Season 17 Cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race Talks about Naomi Campbell, Theater Enthusiasts, and Transforming Their Fathers with Drag Makeovers: “My Dad is a Straight Latino Man”

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” executive producer Randy Barbato, co-executive producer/judge Michelle Visage, and choreographer/judge Jamal Sims joined former “Drag Race” guest judge and superfan Leslie Jones Friday night for a special panel as part of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” FYC Emmy Pool Party Extravaganza event.  

In a recent episode, Season 17 champion Onya Nurve and the top six queens, including Jewels Sparkles, Sam Star, Suzie Toot, Lana Ja’Rae, and Lexi Love, gathered to talk about drag influences, diversity, and the significance of a supportive family unit.

According to Sims, who has been serving as a guest judge and choreographer on  “Drag Race” since 2014, the key to a successful queen is confidence. 

During the discussion, Sims, one of the judges, shared insights into the selection process, mentioning that the interactions with the queens happen during filming. The key quality Sims looks for is confidence, as it often indicates a contestant’s potential to succeed.

Season 17 winner Onya Nurve agrees that confidence and having faith in herself was the key to her win. “Everyone knows ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ was a dream of mine and that it’s something I wanted to accomplish when I started drag four years ago,” Nurve said. 

“Me getting on the show is a testament to continuing to follow your dreams, never saying no to yourself, always betting on yourself, and always listening to your intuition. I hope me winning this show is a beacon of hope for every entertainer that looks just like me.” 

One heartwarming episode featured Nerve’s dad and the other contestants’ parents participating in a special makeover segment on “Drag Race,” where they graced the runway alongside their children. Jewels Sparkles, a finalist, fondly remembered her father’s excitement about dressing up in drag for the event.

“My dad is a straight Latino man,” Sparkles said. “They called him to come cross-dress on national television for his son, and he said ‘Absolutely I’ll be there.’ My mom was helping him practice walking in heels, he was practicing his runway walk, his entrance line, he was so excited about it.

“That is a real man,” she continued. “He said ‘Yes, I’m going to support my kid 100%.’ Both of our [Onya and Jewels’] parents are people of color who went on that show. If they can do that, if they can cross-dress on national TV, the minimum you can do is accept your kid.” 

Another season 17 cast member whose parental relationships are important to their drag is Lana Ja’Rae, who cites her mother as one of the inspirations behind her style. 

“I pull from things that make me happy, things in my life that bring me joy,” Ja’Rae explained. “I want my drag to make people smile, because that’s the best gift to have in this world, to make people smile. My inspirations are my mom, the cartoons I watched growing up and black supermodels of the 90s like Naomi Campbell.” 

“Everything people told me I couldn’t be as a child growing up, all of those negative words personified, is what Lana Ja’Rae is. I hope that inspires people to embrace the negativity and transform it into positivity.” 

Where Ja’Rae takes inspiration from the women in her life, fellow competitor Suzie Toot cites some of Broadway’s most famous starlets as creative influences. 

“There’s a lot of theater gays who watch the show who see themselves in a self-proclaimed ‘theater queen’ like myself,” Toot said. “It’s people like Gwen Verdon, Sutton Foster, Debbie Reynolds, Shirley MacLaine –  those iconic, powerful, musical theater tap dancing-ass women.” 

“It’s wearing my references and the things that I love and the women that have inspired me on my sleeve. That’s the biggest driver of Suzie Toot and who she is.”