Season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race is upon us, but do you already know everything you need to know about this fantastic cast of queens? There is much more to the season 12 cast than meets the eye, and much more than the Meet The Queens interviews would lead you to believe.
From San Francisco, CA to Ramseur, NC, we’ve got ‘queens everywhere!’ So, are you ready to pledge allegiance to the drag and get your engines started? Read below to find out everything you didn’t know about the queens on Drag Race season 12.
BRITA STARTED DOING DRAG AFTER WATCHING ALYSSA EDWARDS WIN A PAGEANT
New York City already knows and loves Brita (sans Filter), and it’s time for the world to get to know this queen on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12.
According to Brita herself, the queen’s first-ever exposure to drag was when she was 18 years old and attended a Miss Gay Arizona America pageant. That night, Alyssa Edwards won the pageant – all prior to Alyssa’s time on Drag Race season 5. Then, Brita tried out drag in 2013 for Halloween, and the rest is history.
JAN IS PART OF A GIRL GROUP OF DRAG QUEENS
Jan (sans Sport) is one third of a very successful girl group of drag queens called Stephanie’s Child, which also includes Lagoona Bloo and Rosé. The name is, of course, a play on Destiny’s Child, which made Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams famous.
Among its various achievements, the Stephanie’s Child group has auditioned on America’s Got Talent (including an ongoing feud with Simon Cowell) and even performed on The Voice alongside singer Jessie J and drag performer Nedra Belle.
ROCK M. SAKURA IS THE SECOND QUEEN IN HISTORY TO REPRESENT SAN FRANCISCO ON THE SHOW
It may seem shocking that Drag Race hasn’t featured too many queens representing San Francisco, which is largely considered the center of LGBTQ+ culture and representation in the United States. However, in 12 seasons, there have only been two contestants representing San Fran: season 5’s Honey Mahogany and season 12’s Rock M. Sakura.
This means that Rock M. Sakura is the second-ever queen to represent San Francisco on the show, seven years after Honey Mahogany was eliminated in the first double elimination in the history of the franchise.
AIDEN ZHANE DATED DRAGULA CONTESTANT ST. LUCIA
It is clear to Drag Race fans who also watch Dragula that Aiden Zhane could’ve easily been cast on either show. And it seems like that connection goes even deeper than just aesthetics.
In fact, Aiden Zhane dated Dragula season 3 contestant St. Lucia for 5 years. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Aiden said: “Everybody says it’s weird, like it should be flipped. She’s prettier, so she should be on Drag Race, and [I] should be on Dragula!”
DAHLIA SIN IS AJA’S DRAG DAUGHTER
Dahlia Sin originally did drag in New York City, but the queen relocated to Los Angeles as her career started to take off. One significant connection surrounding Dahlia Sin is that she is Aja’s drag daughter. In fact, Aja was the first person to ever put Dahlia in drag.
RuPaul’s Drag Race has featured several drag families over the years, but this is the franchise’s first addition from the Haus of Aja since the OG queen herself was cast on season 9.
SHERRY PIE HAD A DIFFERENT DRAG NAME ORIGINALLY
If you think that Sherry Pie is the perfect drag name, that’s because it is. However, as the story goes, this wasn’t always this queen’s stage name.
Originally, Sherry Pie went by the name Amber Glamourpussy. After a brief hiatus from drag, she returned to the art form realizing that she needed a different stage name. During an afternoon with a good friend of hers, the words ‘pie’ and ‘sherry’ were tossed around, bringing the queen to the conclusion that there was a great drag name there.
GIGI GOODE’S MOM MAKES ALL OF HER COSTUMES
Drag Race has been known for bringing families together, as many of these LGBTQ+ performers turned out to have broken relationships with their relatives. However, that is definitely not Gigi Goode’s story. In fact, according to Gigi, her mom makes all of her drag costumes.
Bonus facts: Gigi Goode, 21, is the youngest queen competing on season 12. Moreover, she wants everyone to know that the ‘e’ in ‘Goode’ is silent.
NICKY DOLL PUT PETE DAVIDSON IN DRAG FOR RUPAUL’S SNL EPISODE
RuPaul was featured as a Saturday Night Live host in 2020, becoming the first-ever drag queen to host the show (which is now airing its 45th season).
One of the best pre-recorded sketches of the episode involved RuPaul putting Chad (portrayed by comedian Pete Davidson) into drag. However, Ru was obviously busy enough acting in the scene, meaning that it was someone else who actually literally transformed Pete Davidson into a drag queen.
Season 12 contestant Nicky Doll is credited as the person who did Pete Davidson’s makeup and put the comedian into drag for the scene with RuPaul.
JACKIE COX IS A HUGE DISNEY FAN
The Disney and RuPaul’s Drag Race universes may seem completely separate, but they have often intersected. As of late, season 11 contestant Nina West has been gracing several red carpets for major movie premieres from Disney, including Frozen II, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and Onward.
With Jackie Cox, season 12 is also featuring a queen who often takes inspiration from Disney characters. Over the years, this queen has done drag looks inspired by characters such as Jasmine, Mary Poppins, Snow White, Anna, and Maleficent, to name a few.
JAIDA ESSENCE HALL PERFORMED DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW FOR THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Drag is mainstream, and Jaida Essence Hall is here to prove it. This queen from Milwaukee, WI was picked to give a halftime performance during one of the Bucks games last season. In it, Jaida gave a stellar lip sync performance of “BURNITUP!” by Janet Jackson.
Drag Race has had queens from Milwaukee before – most notably Trixie Mattel, who won All Stars 3 –, but Jaida Essence Hall has promised viewers that she’s bringing a different side of the city to TV.
WIDOW VON’DU IS A RAPPER
When it comes to looks and lip syncs, Widow Von’Du is a fierce queen who’s ready to slay a performance. However, the Widow is also a proud rapper and songwriter, following into the footsteps of Shea Coulee, Aja, The Vixen, and other Drag Race contestants who have invested in rapping careers since being on the show.
While the catalog of Widow Von’Du songs is still not extensive, Drag Race fans can catch the queen spitting bars as a featured artist on Shilow’s “Light This Match Up.”
HEIDI N CLOSET WON THE NORTH CAROLINA ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR PAGEANT IN 2019
Heidi N Closet started off 2019 – which is the same year when season 12 of Drag Race was filmed – snatching trophies. The queen won the highly-coveted title of North Carolina Entertainer of the Year, a pageant that Eureka O’Hara had competed on in the past.
On RuPaul’s Drag Race, Heidi N Closet has promised to display her famous “gap” and, judging from her Meet The Queens interview, she’s poised to bring a lot of humor to the show as well.
CRYSTAL METHYD HOSTS A FAMOUS DRAG NIGHT THAT INCLUDES GAY, STRAIGHT, AND TRANS PERFORMERS
Besides being a fierce and unique drag queen, Crystal Methyd is also known for hosting Get Dusted, an event that has reenergized the drag scene in Springfield, MO. In it, drag performers of all gender expressions and sexual orientations are welcome – including straight cis men.
According to other drag performers who also work in the Springfield, MO scene, Crystal Methyd usually does the makeup on straight cis men who are featured on Get Dusted, given that this is usually their first time ever wearing makeup.