Katya spices up Toronto Pride

RuPaul’s Drag Race fan favourite leaves the show, crosses the border

Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race were shocked when Katya sashayed away in the latest episode. She gave it her all, but her Hello Kitty creation and fla-zay-da runway look sunk the Russian ship. Katya gives Daily Xtra the tea on her post-Drag Race life and upcoming shows in Toronto.

How has your life changed since the show?

Oh my god! It’s insane. I travel around and get paid 10 times to do a fraction of what I used to do. I have big time self-esteem issues and I didn’t know if I would be liked. The fans are a lot of kids and they get it. They get my sense of humor and they are totally on board. It’s so fucking great. They call me mom. They are always saying, “Break my legs mom,” or “Burn down my Bar Mitzvah mom.” I never thought it would happen. It’s so motivating. When you’re a creative person and you want to produce work, you can get lazy. Sometimes you think, what’s the point? If my YouTube videos don’t go up immediately, fans are like “where are the videos mom?” It’s nice.

You’re coming to Toronto for Pride. What are you looking forward to?

I don’t know anything about the city. All I’ve heard repeatedly is that people are really cool so I can’t wait to be there.

Check out our full interview with the faux-Russian.

Katya at Toronto Pride:
From Russia with Love
Friday, June 26
Fly Nightclub, 6 Gloucester St, Toronto
flyyyz.com

Drag On!
Saturday, June 27
Molson Canadian Stage, 1 Dundas St E, Toronto
pridetoronto.com

Read More About:
Culture, Toronto, Arts, Pride

Keep Reading

The United States Capitol appears in front of Trans Flag colours; hands holding a smartphone with the TikTok logo on it are shown in front, under a blue filter.

How a U.S. TikTok ban would censor trans people

ANALYSIS: Conservatives are trying to leverage censorship to promote their own anti-trans agenda

In ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt,’ Brontez Purnell balances on a knife edge between hilarity and despair

Purnell's new memoir turns heaviness into humour, and exposes the bleakness under what seems silly and light

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 16, Episode 12 power ranking: Designing women

Who among our top five will fall short of the finale?

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 16, Episode 12 recap: Bathroom babes

The infamous room design challenge returns, this time with … restrooms?