![\"Jasmine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/RPDRAS_S11_CloseUp_JASMINE_PR_SO_4x5_1080x1350_2x_FN4.jpg\" "\\"Jasmine")
Jasmine Kennedie on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars. Image courtesy of Paramount+.\nYou mentioned how much your drag has changed since your first season. How would you describe it now?<\/p>\n
\n Jasmine Kennedie on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars. Image courtesy of Paramount+. <\/p>\n
After making her television debut on Season 14 of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race, Jasmine Kennedie has sashayed back to the competition for Season 11 of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars.\u00a0The new season premieres May 8 on Paramount+.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old performer first appeared\u00a0as the self-proclaimed \u201cditzy doll\u201d from New York. She quickly became something more: a fan favorite, a comedy queen, and RuPaul even dubbed Kennedie a \u201clip-sync assassin,\u201d thanks to her high-energy performances. Kennedie was also at the center of one of the season\u2019s most defining moments, coming out as a transgender woman on national television.<\/p>\n
The drag queen has since moved to Northern Virginia, and she\u2019ll represent the DC area on All Stars. We spoke to Kennedie about the DC drag scene, coming back to the competition, and representing the trans community.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve performed in places like New York\u2014how does the DC scene compare, and what does it mean to be one of the only DMV queens on Drag Race right now?<\/p>\n
I really like the community here in DC. The people that come to your show come to a lot of your shows, and you start building a consistent audience here, which I really do appreciate. Everybody in the community seems to have a very enthusiastic attitude when it comes to the drag community and seeing girls thrive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There may not be as many [drag queens] as there are in New York City, but I will say the girls here really do pack a punch. It\u2019s unfortunate there hasn\u2019t been a DC girly on [RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race] other than Tatiana. There\u2019s really a lot of amazing artists in the DC area that deserve that platform.<\/p>\n
What does it mean to be a trans performer and drag queen in this moment, especially here in DC?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s very important to still stay visible. I think that this administration is trying to fearmonger us and put us in a place where we have the inability to be focal and be \u201cout\u201d and be protesting. It\u2019s unfortunate that there\u2019s been this fear built into this community where we don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen next. It\u2019s like a mini form of protest just to be \u201cout\u201d here in DC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Being the only out trans contestant on the show this season, it\u2019s very important that my visibility matters, and it\u2019s vocal, and I\u2019m not in fear on my transition and who I am as a trans woman. If I have to be the one waving the flag, I will.<\/p>\n
How did it feel to come out of Season 14 as one of the fiercest\u2014and youngest\u2014lip-syncers to grace the main stage?<\/p>\n
It honestly was a relief because there\u2019s so many girls nowadays. To solidify yourself in such an oversaturated market is something that is crucial to keep longevity. I was happy that people recognized me for my performance. I realized also that they could see my passion through my performance, which was really great.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the moments that still stays with me is when you came out as a trans woman during Season 14. How do you view that moment and its impact?<\/p>\n
It feels great that I touch so many people and a lot of people do come up to me anywhere I go. They\u2019re like, \u201cYou\u2019re the reason I feel more comfortable,\u201d which I still don\u2019t think I\u2019ve grasped. I\u2019ve gone to the UK, I\u2019ve gone to Europe, I\u2019ve gone to South America, I\u2019ve gone to Canada, and people all around the world are telling me that has helped them with their gender journey. I wear it as a badge of honor, and I\u2019m very prideful with it, but I\u2019m not waving it around. I\u2019m very humble with it at the same time.<\/p>\n
Jasmine Kennedie on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars. Image courtesy of Paramount+.
\nYou mentioned how much your drag has changed since your first season. How would you describe it now?<\/p>\n
I would say timeless beauty. Any time period, I\u2019ll always be beautiful. And effortless as well. I think it\u2019s radiating happiness and energy and confidence. I think I\u2019m so much more confident. It\u2019s fashion, it\u2019s beauty. It\u2019s also funny and goofy\u2014not taking myself too seriously. I honed in on who I was as a person.<\/p>\n
Did coming back feel more like a return or a reintroduction on your own terms?<\/p>\n
I honestly felt like a phoenix rising from the ashes. I definitely think it was not a reintroduction because I don\u2019t think my personality has changed. My confidence has changed and my looks. So, if anything, it was just a reminder.<\/p>\n
When people leave a Jasmine Kennedie show, what do you want them to feel?<\/p>\n
I want them to feel seen. I want them to feel as if they could step away from the hardships that they\u2019re going through in life and just have fun, breathe, and relax, and realize that nothing\u2019s too serious.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/D_26_1509_001_RPAS_S11_PR_Horz_16x9_3840x2160jpg.jpg\" "\\"The")
The 18 queens competing on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars Season 11. Image courtesy of Paramount+.
\n\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25 Rapid fire questions \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25
\nDream lip sync song?<\/p>\n
Oh my god. Lush Life. I\u2019m an OG Zara Larsson girly\u2014I\u2019ve been listening to her since high school. I\u2019m not just a \u201cMidnight Sun\u201d girl, okay?<\/p>\n
Dream lip sync opponent?<\/p>\n
Laganja Estranja.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Your Drag Race Mount Rushmore?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s four people, right? I think it\u2019d be Bianca Del Rio, Jinkx Monsoon, Shea Coule\u00e9, and Kennedy Davenport.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/TJE-Headshot-e1767900173758-1536x1536.jpg\" "\\"Tristan")
<\/p>\n
Editorial Fellow<\/p>\n
Tristan Espinoza joined Washingtonian as an Editorial Fellow in 2026. A proud Osage Native from Dallas, Texas, he is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) at American University. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He lives in Mount Pleasant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jasmine Kennedie on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars. Image courtesy of Paramount+. After making her television debut on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224981,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-224980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}