In this video, Entertainment Weekly’s Joey Nolfi sits down with the legendary Michelle Visage to talk about the exciting new twist in the 'Drag Race' universe! Michelle spills all the tea on the Badonka Dunk Tank, her iconic fashion moments, supporting queens beyond the show, and taking on a new leadership role in 'Drag Race Down Under.' Plus, she shares hilarious behind-the-scenes stories and memories with guest judges.
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00:00As far as a favorite look, like, that's literally the gay Sophie's choice.
00:03I have two biological children. You're saying which one looks better?
00:11Hello, I'm Joey Nolte with Entertainment Weekly, here with our great drag nation's foremost mother
00:17of all mothers, before time Emmy-winning Michelle Visage.
00:21Oh, Joey.
00:22Yes, we finally meet in person.
00:24Yes! No more little boob tube for us.
00:27No, yeah, the last time we talked was in the COVID era,
00:30in the little Instagram interview thing. Not ideal, but...
00:34But we did it.
00:34We did do it. And I'm very excited to be here.
00:36And I'm glad to see that you have dried off from the badonkadonk tank.
00:41The badonkadonk.
00:42I never would have thought in a million years of the name badonkadonk tank.
00:44Yes!
00:46Okay, so this twist, it's an exciting twist.
00:50What can you tell our viewers? What is coming? Why did this twist happen?
00:53What is going on?
00:54Because this is the drag race universe. We always like to keep people guessing.
00:58We always like to have fun. We always like to switch it up.
01:02We want people to be in on the laugh and the jokes.
01:06You know, we know that they're in on the fandom and fighting for their queen
01:10and cheering them on and rooting for them.
01:12But we want them to be in on all of the humor and all of the love
01:15and all of the pastiche, as they say.
01:19So when you first got the call, Michelle Visage,
01:22we are dunking you in a tank of water, what was your immediate reaction?
01:25Well, I will say, to be fair, the producers said,
01:28are you into it? Would you mind?
01:30So they didn't say, we're doing it.
01:32They said, we would love to.
01:33And they were laughing and trying to be like, ah-ha-ha, me into it.
01:37But of course, I understood the campness of it all.
01:40But the first thing I said was, what about my hair?
01:43You know, because that's all I thought about.
01:45Because, contrary to popular belief, this is my hair with hair pieces in it.
01:50And when you get them wet together, they're very difficult to take out.
01:54So all the front's always my hair.
01:56And my hair's always mixed in with other pieces.
01:58Right.
01:59So they reassured me that they were always around it.
02:02And I said, if I can wear a different fabulous swimsuit every week, then I'm in.
02:07And they were like, yeah.
02:08That must have been really fun, picking out what swimsuits you were going to wear.
02:11So fun.
02:12So fun.
02:13And I could do it kind of with the hairdo that I had and headscarves.
02:16And I was just feeling my Esther Williams fantasy.
02:19Oh, that's a lovely reference.
02:20So there was no hesitation with this.
02:22You were just excited to do it.
02:24Well, I mean, a little bit of a hesitation.
02:27I'm always down for the laugh.
02:28And this is my family.
02:29And there's so much trust that I knew that they would never be
02:32trying to set me up in a bad way.
02:33It was all for the humor and the fun.
02:35So I asked the pertinent questions like, will the water be warm?
02:39How deep will it be?
02:40Things like that.
02:41So then, of course, I was like, absolutely, yes.
02:43And at least there were no golden chocolate bars thrown into the water with you.
02:47That could have been a wrong kind of twist.
02:49It could have looked very conspicuous.
02:52Yeah.
02:52Although not to put it past Drag Race.
02:54No, I agree.
02:56It's really fun and funny, though, because, you know, it's very wiki-watchy.
03:00You're sitting up there.
03:00These are all references.
03:01The mermaids.
03:02Yes.
03:03How do you know?
03:03Are you too young?
03:04Oh, I am like a theme park.
03:05I am obsessed with theme parks and themed attractions.
03:07So wiki-watchy.
03:08I have watched so many documentaries on YouTube about it.
03:10Well, I used to go every year.
03:11Did you?
03:12It was a must do.
