Spoiler alert! The following post contains details about MTV’s Season 15 finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
NEW YORK — She’s your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen.
And now, Sasha Colby is a winner, baby. On Friday night, the legendary entertainer was crowned “America’s Next Drag Superstar” in the Season 15 finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” earning $200,000. She snatched the title after a sexy, Medusa-inspired performance of her original song, “Goddess,” as well as a reveal-filled lip sync to Amii Stewart’s “Knock on Wood” against runner-up Anetra.
A trans woman and native Hawaiian, Sasha has long been favored to top the competition. She impressed the judges week after week with her stunning runway looks and dexterous abilities in acting and dancing challenges. At one point, RuPaul told Sasha that even as the queen of drag, “I’m amazed by you.”
Sasha, 37, remembers her emotional reaction to Ru’s words. “I felt like I was such a crybaby the whole season, so I was like, ‘Don’t keep crying,’ ” she tells USA TODAY. “I was trying to hold it back and she was literally yelling at me, ‘You are amazing!’ I was trying to be stoic, but she broke me. I was just a puddle.”
Sasha Colby says trans people are ‘not going anywhere’
The Los Angeles-based queen has earned countless new fans over the course of the season, including Ariana Grande, Cara Delevingne, Orville Peck and Diane Kruger. As an icon in the drag community, she says it was important to check any ego at the door going into this competition.
“I know how much of a presence I hold, how much my reputation precedes me and that I can seem very intimidating,” Sasha says. “But I think my best quality is being very disarming when you finally get to meet me. I knew that I would be able to talk to the girls on that level. And honestly, there were so many life moments that happened for me that humbled me, so this was really purely joy.”
With dangerous bans on gender-affirming care and drag shows happening around the country, Sasha took her winning moment to speak out for LGBTQ people whose rights are under attack.
“This goes to every trans person past, present and future, because we are not going anywhere,” she proclaimed during the series finale. She echoed a similar sentiment at a finale viewing party at New York’s Hard Rock Hotel, where she accepted the crown and scepter from past winner Willow Pill.
“It is such a privilege to be on this show, and to now have a platform to help everyone that looks like us not feel so scared about what’s going on in the world,” Sasha said on stage. “And to know that they still need to be doing drag, honey.”
Luxx Noir London, a top-four finalist this season alongside Mistress Isabelle Brooks, believes series like “Drag Race” are vital right now.
“Drag is more important than ever, and being visible in drag, because there are so many people who just have this idea that what we do is wrong or what we do is bad,” Luxx told USA TODAY on the red carpet. “And if we have a show where we’re showing queer people and drag queens in a positive light, and showing that we truly are harmless and do not care about any of the stuff people are saying about us, I think that is the most important thing.”
Anetra talks viral duck walk, lip sync with Marcia Marcia Marcia
Although she ultimately didn’t take the crown, Anetra won the season in other ways. She spawned a viral catchphrase, “You better walk that … duck,” during her jaw-dropping talent show performance, which incorporated elements of vogue and martial arts.
“When I heard the other girls start saying it, I was like, ‘OK, this is gonna be a thing,’ ” Anetra tells USA TODAY.
The fierce Las Vegas queen similarly didn’t realize at the moment just how iconic her Doja Cat lip sync was from Episode 11, in which she literally soared over fellow queen Marcia Marcia Marcia “Free Willy”-style.
“When you’re lip-syncing, you just kind of black out and you don’t really know what’s going on,” Anetra says. “I was just happy to slay another day, as they say.”
Throughout the season, the judges commended Anetra for coming out of her shell and blossoming as a performer, standing out in the makeover and musical challenges.
“At some point in the season, there was a moment where I just let go of the idea of looking stupid or being perceived a certain way,” Anetra says. “When you just live in your authenticity and just be yourself, I think the competition becomes not easier, but you feel more (capable) to compete at your very best.”
