If you come for the queen you best not miss! There is a new queen of the All Stars and long may Angeria Paris VanMicheals reign!
Fans first fell in love with the queen from Atlanta when she strutted into the Werk Room in season 14. The self-described pageant queen quickly established herself as an all-around threat by showing off her comedy chops as well in the acting challenges. While season 14 may not have been her time to win, she once again proved to be huge competition when she returned forAll Stars 9 despite coming up against fan favorites and titans of the franchise like Roxxxy Andrews, Gottmik, Plastique Tiara, Vanessa Vangie Mateo, and more.
This season truly boasted an all-star cast. But despite facing the wrath of the ruby snippers on several, many occasions ultimately it would be Angeria who edged out the rest and earned her spot in the All Stars Hall of Fame.
We caught up with Angeria to talk about how the winner’s life is treating her, what it felt like to be named the All Star, and what she’s conquering next.
Courtesy of Paramount+
PRIDE: Well, first of all, oh my god, you're a winner baby! Has it sunk in? Does it feel real?
Angeria Paris VanMicheals: As I took my crown out of its box today, inside of my home, it has finally sunken in.
She's about to go into a nice case. I have wanted nothing more than to be one of those girls where you walk into their house and they have this big case. There's the crown and scepter like it's in a museum. She will be untouched.
You also earned over $200,000 for your charity the National Black Justice Collective. How are you feeling about that?
We're all excited, I couldn't be happier to have won over $230,000 for such an amazing cause.
I wanted to give back and this is actually the first time in my life giving to charity. And it felt great to do it in this way on this platform, with this cause, the National Black Justice Coalition. Simply fighting for the rights of queer POC, it just feels amazing, especially in this time, right now, with politics and everything we have going on.
That’s so amazing. Speaking of politics, we’re heading into a presidential election in less than 100 days with Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket. How are you feeling about that?
It makes me feel very hopeful. Especially seeing Kamala in the Werk Room. That was an amazing moment. The moment I heard that she was going to be running, I was overjoyed. I hope we get another 'We did it Joe' moment. I think she is going to be great and I'm just sending her all of the love and good vibrations because I genuinely hope that we get to see that.
Me too. I feel like when she wins we're going to have an ally in the White House. The question is, would you let her wear your crown?
Yes, I will. For Madam President, yes.
One of my favorite things — I get so emotional watching them — is the live reactions to the winners learning they've won. You had such a strong reaction. Take me back to that moment, you seemed shocked, did you not expect this outcome?
I felt like I could win. I want you to know that that was scary ... for me because I wanted it so bad. There's something so easy about thinking you're not gonna win, but you really feel like you could, It's nerve-racking. It's close, you feel like you can touch it. Like the crown is almost on your head, that's what I felt like at that moment.
But I'm sitting there with Vangie and Roxxxy, and I could honestly see either one of them still winning. I just had prepared myself for every outcome. It was almost like I didn't want to even look until I heard something ... when I heard that [A for Angie] my heart was in my stomach. Because it wasn't just hearing my name I was hearing my future.
You looked like you were about to fall off the stool! I was like, ‘I hope they have a medic at the ready!’
It wasn't like heart palpitations or nothing. I didn't feel like I was gonna fall out. But it did just, it just felt like, 'I need to hear it again!'
Well, I loved it. The other thing that made me laugh was the chaos of having Vangie around you at that moment, like screaming and running around.
There will just never be another person on this earth, like her. The memes right now of me and Roxxxy being completely focused and Vangie being in the middle like 'la-dee-da!' But it helped because even in all this shocked emotion that I'm feeling in the moment, it lightened [the mood] and she's so good at that. There will never be a serious moment around Vanessa Vangie Mateo. She literally got me back together.
You've achieved a huge dream of first getting on the show and then winning All Stars. The question is what's your new dream? What do you want to achieve next?
I want to do TV and film, for sure. Whether it is acting or voice-overs. I want a major role in something, that is what I want. I want to continue being on the screen. I feel like that is my calling. That's my passion. I feel like it was something that Ru recognized during the season in me and that's definitely something I am more passionate about now that I've done so many of the acting things on Drag Race and gotten so settled into this comedic presence that I have and that I've harnessed. Now I want to go out in the world and use those skills and talents. [I'm] manifesting a major role in something ... let's make a movie!
Courtesy of Paramount+
Of course, we always want you on our screens, so I have to ask: Would you be open to returning for an All Winners season?
I would most definitely do All Winners. Listen, I love doing Drag Race. I can't explain it to you more than just saying that it's my happy place and I've said that for years. I get in that room for those months and I am just being the creative artist that I am and it feels amazing.
Hey, I already got a crown so it won't be too stressful this time, honey. I can really have fun, fun. So I would do it in a heartbeat.