03:13And it was magical for me on our way to Disney because we only did one trip.
03:17We would drive from New Jersey down to Florida.
03:19You were speaking my language right now.
03:20And we'd stop at wiki-watchy all the time.
03:22And I felt in my head that I would look like that.
03:25Spoiler alert.
03:26Absolutely not.
03:27OK, that was going to be my next question.
03:28I was like, you did.
03:29But the fantasy was still there.
03:30In my head.
03:31Yeah.
03:32Until that seat drops out.
03:33And you plunge into the water.
03:35My dreams were shattered.
03:37Exactly.
03:38Did you enjoy the actual dunking?
03:40Was it like it was fun?
03:41It wasn't not fun.
03:43It is.
03:43It's fun to be a part of it.
03:45It's fun to laugh.
03:46I didn't love going into the water in full drag.
03:49But I would do it for the cause.
03:50And it was so fun in the end to see the queens,
03:54who were saved by the badunk-a-dunk tank,
03:57get really excited.
03:58Then I'd be dancing in the water with them.
03:59It's just so camp.
04:01And that's what this show is all about.
04:03It's about having fun.
04:04Until now, being dunked was about the only thing we haven't seen you do.
04:08Well, there's a trapdoor still yet to go.
04:11Am I on it right now?
04:12Oh my gosh, are you going to pull the lever?
04:15I will try.
04:16You have such a long history with the show.
04:17And I love that I always, anytime I'm on Instagram,
04:20I see you in the comments of the queens.
04:22I see you being like, yes, fire emoji,
04:24or like praising them on what they're doing.
04:26So you seem really proud to come from this legacy
04:28and really proud of the girls that come from this show.
04:31So I'm wondering why you think it's so important to support the girls outside the show.
04:36And which queens do you think are carrying the show's legacy most proudly?
04:40I'm a mother, first and foremost.
04:42And my job as a judge is to help these kids.
04:45And I treat them like they're all my children in my head,
04:48is to help them shine and be the best that they can be.
04:51So their career lasts more than just on this show.
04:54Anybody who's in showbiz knows that 15 minutes of fame thing is not a lie.
04:58So in order to extend that or get a second chance
05:00or get a second chapter, whatever you want to call it,
05:02you need to switch things up and get out of the comfort zone.
05:05And that's my job as a judge,
05:07to push them out of that comfort zone and show them, not me,
05:10show them that they can do more than they ever thought they could.
05:14That's what I hope they take away from it.
05:16The queens that represent the franchise are every single one that has come from this franchise.
05:21They are all impeccable, talented artists.
05:24And that's exactly what they came in as.
05:27And when they leave, they're even more so honed.
05:30They understand it more.
05:31And then when they watch it after it airs, it goes 10 times further than that.
05:35They're all beautiful representations of what this show is.
05:38Everybody has a different experience as we do in life.
05:42They take things differently.
05:43They understand things differently.
05:44Why it's important for me to support them?
05:46Because I actually do love each and every one of them.
05:48There could be some that might dispute that and think that that's not true.
05:52There is not one that I don't love.
05:54Just have different relationships with them.
05:56But I love and support them all.
05:58And it's great because, you know,
06:00it's not just something you're saying in the context of an interview.
06:02Like I said, I see you out in the wild, as we want to say it.
06:04Like you're giving them all love and support on social media.
06:07I think that's great.
06:08And they all look incredible.
06:09I watch.
06:10I see.
06:11So when they do come back for All-Stars,
06:12it's like, I've seen the transformation you've made since your first time.
06:17It's amazing to me.
06:18And I love that they stay committed and they learn things.
06:21So if I say, these eyebrows are not working for you.
06:24You're so much more beautiful than this eyebrow you're giving yourself.
06:26Ask some of the other queens.
06:28Learn.
06:28And then they change it up and it's like,
06:30that is the eyebrow that I envisioned on you.
06:32You got it.
06:33Simple things, but you see it.
06:35And I definitely watch it and clock it.
06:37Yeah.
06:38It must be exhausting, though, being consistently assaulted with a corset and panty, though.
06:42That's life.
06:43That's life.
06:44I keep telling them, no more corsets and panties.
06:47No more leotards.
