Nearly three and a half years since being crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4, Monét X Change has continued to prove herself as a force; not only as a drag queen but a full-fledged entertainer. From hosting her own talk show and the wildly successful Sibling Rivalry podcast alongside Bob the Drag Queen, to releasing music and touring the globe, the Brooklyn-native has left no corner of the entertainment industry untouched.
Monét first stole the hearts of America after competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10, where she was crowned by her fellow queens as Miss Congeniality. Now, she’s back for a third run on All Stars 7, the franchise’s first-ever all-winners season. With two Legendary Legend Stars under her belt and one final challenge left in the season, Monét is determined to solidify her slot in the Top Four, where she’ll have the chance to compete for the show’s $200,000 grand prize.
Outside of the show, Monét looks to make a name for herself in the world of comedy. In May, she made her debut at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Vancouver, and just last month taped a stand-up special with Comedy Dynamics at the Tribeca Film Festival.
“I always knew I was funny, but I didn’t necessarily know I could be a stand-up comedian,” Monét tells Pop Crave. “I’ve stepped into that, and it’s been going well! I’m still learning a lot and am still very new to it, but I’m enjoying learning stand-up. It’s another side of drag and my personality that I’m really enjoying exploring.”
Pop Crave caught up with the Drag Race icon to discuss her debut comedy tour, new music, what it meant to be acknowledged by Oprah Winfrey, and what else she would like to accomplish in her dynamic career. Keep reading for the full conversation!
Congratulations on your amazing run on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7 so far! Since first competing on Season 10, then winning All Stars 4, how do you think you’ve evolved as a performer?
I don’t think I’ve evolved much as a performer. I’ve evolved more as a drag queen, and I think the more times that you do drag and the longer you’ve done it, you find more facets of yourself that you didn’t know you had. For me, now, that’s comedy. I always knew I was funny, but I didn’t necessarily know I could be a stand-up comedian. I’ve stepped into that, and it’s been going well! I’m still learning a lot and am still very new to it, but I’m enjoying learning stand-up. It’s another side of drag and my personality that I’m really enjoying exploring.
The contestants of All Stars 7 were recently featured in Vogue Magazine, where you had the opportunity to recreate an iconic Vogue cover of Oprah Winfrey. How was that experience, and what did it mean to you to be recognized by Oprah herself?
The Oprah Vogue cover was so dope! I said it in the Vogue feature, but my grandmother loved Oprah. She still loves Oprah and has her monthly subscription to her magazine that comes to her apartment every month. I grew up watching Oprah after school with my grandmother sometimes, and as a grown adult and human being, I’m in awe of what Oprah has done. I listened to a podcast recently, Becoming Oprah, and hearing about her life… It was unheard of what Oprah did. [Phil] Donahue was the only one who had done it before, but never had a Black person stepped into the space and claimed media as her own like Oprah did. She’s such a force, and when I had chosen to do that cover, I knew that I wanted to embody that and replicate it in my own feature. I DMed with Oprah a little bit, and she and I had a little conversation in the DMs, and it was very nice to see Oprah seeing it. I was afraid that Oprah wouldn’t, but she did.
The Monét X Change Comedy Club Tour is currently underway! What has been your favorite part about touring so far?
My favorite thing about touring is honestly just being back on the road again. All of us did not travel or tour for a long time, and you kind of lose your practice, right? The first set, I had forgotten, like, a wig, and Patty had to go get one and make one. Just being back on the road again has been a lot of fun with getting to really practice, hone my skills in comedy, and building up that muscle. I still have a lot to learn, and I know that, but I’m having a really good time doing it. People are having a great time listening to me. I mean, they’re laughing, so if they’re faking it, they’re doing a really good job!
After your comedy tour, you’re going right back on the road for Sibling Rivalry Live with Bob the Drag Queen! What can fans of the Sibling Rivalry podcast expect from this upcoming tour?
Fans of the podcast can expect more than just a podcast. I think people may think that we’re just going to come out and do an hour and a half of sitting down on stage and talking at them… No. They’re getting the full experience. We have dancers, there will be live music, there will be videos, there will be choreo. You know, I have not done a split since December of 2019… No, that’s not true… January of 2020! And you know, I might be bringing them back this year. Who knows? You can only find out if you come to the tour! The only thing I know that will definitely be there is Bob and his really, really, really bad knees.
I will always love this queen 👸🏾♥️❄️. pic.twitter.com/9aWDOvOCTh
— Monét X Change (@monetxchange) January 23, 2022
We’re so excited for your comedy special with Comedy Dynamics as part of the Tribeca Film Festival! How did you prepare for it?
Oh God, the comedy special! That was my first comedy special taping, and I did it before my comedy tour! Normally comedians have months of going to different spots and running their jokes and material, but girl, I had two shows to do it. The opportunity presented itself, and I felt really, really, really strongly in my abilities. I had a great time doing it. I had a really big show at the Brea Improv two days before the special that went really well, and I learned a lot from that show to the special. I applied all of those changes to the special, and I’m really excited with how it turned out and what it’s going to be when it’s all said and done!
Your most recent music release, “Love Like This,” was so much fun! Do you have any future plans for music?
I absolutely do! Just you wait a few weeks… Something new this way comes! Is that what they say in Macbeth? “Something, something, this way comes…” Well, whatever the witches in Macbeth had said, that’s what I’m saying to y’all. Something wicked this way comes in a few weeks, darling! Humdrum, scum, and glum!
Who are some of your favorite music artists right now, and is there someone you’d like to collaborate with on future music?
I mean, I think I say it every time someone asks me that question… On 1, 2, 3… SZA! SZA, I don’t know if you listen to Pop Crave or know what Pop Crave is, but girl, what’s good, ma? Like, let’s do something!
On All Stars 7, you mentioned you’re playing the game strategically like it’s Survivor. Is there a certain Survivor castaway who inspired your gameplay this season?
Absolutely! She didn’t inspire my gameplay, but she’s one of my favorite Survivor players because she can use her wit, her personality, her sex, her womana! Parvati is one of the best players of the game, and I’m definitely inspired by her strategic gameplay. Especially with how she played in Heroes vs. Villains, she really did that.
How would you describe Brooklyn, New York’s local drag scene, and how has the community responded to all of your recent success?
You know, I’m born and raised in Brooklyn. Before all these motherfuckers moved to Williamsburg and started doing drag, I was living there. But when I was a drag queen in New York, I did not work in Brooklyn a lot. I maybe worked in Brooklyn twice: once at Sugarland, rest in peace, and once, twice, or three times at This n’ That, rest in peace. I did not work a whole lot in the Brooklyn scene, but in Manhattan was where I got my bag and where I became really well-known. I did seven shows over the week and worked six nights for every night except Friday. She was that girl! But yeah, not in Brooklyn, unfortunately.
After already achieving so much in your career, what is one thing you haven’t done yet that you would still like to accomplish in the future?
The one thing I have not done yet is that I would like to do a full production — whether it be at Chicago Lyric, the Houston Grand, or the Met — of The Magic Flute. I want to be Sarastro, and I want to be in full drag. I would love to do it!
Tickets for Monét X Change and Bob the Drag Queen’s upcoming tour, Sibling Rivalry Live, can be purchased here: https://www.obsessedwith.co/sibling-rivalry-2022
Monét X Change’s song, “Love Like This,” is out now.
