Interview: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ winner Jaida Essence Hall on drive-in drag and working with Shania Twain [VIDEO]
When Jaida Essence Hall filmed season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, there was no way to know that the world was about to go to hell.
After claiming the title, which included the show’s first ever virtual finale, Jaida hasn’t exactly been able to celebrate as she had hoped, but that’s not stopping the reigning queen from making the most of this bizarre, unprecedented moment.
Jaida talked to Daniel Trainor and Sam Stone about the unpredictability of appearing in drive-in drag shows, making a cameo in Orville Peck and Shania Twain’s music video for “Legends Never Die,” as well as what an impactful year it’s been for drag queens of color and the legacy of the late Chi Chi DeVayne.
RuPaul’s Drag Race is nominated for Outstanding Competition Program at this year’s Primetime Emmys, where it is the two-time defending champion.
Sam Stone is a writer and actor based in Brooklyn, New York. He writes humor, culture, and travel among other things, and spends his free time reading about all those things. You can find him on twitter @sam_the_stone or on Instagram @samstone000.
- Interview: Meredith Hagner and John Reynolds on saying goodbye to ‘Search Party’ and working with Jeff Goldblum [VIDEO] - January 7, 2022
- Interview: Antoni Porowski (‘Queer Eye’) on his darkest food moments and his obsession with Trader Joe’s [VIDEO] - June 11, 2021
- Interview: Meg Stalter (‘Hacks’) is our No. 1 girlie - June 10, 2021
USC Scripter Nominations: ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Train Dreams,’ ‘Slow Horses,’ ‘Death by Lightning’ and More 
Retrospective: Worst Picture/Best Picture – ‘Basic Instinct 2’ and ‘The Departed’ (2006) 
Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS) Nominations: ‘Sinners’ Leads with 14 
On the Shelf: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’ trilogy, ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,’ ‘David Byrne’s American Utopia,’ ‘Walking Tall’ and the ‘Babe’ Films Arrive on 4K Blu-ray Releases for Week of December 15