Drag Race icon Monét X Change on Life Be Lifein’, British humour and why boring sex is the best
Monet X Change spills on Drag Race set secrets, why Donald Trump’s bid for president will fail, and her new Edinburgh Fringe show. (Getty)
As her Life Be Lifein’ show hits the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Monét X Change tells PinkNews about her comedic origins, life as a queer person in the US and why she loves boring sex.
Despite winning RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4 in 2018 and coming close to victory in All Stars 7 last year, Monét X Change says her life is still, on the whole, pretty mundane.
She’s a regular person, who runs errands and queues at supermarkets. The most boring thing in her life, though? Sex. And that’s just how she likes it.
“I like mundane sex,” she tells PinkNews with pride. “There is this myth that’s been sold to people that everyone is like: ‘Oh yeah, baby, I want to f**k all night’. Who you f*****g all night? I don’t want to f**k all night b***h. I’m tired, I have sh*t to do.”
Sex, in Monét’s opinion, should last “12 to 17 minutes, max – there’s a new season of Yellowjackets out, I don’t have time for this”.
Monét is a natural comedian. It’s why she won the roast challenge on All Stars 4 and the TikTok dance on All Stars 7. She’s been doing stand-up, unofficially, as part of her drag shows in New York for more than a decade.
In June, she released her first TV comedy special, Fist of Glory and, throughout August, she’ll be bringing laughter to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with her one woman show, Life Be Lifein‘.
Her history with comedy goes far beyond her drag journey, though. “I’ve always been a class clown. In school, I was always the one cracking jokes,” she says.
It stood her in good stead when she faced relentless, violent bullying. “I was always a well-liked person in school, even though I was a very overtly gay child. I was bullied a lot – I always got through because I make people laugh.”
While fellow students were punching her in the face, she’d be cracking jokes. “It did make them like me, in some weird, toxic way. It’s probably a reason why, through my twenties, I was only f*****g straight, unavailable men, because that’s who I made laugh and [who] I was in love with through middle school,” she cackles.
“I was bullied a lot – I always got through because I make people laugh”
She won’t be delving into school hallway trauma during her upcoming Fringe show. It’s more of a comedic musing on her life as a whole, from that mundane sex she so enjoys, to whether or not she wants to have children.
“In my life, there are a lot of things that keep me wondering like… did I miss out on having kids? Should I have children?” It’s a big question to bring to a comedy show, but it soon becomes clear why it’s the perfect sort of anecdote to include in her routine.
“First of all, red flag: they wake up every day,” she deadpans. “That is too much for me. Then you have to feed them, get them clothing, they have choir practice… kids are expensive. I’d rather spend that money on ketamine and KFC.”
During her time in the UK, she’ll no doubt be adding booze to that list of expenses. Monét has worked the UK several times, and she says that’s the main British stereotype that holds a lot of truth: we’re a nation of binge drinkers.
“I was gagged that at like three o’clock [in the afternoon] people are just hanging out at the pub living their life. I was like: ‘Girl, isn’t the work day done at five?’ The drinking is very impressive.”
So, will she be joining in? “I am an alcoholic, so I f*****g love that,” she jokes.
Another thing she adores about British culture, besides “hot” Scottish accents, is how Brits don’t take themselves too seriously. Americans, she thinks, are too “uptight”, while people in the UK can take a joke and laugh at themselves – and others.
“Yes, there are a lot of reasons why we should be woke and we should definitely pay attention, to try to be as PC as possible. But in the UK, a lot of that goes out the window,” she says.
Besides the unabashed British humour, there are other reasons for Monét to want to get away from the US right now. While the UK is hardly a haven for LGBTQ+ people at the moment – both Conservative and Labour MPs have “thrown trans people under the bus” in recent months – the US is a whole other kettle of fish.
“He will be arrested and serve jail time. It’s going to taste so f*****g good”
In 2023 alone, hundreds of pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation have been proposed, most of which have targeted the trans and drag communities.
“It’s horrible,” she says of being a queer person in the US. Although the 2024 presidential race looks set to be dominated by anti-LGBTQ+ right-wingers such as Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence, Monét has to search for the positives.
“The only upside of this is that, because DeSantis and Pence [are] trying to throw their hat in the ring, they’re just gonna cannibalise one another and it’s gonna make their party lose.”
As for Trump, Monét doesn’t think he’ll be able to run for president from prison. “His indictment, he will be arrested and serve jail time,” she says, brimming with excitement. “It’s going to taste so f*****g good.”
She’s planning to wear her Drag Race season 10 promo look to the indictment party.
Speaking of Drag Race, and given she came so close to winning All Stars 7, with many fans believing she won the final lip sync against Jinkx Monsoon, are there any hard feelings, or is it all love now?
“In the moment, it’s so annoying, you’re upset, you’re sad, you’re like: ‘I should have won and I was robbed’,” she says, mimicking fans online. “But it’s all working for my benefit, it’s all working the way it’s supposed to.”
After all, her Drag Race stints have allowed her to release music, host a podcast alongside fellow Drag Race winner Bob The Drag Queen and appear on The Simpsons. She’s won a Queerty and been nominated for two WOWIEs and a GLAAD award.
All she has is positive memories of Drag Race, particularly moments that never made it to air. On All Stars 7, during the TikTok dance challenge, she jokes about season three winner Raja giving the rest of the cast “devil weed from her purse”, and they spent the rest of day’s filming feeling a little hazy. “I tell you, we were all so high, we were all so stoned,” she laughs.
“I am so grateful for Drag Race, it changed my life. Because of Drag Race, I’m going to be at the Edinburgh Festival for [more than] two weeks, doing a new show. I’m forever grateful [to] RuPaul and his Drag Race.”
Monét X Change’s Life Be Lifein’ show runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 15 August.
