If we had to pick just one thing we loved most about RuPaul’s Drag Race, it would be the sheer diversity of queens that make their mark on the show. There are glamour queens, scream queens, alien queens, classic queens, funny queens - you name it. Nothing is off limits in the world of RuPaul, you guys.
But one there's one queen in particular who still stands out in our memory. Her distinctive vintage-style, old-school Hollywood glamour set her apart from most of the show's otherwise modern, outlandish personalities, and we were totally here for it. Jinkx Monsoon, who was crowned the winner of Series 5 back in 2013, has managed to charm their way into everybody’s hearts with their brilliant voice, eye for all things kitsch, and huge personality. Here's everything you could possibly want (need) to know about one of our favourites.
What's Jinkx Monsoon's real name?
Born Jerick Hoffer in 2987 Portland, Monsoon’s drag personality is a mix of several inspirations that including comedians Lucille Ball and Sarah Silverman. The name ‘Monsoon’ is apparently meant to be a reference to Ab Fab’s Edina Monsoon which obviously made us only like her more. For the record, as has previously been clarified on Twitter, Monsoon also identifies as non-gendered or non-binary, and talks about it openly, preferring to go by singular ‘they’ pronouns.
As for the fascination in vintage, that all began back in Portland where Monsoon's drag career started. Monsoon told Portland Monthly: 'I used to go to all the vintage shops and thrift store that Portland is famous for. It instilled early on my aesthetic for the vintage era and that dress style.'
Jinkx Monsoon's Lip Sync-ed was ledgendary
That's right. Probably everyone's personal highlight of season 5 was Monsoon’s Lip Sync For Your Life moment. Our fave went head to head with competitor Detox Icunt to perform the song ‘Malambo No. 1’ by Yma Sumac. Those lip-curling, hip-grinding dance moves and totally on-point syncing had the world torn up with laughter and yes, Monsoon won that round hands down.
Another brilliant moment on the show was when Monsoon showed off some acting chops during a telenovela challenge - the performance into the realm of perfection with their over-the-top rage and chest-grasping shock - as well as a lot of hissing. And who can forget about Little Edie!
Wait, who’s Little Edie?
Monsoon confused everybody by choosing the obscure Little Edie Bouvier Beale as their character of choice for the ever-sassy Snatch Game and then proceeded to blow everybody away with her sharp wit.
Little Edie was an American socialite, fashion model and cabaret performer who was also the first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy (yup, THAT Kennedy). She lived with her mother in an estate in East Hampton called Grey Gardens in 1952, and there they both lived as hermits until it was discovered that the house violated a number of building regulations due to the absolute squalor the two women lived in. Jackie Kennedy had to bail them out, forking out US$32,000 to have the house cleaned, have a new furnace installed, and get 1,000 bags of garbage taken away.
So when Monsoon showed up as this obscure, eccentric character, no one was expecting them to be quite as clever and quick on their feet as they were. She dragged Ivy Winters, who chose Marilyn Monroe as her character but had no clue about Monroe’s political dealings, which made RuPaul nearly bust a gut laughing.
What happened between Jinkx Monsoon and Ivy Winters?
You guys might remember that Jinkx did admit to having a crush on fellow Drag Race contestant Ivy Winters. The prospect of the two of them launched a massive ‘Jivy’ ship, of course, with fans hoping and wishing the two would be together.
But Monsoon has since quashed any rumours, telling Portland Monthly: 'I didn’t say [I had a crush on her] thinking it was going to be such a huge deal. Anyone who knows me knows I have such a crush on everyone… I stayed with her when I was in New York for a week. But we’re just friends. She has a very charming boyfriend.'
Monsoon and Winters remain friends and fellow performers, and starred together in a recreation of one of their favorite films, Death Becomes Her. In a series of photographs by LA-based photographer Ricky Middlesworth, Monsoon poses as Meryl Streep’s character Madeline Ashton alongside Winters, who played Goldie Hawn’s Helen Sharp.
While it isn’t a romance, Monsoon also has matching tattoos with another Drag Race favourite, Adore Delano. The duo got tattoos of apples together at the end of the Battle of the Seasons tour. Monsoon toldCelebMix: 'The apples are a nod to the fact that when we would find weed on the tour but wouldn’t have any way to smoke it, we would make a little pipe out of apples from the craft services of the theatre.'
What does Jinkx Monsoon do nowadays?
In November 2016, Monsoon performed with fellow performer and pianist Major Scales at the Soho Theatre in ‘Unwrapped’, following an acclaimed sting earlier in the year called ‘The Vaudevillians’. ‘Unwrapped’ featured Monsoon as a Christmas skeptic, delivering hilariously inappropriate jokes and cynically pulling apart Christmas traditions in her witty way.
Jinkx Monsoon's best quotes to live your life by?
'When you’re dealing with people judging what you do, you just have to let it roll off like water off a duck’s back.'
'You’re so full of shit, the toilet’s jealous.'
'[There are] too many people with opinions that they don’t deserve the right to have. I can’t waste any more time watching people just be assholes.'
Like this? You might also be interested in...
Michelle Visage: Get To Know The Fierce But Fair Favourite From RuPaul's Drag Race
Follow Kate on Twitter @etaKatetaKate
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.