River Butcher
Who River Butcher is
River Butcher is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comic, actor and writer originally from Akron, Ohio, and a trans comedian who tells jokes about being trans. He created, wrote and starred in the GLAAD Award-nominated series Take My Wife, wrote for A League of Their Own and the FX pilot Belated, and has acted in Good Trouble, Adam Ruins Everything and the film Friendsgiving. His stand-up has been on Ellen, Conan, Comedy Central and HBO, and in 2017, six years after his first open mic, Vanity Fair named him one of its Ten Comics to Watch at Just For Laughs in Montreal.
His half-hour special A Different Kind of Dude debuted on Comedy Central's YouTube channel, his first hour Someone's Boyfriend followed in 2023, and his albums include Butcher (Kill Rock Stars, 2016) and Pull Yourself up by Your Bootleg (2021). He played the Flyover Comedy Festival in St. Louis in 2022, and his track Vegan Food-Spirit Airlines was played on SiriusXM's Raw Comedy channel in May 2025.
At a glance
- Based in
- Los Angeles, CA
- Stand-up specials
- A Different Kind of Dude and Someone's Boyfriend
- Albums
- Butcher, Back to Back, Pull Yourself up by Your Bootleg and 1 more
- On screen
- Take My Wife, A League of Their Own, Belated and 5 more
- Official site
- riverbutcher.com ↗
On stage
No dated show on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now — their own site has their dates: riverbutcher.com ↗.
Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →
Specials, shows and podcasts
Stand-up specials
- A Different Kind of Dude Comedy Central, YouTube
- Someone's Boyfriend YouTube, 2023
Albums
- Butcher Kill Rock Stars, 2016
- Back to Back aspecialthing records, 2017
- Pull Yourself up by Your Bootleg aspecialthing records, 2021
- Someone's Boyfriend Helium Tracks, 2024
On screen
- Take My Wife creator, writer and star
- A League of Their Own writer
- Belated writer, FX pilot
- Good Trouble Lindsay Brady
- Adam Ruins Everything
- Friendsgiving film
- Ellen
- Conan
Comedians like River Butcher
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Maggie Maye also in Take My Wife
- Cameron Esposito also in Take My Wife
- Dan St. Germain also in Adam Ruins Everything
- Eliza Skinner also in Adam Ruins Everything
- Irene Tu also in Take My Wife
- Matt Braunger also in Take My Wife
- Nick Skardarasy also in A League of Their Own
- Adam Conover also in Adam Ruins Everything
Career timeline
- 2016Butcher (Kill Rock Stars, 2016) Album
- 2017Back to Back (aspecialthing records, 2017) Album
- 2021Pull Yourself up by Your Bootleg (aspecialthing records, 2021) Album
- 2023Someone's Boyfriend (YouTube, 2023) Special
- 2024Someone's Boyfriend (Helium Tracks, 2024) Album
Questions and answers
Where is River Butcher performing next?
No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now; their own site has their dates: riverbutcher.com ↗.
What stand-up specials have they released?
A Different Kind of Dude and Someone's Boyfriend.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Take My Wife, A League of Their Own, Belated, Good Trouble, Adam Ruins Everything and Friendsgiving, among 8 credits.
Where are they based?
Los Angeles, CA, as their record gives it.
Who are some comedians like them?
Maggie Maye (also in Take My Wife), Cameron Esposito (also in Take My Wife), Dan St. Germain (also in Adam Ruins Everything), Eliza Skinner (also in Adam Ruins Everything) and Irene Tu (also in Take My Wife).
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.
Sources
- Official site ↗ A standup comic, actor and writer originally from Akron, Ohio, currently living in Los Angeles; 'He is a trans guy'; first half-hour special A Different Kind…
- Apple Music · music.apple.com ↗ Butcher (19 August 2016, ℗ Kill Rock Stars); Back to Back (2017) and Pull Yourself up by Your Bootleg (2021), ℗ aspecialthing records; Someone's Boyfriend (7…
- Flyover Comedy Festival — Past Performers ↗ 2022 performers include River Butcher; the festival is in St. Louis (as of 8 October 2026)
- xmplaylist — Raw Comedy (archived 24 May 2025) ↗ SiriusXM's Raw Comedy channel: 'Vegan Food-Spirit Airlines' by River Butcher among the recent plays (as of 8 October 2026)
Updated 9 October 2026 · the record checked 8 October 2026