06:48No more chaps.
06:49Please.
06:50It's not that they're not great.
06:51It's the foundation of drag.
06:53Beyoncé wears body suits all the time, but they are Balmain.
06:55They are, you know, like crustacean crystals.
06:58You know what I mean?
06:59Yeah.
06:59The point is, if you're going to do what we've seen since the beginning of drag,
07:03you got to step it up for the main stage of the drag race.
07:06That's what I mean by the leotards, the chaps, the Marie Antoinette.
07:12Like, I'm done with Marie Antoinette.
07:15How are you going to do it differently if you're going to do it?
07:17Her ghost is shaking, yes.
07:19That's what I want to see.
07:20That's what I want to see.
07:21What is your all-time favorite drag race look and why is it Alexis Michelle's roast look?
07:27Oh, I love Alexis Michelle so much.
07:30And she tried.
07:32She tried to be Elphaba.
07:34I mean, she went for what she thought was right in roasting me.
07:39It just, you know, it just fell a little bit short.
07:41But my goodness, do I love her.
07:43And how has she had a glow up?
07:46I mean...
07:47Oh, of course, yeah.
07:48As far as a favorite look, like, that's literally the gay Sophie's choice.
07:52I have two biological children.
07:53You're saying which one looks better?
07:54Oh, no.
07:55Maybe like overall runway packages, like ones that stand out to you if we don't pick a single one.
08:01I would never single out a queen, except for RuPaul.
08:05That's the only one I'm going to single out because I do love them all equally.
08:09We know some are more fashion-based.
08:11Some are more performance-based.
08:12Some are more makeup-based.
08:14Everybody has their niche, even the newer ones.
08:17So the baby ones or the ones that go home first.
08:19That doesn't make them any less talented.
08:22It's just, it's what the challenge was.
08:24You're at the mercy of the challenge.
08:26Let's go all the way back to your first season and then the queens that we're seeing now.
08:29Okay.
08:30What is the biggest difference that you have noticed in terms of the way
08:33queens are competing or the way they're presenting themselves on the main stage?
08:38I think there's both.
08:38There's a difference to both.
08:40I think they have gotten much tougher in some ways of really seeing it as a competition
08:46and playing a game, so to speak.
08:48The smart ones do.
08:49Because like, if it were me, I know we're in the sisterhood and I love you,
08:54but I want to win that money.
08:56So I'm going to play this game.
08:57We'll connect afterwards.
08:59I'm never doing anything out of spite, but I'm playing a game.
09:02Of course.
09:02And as far as aesthetically, we've grown so much as a culture.
09:08So of course the drag has changed, but it's changed worldwide because of RuPaul's Drag Race.
09:14Absolutely.
09:14And because of things like YouTube, where kids can learn to do their own makeup
09:19in the comfort of their own home and learn how to sew in the comfort of their own home.
09:24So of course it's changed because we have now outlets that we can do it.
09:28Whereas before it was just going to the club and hitting the streets and figuring it out,
09:32which I do miss in some ways.
09:34With guest judges in the past, are there any memorable moments that you have that stick out?
09:39Because I know everybody, you know, like jokes around,
09:40maybe play some pranks in between filming.
09:43Was there any particular guest judge that was like super fun?
09:45Every guest judge that comes on this show in any country is a super fan of this franchise.
09:51And we are so lucky to have people.
09:53We've had Oscar winners.
09:54We've had, you know, Olivier Award winners, Emmy, Tony, you name it, sit down and go,
09:58this is the best gig of my life.
10:01I can die happy.
10:02The Gagas, the Arianas, Cameron Diaz and I have became friends
10:06and have gone out to dinner multiple times.
10:07Oh yeah.
10:08People just love to be here.
10:11It's got that joie de vivre in the air.
10:15It has that feeling.
10:16Once you're here, it's like, this is what life is all about.
10:20I hope that you and Cameron Diaz are now friends.
10:22It's because they're real people and we treat them as such and they feel like they belong.
10:27And that's the beauty of RuPaul's Drag Race.
10:29Everybody belongs.
10:30It's beautiful.
10:31I think one of my all-time favorite Michelle Visage and guest judge moments
10:36was Joel McHale screaming on the panel.
