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Trixie brings her ‘Moving Parts’ tour to Washington
‘All Stars’ champ on Shangela, Ben, her prize money and future plans
Trixie Mattel says she saves money ‘like a grasshopper.’ (Photo by Jagc Photography)
Trixie Mattel
‘Now with Moving Parts’
Thursday, May 3
7 p.m.
Lincoln Theatre
1215 U St., N.W.
$20-99
Trixie Mattel’s “Now With Moving Parts Tour” is aptly named for the drag queen who hasn’t stopped moving since her debut on season seven of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Mattel, real name Brian Michael Firkus, was eliminated from that season but embarked on a drag journey not every queen gets to have.
Mattel, 28, became co-host of the WOWPresents web series “UNHhhh” along with her fellow season seven sister Katya Zamolodchikova. The mini episodes, which featured the duo talking about everything from dating to plastic surgery, received millions of views. Viceland picked up a spinoff series to the YouTube sensation with “The Trixie & Katya Show.” While in its first season, Katya relapsed on methamphetamine and suffered a psychotic break. Mattel’s friend and season eight “Drag Race” winner Bob the Drag Queen filled in for Katya during her recovery.
Mattel also released two folk/country albums, an uncommon choice in a drag world dominated by pop and R&B, with “Two Birds” in 2017 and “One Stone” in March.
Finally, Mattel solidified her spot among the “Drag Race” royalty of Chad Michaels and Alaska by winning “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season three.
Chatting from her bathroom in Los Angeles, Mattel dished on clashing with Adam Lambert, imparted a few choice words to Shangela stans and spilled her real plans for the $100,000 prize.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Between your season seven “Drag Race” appearance and “All Stars” you were arguably one of the most successful queens. Do you feel the Hall of Fame title validated your success?
TRIXIE MATTEL: It was sort of like I was already going to prom and this crown is like my corsage. I really think part of what makes me an all star is I never relied on a title or a crown. I never even relied on RuPaul telling me I was a winner or a superstar. I just was like, “I’m going to do whatever I want and I’m going to find a way to do it.” Winning is great but it’s always been really important to me to open all the doors I want to open whether or not anybody said I was a winner.
BLADE: During the “All Stars” season one of your weaker points was during the Snatch Game when you portrayed RuPaul. Why do you think it didn’t work?
MATTEL: I was just like, “I want to swing big.” It wasn’t the choice that made it not work; it was just me. I was scared. I just messed up because I choked. It’s sort of like when you prepare something and then you get up there and you blank. That’s what happened. It was more of an artist having a bad day. It was my only low point of “Drag Race.” I feel like “Drag Race” tried to paint this picture like, “Trixie, you really stumbled in the competition.” I’m like, “Bitch, where?” It was literally once. I was in the bottom as many times as Shangela. Let’s all calm down.
BLADE: During the Kitty Girls challenge, Adam Lambert didn’t like your attitude. Did you realize at the time he had a problem with you?
MATTEL: I think he’s threatened by anyone who wears more makeup than him. No, I have a deep, dark, dry sense of humor. I mean if a drag queen makes a joke about gender and you don’t catch it, I don’t know what happened to you. I don’t know who hurt you. But he thought I was standoffish and so if I ever see him in Hollywood I’m going to show him what standoffish looks like. But he’s so hot. I never thought he was hot in pictures. In real life, he was so sexual looking. He was probably just picking up on me being legitimately afraid of how beautiful he was.
BLADE: Obviously one of the most shocking moments of the season was Ben De La Creme pulling out the lipstick with her name on it. What was going through your head?
MATTEL: For me, it’s a competition so if somebody doesn’t want to be there I’m like, “Great, leave.” But on a friend level in front of the camera I’m like, “No, girl. Stay.” But on the inside I’m like, “Bitch, get out. I don’t need you to make this harder for me than it already is.” I know this is probably not a popular opinion but I wanted the fucking money, Stephanie. For me, I had already proven to myself that I don’t have to win “Drag Race” to do whatever I want to do. So I was like I’d rather win the cash and prizes. Doing a summer of shows and I probably spent like $20,000-30,000 to get costumes. I’m like, “I’m trying to make my investment back Brenda.”
BLADE: What are you going to do with the $100,000?
MATTEL: Well, I haven’t received it yet. But, I grew up poor and will have a poor people mentality forever so I’m just going to do what I’ve done with every cent I’ve ever had. I’m just going to save it. I’m the fable about the grasshopper who parties all summer and then has no food. I don’t want to be the grasshopper.
