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Bernardo Sim experiences and explains queer multiverses. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida.
Bernardo Sim experiences and explains queer multiverses. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida.
Paramount+ / MTV / BBC
Despite becoming very well-known for the names they used while competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race, there’s a select group of queens who have officially – or at least temporarily – changed their names after appearing on reality TV for the first time.
There are several reasons why certain drag performers have changed their names following their time on Drag Race. Some of them no longer want to be connected to the franchise and have chosen to use a different stage name as a result. There are also queens who simply feel like their drag has evolved to the point where a previous name no longer fits their artistry. Others simply dropped or added a part of their names over time.
One way or another, it’s always interesting to keep up with the new drag names adopted by some of the fiercest queens in Drag Race herstory.
Scroll through to find out which queens have changed their drag names after competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race, which is available for streaming on Paramount+.
MTV
Even though she was introduced as Irene Dubois on Drag Race season 15, this Seattle queen has since changed her name to Irene The Alien. This new name certainly reflects more of Irene’s actual aesthetic, so it totally makes sense!
Logo TV
The winner of Drag Race season two, who was crowned as Tyra Sanchez, no longer uses that stage name. James Ross, the artist behind the drag performer, now refers to his drag character as King Tyra. This was done in a direct effort to disconnect himself from the Drag Race franchise after feeling like he was mistreated by fans and judges on the show.
Paramount+
The second season of Drag Race featured Sonique, the series’ first-ever contestant to disclose that she was a trans woman. Over the years, she evolved as a person and as a performer, which led to her grand return on All Stars 6 as Kylie Sonique Love. In the end, Kylie was crowned the winner and made herstory by entering the Drag Race Hall of Fame.
VH1
When we first met Shangela in season two, she was still using her full drag name: Shangela Laquifa Wadley. By the time she returned to compete in season three, however, Shangela had already dropped her two last names – going by just Shangela.
Logo TV
Though she was already known as Mariah Paris Balenciaga out in the world, Drag Race season three introduced her as just Mariah. Alas, when she returned for All Stars 5, Mariah Paris Balenciaga used her fierce full name to compete.
Logo TV
The queen formerly known as Sasha Belle was introduced in season seven of Drag Race. However, for a few years now, she has completely adopted the Frisbee Jenkins stage name.
VH1
Trinity Taylor came into Drag Race season nine as a seasoned pageant queen. Over the course of the competition, she became well-known for her tucking abilities and comedy chops. This led to her renaming herself Trinity The Tuck upon returning for All Stars 4 and, subsequently, All Stars 7.
VH1
After competing on season nine of Drag Race as Aja, this queen became even more immersed in ballroom culture and joined the House of LaBeija. When she appeared as a Lip Sync Assassin on All Stars 8, she was officially introduced by Mama Ru as Aja LaBeija.
Paramount+
Over the years, Eureka has dropped and re-added the O’Hara last name several times. She sometimes refers to herself as just Eureka, and sometimes calls herself Eureka O’Hara. In some iterations, her official drag name has also been Eureka! with an exclamation mark.
VH1
Monique Heart first competed on season 10 of Drag Race and All Stars 4. Years later, while competing for a third time on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs the World, she announced that she would now be called Mo Heart – a more androgynous stage name that was a better fit for her new style of drag.
Paramount+
Over the course of season 12, RuPaul made it clear how much she disliked the name Heidi N Closet. As a result, Heidi underwent several name changes suggested by Mama Ru, including Heidi Ho and Heidi Aphrodite. In the end, Heidi N Closet stuck by her original drag name… but it was hilarious to watch how many times she was rebranded during the course of that season.
BBC/World of Wonder
After competing as Bimini Bon Boulash on Drag Race UK season two and finishing as a runner-up, this queen chose to just use her first name moving forward.