10:39Oh, by the way, he is my friend as well.
10:41I know that you have, like, I mean, I've seen you two together and it's like,
10:44what was going on that day?
10:47You ask him.
10:47I had no idea what got him.
10:49I was like, what are you doing?
10:51Why?
10:52This is not a sports bar, Joel.
10:55What is going on?
10:56And then he saw that it was irking me and he is a husband for a very long time.
11:00So my husband would have done the same thing because it was irking me.
11:04He kept on and hammered it 10 times worse.
11:07The memes from that moment.
11:08It was so funny.
11:09I was living for you just looking over.
11:11It is one of my favorite all-time Michelle moments, truly.
11:13My hair and makeup was gorgeous.
11:15You looked absolutely gorgeous in that moment too.
11:17Thank you, Joey.
11:18Yes.
11:18So you're also, I want to make sure I ask you about, because you are evolving from,
11:22you know, judge on this panel to head mistress on Drag Race Down Under.
11:27So what does that mean to you to be leading this series?
11:32First of all, it's an honor.
11:33So when Rue basically said, well, you're going to take over, right?
11:36And I was like, yeah.
11:38It was an honor for him to trust me with that because it is a big deal.
11:43He loves that part of the world.
11:45He loves that franchise.
11:46He wanted to be there.
11:47He had a number one New York Times bestselling book that he was out promoting doing his tour.
11:51And for me, not only the honor, but being there with those incredibly talented kids
11:57was like, wow.
11:58And let me tell you, this is by far the best season yet.
12:02Not because of me.
12:03I'm talking about the Queens.
12:04People are going to be blown away.
12:06I'm very excited to see what you do on that panel.
12:07You're going to love it, Joey.
12:09It is so good.
12:10Michelle Visage's Drag Race Down Under.
12:12I love it so much.
12:13Go on then.
12:14I just have two more quick questions for you.
12:16I want to talk to you about your music career too,
12:18because after you teamed up with Steps for Heartbreak in the City in 2021,
12:22EW readers really loved that story.
12:24They were very much into that.
12:26Do you have other plans to return to music with more releases in the future?
12:30You know, I do.
12:31There was a really staunch part of me that was like, we don't need a 50-year-old pop star.
12:36And then I was like, why am I doing that?
12:38Why am I limiting myself when I spend my life telling my kids and these kids
12:41to not limit themselves?
12:42We're unlimited.
12:43I don't want to do that.
12:44So yeah, I want to work more so on like a one-woman show musical type of situation.
12:50But again, in my head, it's like, I want that to be the Tony Award winning one.
12:53Yes.
12:53I don't want to do it small potatoes.
12:55Now, last question.
12:56Season 17.
12:57It's a big one for the show.
12:5817 seasons in.
12:59Each season seems to be bigger and more spectacular than the last.
13:04So what do you think the legacy of season 17 will be going into this fandom?
13:08Because it's so huge across the world now.
13:10And how does it step things up from past seasons?
13:12The badonkadonk.
13:13It was probably going to be the legacy of the season.
13:16The queens are always the legacy, Joey.
13:18I mean, they are writing their own futures on this main stage.
13:22For better or for worse, you know, meaning the first ones to go home.
13:26But it's never really the end of the story.
13:28It's the beginning of the story.
13:29It's all how you look at it.
13:31When you leave the show, even the first off, people know who you are.
13:34You now have carte blanche to do your gigs, to release merch.
13:37You've got DragCon coming up.
13:39You've got all these things you can do.
13:41Even being first off because you are part of our family now.
13:44There you go.
13:45What you do with it is up to you.
13:47So for me, the legacy is always those kids and their talent.
13:52And it makes me so excited to see them succeed.
13:55Yeah.
13:56Well, I think that's a beautiful note to end on, Michelle.
13:58Thank you so much for welcoming me into this family for today.
14:01I really appreciate it.
14:02Thank you for joining us.
14:03And thank you for loving our show.
14:05I know you've always been great.
14:06Huge supporter and so positive.
14:08Thank you so much.
14:08Thank you very much, Michelle.
14:10Thank you, Joey Nolfi.