BLADE: It very easily could have come down between you and Ben De La Creme if she hadn’t self-eliminated. Do you think you still would have had a shot at the crown?
MATTEL: Oh yeah, sure. I mean, I beat Kennedy Davenport in a lip sync which means I could probably beat anybody. She’s the best lip-syncer there is.
BLADE: Shangela fans were pretty vocal on social media that she deserved the title. Did the backlash damper your win?
MATTEL: There’s exactly one queen in the episode who vocalized that Shangela should be in the top two. Do you know who that queen was? Me. I walked in and they said, “Who do you think should be in the top?” and I said “100 percent Shangela. She is and always will be an all star.” I’m the one who wanted her to come. So whatever reason the other queens didn’t pick her, I mean, my hands are clean. I was rooting for her. I literally told the group of people voting to vote for her. “Drag Race” is a game of what you do today comes back to bite you tomorrow. I can’t get into the minds of the people who voted but obviously they felt some type of way. I feel like the perception is that because she sent people home but it’s like Thorgy voted for her, who she sent home. Chi Chi didn’t vote for her who is like one of her best friends. I’ve known Shangela didn’t make it to the top two for a year and I was gagged. I would have picked her lipstick. I was disappointed, on behalf of her, to watch her heart break like that. But it’s been done and over for us like a long time.
BLADE: Did anything ever happen with that backup dancer you were attracted to during the final challenge?
MATTEL: I follow him on Instagram which is how I think every great love story begins. He was so hot, it was stupid. He had pouty lips. He looked like an extra in “Pearl Harbor” or like a swing dancer in Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman” video. I also have a boyfriend so that’s complicated. But this is L.A. so I’ll wait for the right moment and then have a scandal. I’ll wait until my next album comes out and then leak my nudes or something.
BLADE: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has gotten a much bigger audience since switching to VH1. People are having “Drag Race’ viewing parties at bars like sports games. Has that diversified your fanbase?
MATTEL: Drag is like this great, kept secret. Gay people are like, “Yes, bitch. We been knew that drag was cool.” But, it’s fun to watch the rest of the world keep up with it and be like, “This is cool.” Drag is for everyone. I know that drag is inherently political. For me, it’s not so political. It’s just Halloween every day. If anything, “Drag Race” humanizes us and just shows it’s just costumes. It’s not like this crazy, gay, gender agenda. It’s just dressing up and having fun and everyone likes to dress up. I don’t care who you are. If you just put on a wig and look in the mirror, you’ll have a laugh. There’s a queen for everyone in the same way everyone has a favorite comedian, favorite movie. You don’t have to like everyone but I promise there will be one that just makes you chuckle or you think is so pretty. We’re not just gay people putting on gowns. We’re human beings who take our work very seriously and I think that’s what’s inspiring to audiences.
BLADE:“The Trixie & Katya” show suffered a setback in its debut season because Katya had to take time off. Did you think you would stop filming the show?
MATTEL: I automatically was like call Bob the Drag Queen. Literally, same day we had him on the phone. Bob is so funny, not just as a drag queen. He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I have a great friendship and repertoire with him. I knew that if he showed up with zero warning he would turn the party.
BLADE: Is there going to be a second season with Katya?
MATTEL: I can neither confirm nor deny.
BLADE: What can people expect from your show?
MATTEL: My show is 60 percent stand up and 40 percent music. There’s video elements. There’s costume changes, wig changes. There’s some great jokes, plenty of bad jokes. I’m really proud of the show. I think it’s really going to open people’s minds to what drag is capable of. It’s not just a dress and a wig. It goes by for me in the blink of an eye. I look forward to it all day and then doing it, I’m just in heaven. Then I just can’t wait to do it the next day.
a&e features
Award-winning D.C. chef reaching new culinary heights
Anthony Jones of Marcus DC competing on ‘Top Chef’
In Anthony Jones’s kitchen, all sorts of flags fly, including his own. Executive chef at award-winning restaurant Marcus DC, Jones has reached culinary heights (James Beard Award semifinalist for Emerging Chef, anyone?), yet he’s just getting started.
Briefly stepping away from his award-winning station, Jones took a moment under a different set of lights. Recently, he temporarily gave up his post at the restaurant for a starring small-screen slot on the latest season of “Top Chef,” which debuted in March. (The show airs weekly on Bravo and Peacock).
