butcher attended graduate school at University of Notre Dame.

In 2006, Butcher had an exhibit at a printmaker's show called "Prints at an Exposition".Shinn, Dorothy (February 5, 2006). "Stellar Printmakers Put Stamp on Exhibit: Summit Artspace Has Local Artists Showcasing Fresh Approaches to Art". Akron Beacon Journal: (Akron, Ohio). p. E4. This exhibit, which was a series of prints on muslin showing the body's organs, was inspired by his own appendectomy.

Comedy career Early years Butcher began his comedy career performing improv in Chicago at The Second City and has since performed stand-up at clubs including Zanies, the Jukebox, and Flappers, as well as Chicago Underground Comedy, The Hideout, The Lincoln Lodge, UCB, Cole's, and Meltdown."Profile: Rhea Butcher". KCRW. Retrieved November 3, 2016.Jung, E. Alex (August 16, 2016). "Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher on Take My Wife, 'The Show Where Lesbians Don't Die'". Vulture. Retrieved May 31, 2017. They made his late-night debut on Conan in June 2016."Rhea Butcher Stand-Up". Conan. June 30, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016."Late Night". The Times Herald-Record (Middletown, New York). June 30, 2016. p. 22.

2014–present In the fall of 2014, Butcher appeared alongside Cameron Esposito in a series of videos for BuzzFeed Motion Pictures titled "Ask a Lesbian".Habersburger, Keith (October 31, 2014). "Questions You Wish You Could Ask a Lesbian". BuzzFeed.Star, Erika (February 20, 2013). "Lez Stand Out: Rhea Butcher and Cameron Esposito". AfterEllen. Butcher and Esposito also co-hosted the web series "She Said" for Amy Poehler's Smart Girls Network."Amy Poehler's Made A New Web Series For Women". BuzzFeed. Retrieved November 3, 2016. The two wrote and starred together again in Take My Wife, on the comedy streaming service Seeso.Poniewozik, James (May 24, 2017). "Have You Heard the One About the Angsty Comic? Yes, Too Often". The New York Times. Retrieved May 31, 2017.Yohannes, Alamin (August 29, 2016). "Cameron Esposito, Rhea Butcher Talk Comedy, Diversity and 'Take My Wife'". NBC News. Retrieved May 31, 2017. Butcher also co-hosted the stand-up comedy podcast Put Your Hands Together with Cameron Esposito, which was recorded weekly in front of a live audience at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles until it ended in July 2019."Put Your Hands Together with Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher ". UCB Theatre.Rapa, Patrick (December 6, 2016). "L.A. standup comic Cameron Esposito diversifies her portfolio". The Philadelphia Inquirer.

His first comedy album Butcher was released in August 2016 by the independent record label Kill Rock Stars."Rhea Butcher 'Butcher' Out Now on CD & MP3 ". Kill Rock Stars. Retrieved November 3, 2016.Heldenfels, Rich (August 21, 2016). "New Album, Show for Comedian Rhea Butcher: Akron Native Returns to Area for Local Appearance, CD Signing". Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio). p. E1. The set was performed at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon.Watts, Rebecca (January 13, 2016). "Rhea Butcher Is Killing It". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved November 3, 2016. It debuted at number one on iTunes.

In 2016, they appeared in 8 episodes of the first season of Adam Ruins Everything. He returned in 2017 for one additional appearance.

In 2018, they started hosting a baseball-focused podcast called Three Swings.Lee, Rachel (April 25, 2018). "Interview with comedian Rhea Butcher ". Got a Girl Crush.

In 2021, he appeared on Comedy Central Stand Up Presenting... A Different Kind of Dude.

In 2023, they released his stand-up special, Someone's Boyfriend on YouTube.

As stated in an interview, Butcher said their strongest comedy influences are Rosie O'Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, Brett Butler, Elayne Boosler, Maria Bamford, and Paul F. Tompkins.Shapiro, Gregg (2016). "Rhea Butcher: Butcher than all of you: An interview with lesbian comedian Rhea Butcher ". Chicago Pride.

Voice acting Butcher provided the voice for Asher, a fictional nonbinary character, for the animated series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, released in 2020.

Personal life Butcher met fellow comedian Cameron Esposito at an open mic hosted by Esposito.Mason, Amelia (November 2, 2017). "Comedy Wives Cameron Esposito And Rhea Butcher Are Scripting Their Own Story". WBUR. The two soon started collaborating and then began to date. On December 12, 2015, Butcher and Esposito married onstage at The Hideout in Esposito's hometown of Chicago, Illinois.Wellen, Brianna (August 17, 2016). "Two wives are better than one on Take My Wife". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved January 31, 2018. In August 2018, Butcher and Esposito announced their separation to "live individual lives". Their split was covered in a Vanity Fair article. In September 2019, Esposito wrote an article for the New York Times discussing the couple's pending divorce.

Butcher is a trans man and uses he and they pronouns. In November 2021, Butcher announced that he had changed his name to River.

Butcher endorsed Kenneth Mejia and Eunisses Hernandez during the 2022 Los Angeles elections.

Notable appearances Title Medium Role Year Put Your Hands Together Podcast Host 2013–2019 Wham Bam Pow Podcast Host 2013–2015 She Said Web Video Series Host 2015 Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ Television Jamie 2016 Conan Television Guest 2016 Take My WifeBacle, Ariana (July 19, 2016). "Cameron Esposito promises 'no lesbians die' in new show 'Take My Wife'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 3, 2016. Television Self 2016–2018 Adam Ruins Everything Television Self 2016 The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail Television Guest 2016HarmonQuestTelevisionGuest2016QueeryPodcast Guest2018Good Mythical Morning YouTube Guest2018 Three SwingsPodcastHost2018–present Good TroubleTelevision Lindsay Brady2019–2021Kipo and the Age of WonderbeastsTelevisionVoice of Asher2020FriendsgivingFilmDenim2020

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