That Roxxxy Andrews is an icon is simply not up for debate. That she always makes great TV is also something we will not be discussing. In the immortal words of Mo Heart, “Facts are facts.”
For proof of these facts, look no further than season nine ofRuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, which has seen the returning fan favorite back in the Werk Room and immediately keeping things spicy — as well as thick and juicy. From walking into the room and launching a million memes with her “you can’t read the doll” entrance line, to causing undercover drama by pointing out the cliques in the room, to mixing it up with Vanjie over Florida subcultures, to the most dramatic moment of the season yet this week on the mainstage when it was time to give her sisters the snip.
Roxxxy is TV gold, period.
She’s also a seasoned queen who truly appreciates both the embrace of the fandom and the connections she’s building with her sisters this season. That’s proven to be one of the most emotional aspects of the competition and led to Roxxxy nearly breaking down when, after a well-deserved win, the reality of having to block a sister left her in tears.
PRIDE caught up with Roxxxy to talk about that moment, how this season has felt really different for the queen, and that fever-dream of boogying down with the… checks notes… Teletubbies?
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PRIDE: When it was announced that you were in the All Stars 9 cast the fandom lost their minds. How did it feel to get that wave of support?
Roxxxy Andrews: Listen, I’ve been through all kinds of waves of Drag Race support, nonsupport [laughs]. I always say my fans who have been my fans from season five saw me for who I really was, I’ll cherish them forever and I’ll never forget them. There’s always room for everybody. And the love that I received coming on to this season of All Stars and being announced, it’s just been indescribable. It just feels so good. [It] let me know that there’s a reason why I do what I do.
I do feel like we are getting to see more sides of you this season. Does this season feel different for you? Or do you kind of miss the intensity because, after all, you are a pageant girlie?
It’s very much still a competition. The fact that I’m competing with people that I love and that look up to me means so much. It really, really does. And I can’t express that enough. How much love the girls alone show me and how they look at me and talk to me. It’s just like, ‘How did I get here? I’m so thankful.’
I always say how much sisterhood is such a huge part of why I love the show. And I do feel like when you came in, they were all ready to give you your flowers, immediately.
They’re so sweet. They made me feel like a star.
This season is so much fun, but also occasionally VERY weird. Can we please talk about that Teletubby Soul Train
fever dream?
Listen, I have not watched it yet, but I lived it. When they came in, a little part of me was remembering — I’m an ‘80s baby so I remember the Teletubbies when I was a little older — but I was just like, ‘What are we living right now? [Laughs] What are the Teletubbies doing here?’ I love every moment of this. We’re gonna dance with them. It was a moment for sure. I don’t know how the fans are gonna react. It was weird. It was weird. But it was so good at the same time.
That’s how I feel about it too: It was weird but it was good [Laughs]
It was like one of those mornings we’re like, ‘Are we doing this? Yeah, we’re doing it.’ If Barney would have walked in, I would have been like, ‘What’s going on?’ [Laughs]
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But that’s why I love the show. It can be really powerful and profound one moment and then the next you’re doing a Soul Train with Tinky Winky!
Yeah, it starts with Tinky Winky and then the episode ends so dramatically. It’s just like, What is going on?
We definitely went on a journey with you this episode, starting with discovering that you and Plastique Tiara are THE comedy duo I never knew I needed so badly in my life!
It was so a pairing that nobody ever knew was gonna happen. Or that you needed.
I’m curious if there was a moment in that challenge, where you knew like, ‘Oh, we’re nailing this!’
When I put that wig on Plastique she started saying that she was gonna black out teeth and she was willing to do anything. I knew them that, oh bitch we are about to turn this. Absolutely.
Oh my god, it was instantly iconic! It’s about to be memegaddon!
I love you telling me that because it makes me so excited to be able to watch it!
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You secured the comedy win, you are officially the front-runner — which as you said comes with pros and cons — including giving your sister the snip. Talk to me about how you were feeling at that moment.
I absolutely did not know what to do. You have seconds. So I’m like, ‘What can I do? What can I do? What can I do? What can I do?’
In my mind, this was going to be my second opportunity to not snip Nina, because Nina gave me a badge. So I said okay, well, ‘Whenever I win, I’ll go ahead and let like two wins go without snipping her because she gave me that badge.’ And that’ll be like a thank you. So, I knew it was not going to be Nina.
Angeria, I did my eye for an eye. I was not trying to gang up on anybody. I love Angeria, and I wanted our friendship to continue to grow. And I felt like if I snipped her, it was going to halt it. It was going to be like, ‘Okay, now somebody’s coming for me.’ She snipped me first, I snipped her back because Vanjie didn’t have anybody she wanted to snip. Then Vanjie didn’t get any blood on her hands, It was kind of like ‘Okay, well, Roxxxy just snipped me.’
So I said, What can I do? What can I do? What can I do? I turned around, I didn’t know where any of the girls were. And I said, wherever the scissors land is destiny. I believe everything happens for a reason, wherever I land, this is where it’s supposed to happen. And when I landed on Angeria, I turned around, and everybody’s jaw dropped. I could not believe out of everybody that’s who I landed on. I knew then I said there’s no way! Now I’m screwed, because I just landed on her, but I’m not going to pick her and I just saw where everybody was.
So now what are you gonna do? Plastique had the most badges but she’s my Vietnamese doll and I wasn’t gonna snip her and she was safe. So I said the next person on the pole is Gottmik and as much and as close as I’ve gotten to the Mik, you know, I knew that it is a game and we have to snip somebody. It was just so hard I never want to go through that again.
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In the preview for next week, it seems like Gottmik has some suspicions that maybe you did know where Angeria was. So I’m just gonna ask for the record: Did ja?
I did not. Absolutely not. And if I did, I would have never had to go through that. If I knew where they were, I would have gone to whoever I “wanted to go to” and would have just blamed it on, well, that’s just where the scissors landed. Sorry! But I didn’t! You can tell by me landing on Angeria and not going through with that, that I did not genuinely know where I was going. If I wanted to Angeria, I would have just blamed it on the scissors. ‘Oh well, the scissors spoke,’ and cut her again. But the fact that I didn’t want to do that and didn’t let that happen and kept going, that answers in its own right there.
You just can’t stop making good TV whether you mean to or not!
Listen, it was all in the cards!
OK, last question, let’s end on a fun one! I want to know, if this was RuPaul’s Best Friend Race, which queen would you pick to compete alongside you…
You don’t have to finish: Detox. Oh, absolutely. Forever and ever. Detox is my one. If I had to pick someone I haven’t worked with it would be Naomi Smalls.
OMG talk about power duos — you would be unstoppable!