Before his strategic slice-and-dice competition, however, Jones, who identifies as gay, draws from his deep DMV roots. In the years before “Top Chef” and the top chef spot at Marcus, he was born and raised in Sunderland, Md., in southern Maryland, near the Chesapeake.
Early memories were steeped in afternoons on boats with his dad bonding over fishing, and wandering the garden of his great-grandparents spread with fresh vegetables and a few hogs. “It was Southern, old-school ethics and upbringing,” he said. “Family and food went hand in hand.” Weekends meant grabbing bushels of crabs, dad and grandma would cook and crack them. Family members would host fish fries for extra cash. In this seafood-heavy youth, Jones managed time to sneak in episodes of the “OG” Japanese “Iron Chef” show, which helped inspire him to pursue a career in the kitchen.
Jones moved to D.C. after graduating from college, ending up at lauded Restaurant Eve, and met famed chef Marcus Samuelson, who brought him to Miami to be part of the opening team for Red Rooster Overtown. After three years, Jones moved back to D.C., where he ran Dirty Habit, reinventing and reimagining the menu, integrating West African flavors and ingredients.
Samuelson, however, wouldn’t let a talent like Jones stay away for too long. Pulling Jones back into his orbit, Samuelson elevated Jones to help him open his namesake restaurant Marcus DC, which has been named a top-five restaurant by the Washington Post. Since then, Jones has been nominated as a semifinalist for the RAMMYs Rising Culinary Star in 2026 and won the Eater DC’s Rising Chef award in 2025.
Samuelson’s Marcus is a tour de force interpreting the Black Diaspora on the plate, from the American South to West Africa, along with his signature “Swedopian” touches. Yet it’s Jones who has deeply informed the plate, elevating his own story to date. Marcus DC is primarily a seafood restaurant, which serves Jones well.
“Where I’m from is seafood heavy, and as I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve moved away from meat.” Veggies and fish are hero dishes. His own dish, Mel’s Crab Rice, was not only lauded by the Washington Post, but is framed by his youth carrying home the crustaceans from Mel’s crab truck. It’s a bowl of Carolina rice, layered with pickled okra, uni béarnaise, and crab. Jones also points to a dish on the opening menu, rockfish and brassica, paying respect to a landmark D.C. institution, Ben’s Chili Bowl. Jones reverse engineered a favorite bowl of chili that’s seafood instead of meat forward, leveraging octopus and rockfish along with different riffs of cauliflower: showing his intellectual, creative, and cultural sides.
While “Top Chef” is showing Jones’s spotlight side, he also lets his identity show at work. “In the kitchen, I make sure we’re inclusive. We don’t tolerate discrimination. Everyone that’s here should feel confident to express themselves. There are so many different flags in the kitchen.”
Jones says that he didn’t fully express his gay identity until fairly recently. He felt reluctant coming out to certain family members, “you’re scared to tell them about being different,” he says, and while that anxiety ate at him, “I’m lucky and fortunate to have unconditional love and that weight off my shoulders.”
Today, “I’m me all the time, Monday to Sunday. I’m honest with people, and my staff is honest with me.”
“Being a chef is hard,” he says, “and being a chef of color is even more difficult.”
Yet his LGBTQ identity is a juggling act, he says. “I need to keep that balance, because once someone finds out something about you, their opinion can change, whether you want it or not.”
Being on a whole season of TV cooking competition, however, might mean millions more might have an opinion of him (Jones has appeared on TV already, on an episode of “Chopped”). To prepare, he says, “I’ve just kept a level head. It’s just an honor to be on top chef with amazing people happy to be there.”
Plus, this season is set in the Carolinas, and Jones attended Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C. “It’s a full story of my life, now a monumental moment for me.”
Jones also recently was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award. “JBF has been a north star, a dream for so long. I always had this goal on my wall.”
Being at the top spot at Marcus DC, making waves through his accolades, and cooking on Bravo means that Jones is highly visible. “I think that if someone has a similar background to me, and can see our story, trajectory, and success, they can have more ability to be themselves. This is my goal.”
Back at Marcus, Jones has plenty up his chef’s white’s sleeves. A new spring menu is in the works. He’ll be launching a new tasting menu “dining experience,” he says, and has plans to work on more events and collaborations with chefs and friends to bring in new talent and share the culinary wealth.
