{"id":412169,"date":"2026-04-22T18:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/412169\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T18:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:32:24","slug":"rupauls-drag-race-myki-meeks-on-winning-tattoos-all-winners-broadway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/412169\/","title":{"rendered":"RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Myki Meeks on Winning, Tattoos, All-Winners, Broadway"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tMyki Meeks can be anything she wants \u2014 and this year, she just so happened to set her sights on being RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019s next winner<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Orlando, Florida, based drag queen entered the 18th season<\/a> of the RuPaul-led reality show, deeming herself the \u201cgorgeously stupid, stupidly gorgeous drag ingenue.\u201d During her WerkRoom entrance, she talked up her performing chops, and luckily for Myki (and the Drag Race audience), she more than delivered throughout the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter winning her first challenge on the series in a political ad spoof, Myki dominated the backend of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race season 18, nabbing wins in both look and performance-based challenges. With a total of four instances where she was deemed the best competitor of the week, her stunning showings in two of the show\u2019s staple episodes that she didn\u2019t even win \u2014 the Rusical (a spin on the word \u201cmusical\u201d) and Snatch Game (a spoof on the Match Game, tasking contestants to do celebrity impersonations) \u2014 Myki won over the series\u2019 devoted audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd ultimately, RuPaul too, as she bestowed the title of America\u2019s Next Drag Superstar onto Myki Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s been a whirlwind, honestly,\u201d she tells The Hollywood Reporter of what the past few days have been like after being named the winner of the industry\u2019s most prominent drag show. \u201cThis is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and to take it in the end, it\u2019s brilliant. I\u2019m so blessed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMyki\u2019s versatility on the show has promised a fruitful career post-Drag Race, one that she tells THR could head down a number of creative paths. But for now, she\u2019s focused on celebrating her win.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, the RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race winner reflects on her record-setting tenure on the competition show, her beloved post-coronation lip-sync number to Sophie\u2019s \u201cImmaterial\u201d and why it exemplifies her journey, her musical theater aspirations and the tattoo she wants to get to memorialize season 18.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat have the past few days since winning Drag Race been like for you?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s been a whirlwind, honestly. You want to celebrate and all that, but really, it\u2019s like, onto the next event, onto the next event. So I think now that I am back home for just a few days, I get to celebrate with my friends and family, which is the best part.<\/p>\n

\n\tI saw the video<\/a> of you learning that you had won season 18. It was so emotional. What was going through your mind when RuPaul called your name as the winner?<\/p>\n

\n\tHell, yeah! Like, let\u2019s go! It was just a moment of, like, Wow, we did it. Getting on the show is an achievement, but to win the whole thing, it\u2019s just beyond. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and to take it in the end, it\u2019s brilliant. I\u2019m so blessed, and I want to get a tattoo or something to celebrate this, right?<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDarlene Mitchell, Nini Coco and Myki Meeks before the winner of \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 season 18 was crowned.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images for MTV<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat tattoo do you have in your mind?<\/p>\n

\n\tMy whole motif is this cinema queen, like the old Hollywood ing\u00e9nue. Not that this is necessarily like a movie reference, but I\u2019ve always loved the imagery of a single rose in a spotlight, like at the end of a show. And I did a rose look on the show as well, so something in that mood, whether it\u2019s just a rose itself or the image of a spotlight and a rose.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs more seasons of Drag Race come out, more queens are getting recognized for their numbers on social media. I remember seeing your number<\/a> to Charlie xcx\u2019s \u201cParty 4 U\u201d before season 18. You carry this old Hollywood aesthetic, but also have such an understanding of modern pop culture and also legacy pop cultural touchstones. I think your modern edge and understanding of pop culture is what sets you apart as a winner of Drag Race<\/a>. Do you agree?<\/p>\n

