Image: Santiago Felipe
Beloved RuPaul’s Drag Race superstars Jinkx Monsoon and Ben DeLaCreme are now drag icons in their own right. Underdog Monsoon won her season, and was then crowned Queen of all Queens when she next appeared in an All Stars spin-off. DeLaCreme earned a spot among the show’s “15 Fan Favourites Of All Time.”
Since their TV triumphs, DeLaCreme has gone on to write, produce, and direct multiple sold-out international tours, including critically acclaimed, award-winning solo work. She’s also been a frequent commentator on the hate currently being flung at the queer community and the anti-queer legislation sweeping the US, appearing on The Daily Show, MSNBC, NPR and writing for publications like Out Magazine.
Meanwhile, Monsoon has been no slouch either (understatement of the year.) Her extended 10-week run as Matron “Mama” Morton in Chicago on Broadway broke box office records, achieving the highest selling non-holiday week in the show’s 26-year history, and she’s set to join the cast of the new season of Doctor Who on the BBC as a major villain.
As if they weren’t busy enough, the two superstars are uniting for the holidays with their new show, The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show 2023, currently touring the UK and North America. The queens hit Toronto Tuesday November 21st, Montreal on the 23rd and 24th, Hamilton November 25th, and Vancouver December 30th. Win tickets! See Contest Alert after the video!
On a day off touring the UK this week, Jinkx and DeLa hopped on a Zoom with me. We spoke about the success of their holiday show, the rise in hate against drag queens and the LGBTQ+ community, and what RuPaul’s Drag Race looks like to them now, from their new vantage point of having achieved so much success on their own since appearing on the TV phenomenon.