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Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people
Meet the Legends and Illuminators lighting new paths
The Torchbearers Awards are more than recognition—they are a continuation of legacy. They honor the quiet architects of progress in our community: those who organize, advocate, build, and protect, often without fanfare but always with purpose. Rooted in a belief in intentional recognition, this honor names those who carry our movements forward—those who make room for others, who remind us that change is both generational and generative. In a time marked by uncertainty and challenge, these leaders push forward with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity and equity.
This year’s honorees reflect the full breadth of our community, spanning generations, backgrounds, identities, and industries. From Legends, with decades of leadership and having created pathways for others, to Illuminators, who are lighting new paths with creativity and innovation, each Torchbearer represents the power of intergenerational leadership and the strength found in our diversity. They are organizers, advocates, artists, policy leaders, healers, and changemakers whose lived experiences shape a shared vision for equity and liberation.
This award is our love letter to queer and trans women and nonbinary people who carry the flame when it would be easier to let it dim. To those who consistently show up, who use their voice and visibility and stand firm, often without recognition, so that others may live more freely and fully. The Torchbearers Awards celebrates not just what has been done, but the enduring spirit, responsibility, and collective care that ensure the work continues, and that the flame is always passed forward.
Co-Creators of the Torchbearers Awards: Shannon Alston, June Crenshaw, Heidi Ellis
Torchbearers Awards Advisory Board: Aditi Hardikar, Lesley Bryant, Jasmine Wilson-Bryant, Stephen Rutgers
ILLUMINATOR AWARDEES
- Representative Sharice Davids (she/her), (D, KS-03)
— U.S. House of Representatives - Greisa Martinez Rosas (she/her/ella)
— Executive Director, United We Dream - Paola Ramos (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Meagan A. Fitzgerald (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Jessica L. Lewis (she/her)
— Founder / Producer, Play Play DC - Savannah Wade (she/her)
— Founder, OAR Agency - Suhad Babaa (she/her)
— Filmmaker/ Former Executive Director of Just Vision - Ashlee Davis (she/her)
— Global Head of Inclusive Outcomes, Ancestry - Jazmine Hughes (she/her)
— Journalist and Former Editor at New York Times Magazine - Queen Adesuyi (they/she)
— Policy Advisor & Organizer, ReFrame Health & Justice - Michele Rayner, Esq. (she/her)
— Civil Rights Attorney, State Representative (Florida House of Representatives) - Gaby Vincent (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Jenny Nguyen (she/her)
— Founder & Owner, The Sports Bra - Denice Frohman (she/her)
— Independent Artist, Poet / Performer - Vida Rangel (she/her)
— Founder, Our Trans Capital - Roxanne Anderson (they/them)
— Executive Director, Our Space - Ann Marie Gothard (she/her)
— Co-Founder & President, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center) - Diana Rodriquez (she/her)
— Co-Founder & CEO, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center) - Wendi Cooper (she/her)
— Founder / Executive Director, Transcending Women - Toya Matthews (she/her)
— City of San Antonio, Texas - Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Charity Blackwell (she/her)
— Poet, LGBTQ Advocate & Community Leader - Wilhelmina Indermaur (she/her)
— Director of Communications, Tyler Clementi Foundation - Em Chadwick (she/her)
— CMO, For Them & Autostraddle - Kylo Freeman (they/he)
— CEO, For Them & Autostraddle
LEGEND AWARDEES
- Sheila Alexander-Reid (she/her)
— Executive Director, PHL Diversity, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau - Cassandra Cantave Burton (she/her)
— Interim Director of Thought Leadership & Senior Research Advisor, AARP - leigh h. mosley (she/her)
— Photographer / Educator, PhotoFlo Photography - Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them)
— Assistant Professor of Political Science; Author & Columnist, Syracuse University - Jordyn White (she/her)
— COO, Washington Prodigy / VP of Leadership Development & Research, HRC Foundation - AJ Hikes (they/them)
— Deputy Executive Director, ACLU - RaeShanda Lias (she/her)
— Digital Creator, RL Lockhart - Donna Payne-Hardy (she/her)
— Educator, EEO Specialist, Founder of NBJC, Former Leader at the Human Rights Campaign - Courtney R. Snowden (she/her)
— Principal, Blueprint Strategy Group - Gaye Adegbalola (she/her)
— Musician & Activist, Musician / Inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame - Cheryl A. Head (she/her)
— Independent Author, Novelist (Crime Fiction) - Letitia Gomez (she/her)
— The American LGBTQ+ Museum, Board Chair - Lynne Brown (she/her)
— Publisher, Washington Blade - Shay Franco-Clausen (She/Her/Ella/Queen)
— Political Strategist and Organizer - Melissa L. Bradley (she/her)