\n\tI can see that, for sure. I\u2019ve seen people say, \u201cI don\u2019t really know what Myki\u2019s brand is. I don\u2019t really know where she\u2019s going.\u201d But the thing is, my brand is I\u2019m a working drag queen. That\u2019s what it is to the soul. Back home, I was working four shows, five shows a week. A lot of its rotating themes, so I had to adapt to every single theme coming my way for the past five, six years. As for when I went on the show, I knew I had these different aesthetic points, but I knew at the heart of it was the actress, the one who could take on any role. And that\u2019s the brand right there; is this girl who could do it all. I mean, listen to my song \u201cVersatile<\/a>\u201d at the finale, and I can do it all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNow, as for the old Hollywood, it\u2019s probably the most draggy glamor and pop culture that we can go for. As for the modern references, that\u2019s where we\u2019re living in right now. Charli and, I mean, KATSEYE has its own drama and issues, but they\u2019re pushing forward fashion, so we got to look to see what is coming up as well. I\u2019m a blend of a lot of things, but pop culture is definitely what I study the most.<\/p>\n

\n\tYour first lip sync<\/a> performance after winning was to \u201cImmaterial\u201d by Sophie. Why did you pick that song to be your first performance after winning Drag Race?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a song that has been near and dear to my heart for the longest. Actually, I\u2019m posting a video<\/a> [Tuesday,] but my very first drag competition that I won, I performed \u201cImmaterial,\u201d and that was back in 2021. That song was a torch song for me, and it\u2019s for a torch song for a lot of queer people who feel like they can be any expression that they want to be. She says, \u201cI could be anything I want \/ Anyhow, anywhere, any place, anyone that I want.\u201d The main message is I can be anything I want. And that\u2019s been my whole life motto; I set the goal and I meet it, and it\u2019s the dream, you know?<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tMyki Meeks performs after winning \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 season 18.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images for MTV<\/p>\n

\n\tYou won four challenges, and with that, you join a very select group of queens who have won that landmark of four challenges. What did it mean to win four challenges on Drag Race?<\/p>\n

\n\tOh, God. I\u2019m that bitch! It\u2019s the best outcome, because I don\u2019t think someone [wins] past five [challenges] on a regular season. So to achieve four, it\u2019s a hard thing to do. I\u2019m so grateful that they can recognize what I was doing and they liked it. And I\u2019m the first queen in the show\u2019s history to win three challenges in a row on the last three challenges [of the season.]\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat did it feel like having so much momentum going into the finale?<\/p>\n

\n\tLike it was mine to lose. Is that bad? I felt very confident going into the finale, but I will say, after we filmed the finale, anything could happen. Nini and Darlene both brought their everything, so I knew that it could be anyone\u2019s game. I just knew I had the stats on my side.<\/p>\n

\n\tBefore you won those three consecutive challenges and cemented yourself going into the finale, was there a moment where you were like, Wow, I really am on the road to winning season 18?<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first time I felt like, Okay, I\u2019m here to play and I can make it to the end, was when I won my first challenge, which was the political ad challenge. Because the week prior, I was in the bottom when the queens put me in the bottom for the talent show. I was a little down on myself for that, and I knew I really had to shift it into gear for this next challenge. And when I got that first win, oh, it changed my whole perspective. I felt like I was finally in the game, and I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing. It wasn\u2019t until I won my third challenge [in] episode 13 \u2014 that\u2019s when I went, I\u2019m a contender for the crown, fully. Like, at that point, it was Jane Don\u2019t<\/a> who was frontrunning, and I was like, I\u2019m challenging Jane for this win right now. And when she was eliminated, I thought, I\u2019m so sorry sister, but\u2026 no, I\u2019m just kidding. (Laughs.)<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are two challenges you did not win that still made you stand out. The reception to your performance in the Rusical was insane. What was it like for you to be praised for the specific art form of musical theater that you had once written off?<\/p>\n