— Founder & Managing Partner, New Majority Ventures - Meghann Burke (she/her)
— Executive Director, NWSL Players Association - Victoria Kirby York, MPA (she/they)
— Director of Public Policy & Programs, National Black Justice Collective - Joli Angel Robinson (she/her)
— CEO, Center on Halsted - Jeannine Frisby LaRue (she/her)
— CEO, Moxie Strategies - Alice Wu (she/her)
— Film Director (Saving Face, The Half of It) / Screenwriter - Storme Webber (she/her)
— Interdisciplinary Artist / Educator, University of Washington - Kim Stone
— CEO of the Washington Spirit, Washington Spirit - Mickalene Thomas
— American Visual Artist, Mickalene Thomas Studio - Erika Lorshbough (any/they/she)
— Executive Director, interACT - J. Gia Loving (she/ella)
— Co-Executive Director, GSA Network
a&e features
D.C. springs back to life with new, returning events
Cherry blossoms, Rehoboth season kickoff, and more on tap
Longer and warmer days are back meaning: It’s time to get out of the house and enjoy Washington D.C.’s many events. Below are a few to check out this spring.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts will host “Making their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection” until Sunday, July 26. This exhibition illustrates women artists’ vital role in abstraction, considers historical contributions, formal and material breakthroughs and intergenerational relationships among women artists over the last eight decades. For more details, visit. NMWA’s website.
Art in the Attic will host a pop-up on Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m. at 1012 Madison St., Alexandria, Va. There will be a variety of vendors selling products across different modes of art. For more details, visit Eventbrite.
Play Play will host “Indoor Recess – The art of play” on Sunday, March 15 at 2 p.m. This event will embody classic recess energy, including opportunities to build and experience community and connections through games, movement, art stations, and creative freedom. Tickets are $12.51 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Spark Social will host “Gay Bar Crawl on U Street” on Friday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. This will be a fun night out in gay D.C. with other gay people, whether you’re visiting D.C., new to the area, or just looking to expand your social circle. Many crawlers have formed lasting friendships and even romantic relationships after just one night out. Tickets are $35.88 and are available on Eventbrite.
Creative Suitland Arts Center will host “EFFERVESCENT: House of Swann” on Saturday, May 30 at 7 p.m. This will be a gay, good time where we will celebrate love, joy, wellness, and visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community. Tickets start at $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
SWAG Works DC will host “Unapologetically Her” on Saturday, March 14 at 2 p.m. at 701 E St., S.E. This event is a powerful celebration of womanhood, resilience, creativity, and self-expression in honor of Women’s History Month. This all-women exhibition highlights the diverse voices, stories, and artistic perspectives of women who create boldly, live authentically, and stand confidently in their truth. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
9:30 Club will host “Gimme Gimme Disco: A Dance Party Inspired by ABBA” on Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m. There will also be a “Donna Summer Power Hour – The Queen of Disco” segment during this event. It’ll be one hour of music with no skips. Tickets are available on 9:30 Club’s website.
Harder Better Faster Stronger will host “Heated Rivalry Rave” on Friday, March 20 at 9 p.m. at Howard Theatre. This event is open to all ages. Tickets are available on the theater’s website.
CAMP Rehoboth hosts its 25th annual Women’s+ FEST, April 9-12 in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Entertainers include headliner Mina Hartong, a comedian, storyteller, and founder of Lez Out Loud; and singer Yoli Mayor. There are dances, dinners, pickleball, and much more. Details and tickets at camprehoboth.org.
Also in Rehoboth Beach, the Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is set for Friday, May 15 featuring Ashley Biden, who will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau. State Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall will also speak. More speakers and the venue to be announced soon.
The annual D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off March 21 at DAR Constitution Hall and culminates with Petalpalooza on April 4, the day-long, outdoor street party with music and art, stretching across Navy Yard, and ending with fireworks over the Anacostia River.
How Pepper the courthouse dog helps victims of abuse
Women’s FEST returns to Rehoboth Beach next week
Belarusian lawmakers approve bill to crackdown on LGBTQ rights
Calendar: April 3-9
How new barriers to health care coverage are hitting D.C.
‘Out for McDuffie’ event held at D.C. gay bar
Thousands attend ‘No Kings’ protests in D.C.
Ghanaian president welcomed to Philadelphia amid backlash over anti-LGBTQ bill
PHOTOS: ‘No Kings’ rally and march