\n\tOh, it\u2019s just beyond. Adam Shankman, the director of Hairspray the musical, complimented my performance in the Rusical. This is someone who\u2019s in the business. It\u2019s just incredible. I was down and out with theater for a while. I just didn\u2019t find as much joy in it as I did with drag. I felt I had more expression in drag, but to be able to blend both, which obviously people have been doing, I just didn\u2019t see it for myself too much, but to blend both and get that positive of a reception, you will be seeing me do this for a while.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMyki Meeks and Darlene Mitchell in the \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 season 18 Rusical.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMTV<\/p>\n

\n\tTwo Drag Race queens, Bob and Jinkx, have made it to Broadway. Is that a goal you would set for yourself?<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, post-season, for sure. Going into [Drag Race,] I never thought that\u2019d be a reality, but to be able to see queens like Jinkx and Bob land roles on Broadway, in drag, it\u2019s definitely possible. Michelle [Visage] and RuPaul have both expressed on the show that they see this future for me. I mean, I know RuPaul was a producer on A Strange Loop, so I\u2019m like, well, RuPaul, if you want to do it, let\u2019s produce it baby.<\/p>\n

\n\tSnatch Game and your impersonation of Drew Barrymore was another challenge you didn\u2019t win but was such a standout. After that performance, you went on Drew\u2019s show. How did that appearance come about?<\/p>\n

\n\tBeing there for Snatch Game, I knew I did well, but it didn\u2019t feel like I was gonna take it. It felt very much like it was Nini\u2019s challenge, so I was very proud of [my impersonation.] I did exactly what I wanted to do. The reception after that episode was insane. I think people were really hungry for a genuine celebrity impression; an impression of a celebrity that everyone knows. Ross [Matthews] told me that Drew watched the episode and she loved it, and her team contacted the Drag Race PR team, and within a week, I was filming for the show. It was insane. It was a very quick experience, but she is exactly who you think she is. She is so down-to-earth and empathetic and just loves to celebrate life. She was just the best.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019re going on tour, but what else do you have in the works?<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year is to definitely celebrate the reign. My year is pretty padded out with a bunch of appearances and shows and tours. I\u2019m going to so many different countries all over the world. This is what we\u2019ve been working towards. Once we get past the initial post-season career, I definitely want to move into more creative directing and producing. The venue I work for, the Renaissance Theatre Company, they\u2019ve been able to bring two shows off-Broadway on their own, and they definitely did say that we can get something in the works to do the same for me. And I want to have more of a presence on YouTube as well. I think that\u2019s definitely the future for queer personalities.<\/p>\n

\n\tI think a queen from Florida winning RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race right now, in 2026, at the time that we\u2019re at politically, is a statement. If you could give advice to any other young queer kids who are a bit unsure of what their future could look like, what would you say?<\/p>\n

\n\tThis time is so unpredictable and a lot of negative energy. I can\u2019t even imagine being in a generation younger than me dealing with the struggles of the world right now. But for anyone out there who is looking for joy, I mean, it\u2019s the theme<\/a> of the whole season; in a time full of darkness, let there be light. We can choose the joy that we want to see. It\u2019s an active effort, but that little decision goes a long way. If you\u2019re someone who is in a community where you don\u2019t feel like you belong, well, that community is out there for you. You just might need to take a little bit more time to get there, and when you feel safe, just know that there is a whole world of queerness and joy that is ready to welcome you with open arms.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMyki Meeks winning \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 season 18.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMTV<\/p>\n

\n\tIt may be too soon to ask, but would you be open to returning to the show at some point for a potential all-winners season?<\/p>\n

\n\t(Laughs.) Oh, my God, I just need a break. I would go back no matter what the iteration was. I love Drag Race. I\u2019ve been a fan since season one. I\u2019ve seen almost every single iteration of it. Yeah, any chance to be back on a show that\u2019s propelled me into the zeitgeist, absolutely. And if it means going up against Bob the Drag Queen and Sasha Colby and Nymphia Wind, hell, I\u2019ll do it.<\/p>\n