Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Jinkx Monsoon

Episode Date: May 7, 2024

Two-time “Drag Race” winner and tour de force on stage, Jinkx Monsoon joins the show. Over overnight oats and granola, we’ll get into her iconic morning ritual, how sobriety changed her life, and she tells us about her latest project, playing Audrey in “Little Shop of Horrors” off-Broadway. This episode was recorded at Lulla in Chelsea, NYC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Today on the show, she's a two-time Drag Race winner and a tour de force on stage. It's my favorite washed-up broad, Jinx Monsoon. An insurer and a juice shot and a big rip from my bong and I'm good to go for the day. This is Dinners on Me and I'm your host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. So I have been a very longtime fan of RuPaul's Drag Race, or as true fans of the show call it, just Drag Race. I have been a loyal watcher since its scrappy beginnings in season one.

I even got to be a guest judge on season four, and that day remains one of the best days of my entire career. Now the season after I was a judge on the show, season five, remains one of the most iconic of the show because it had a great cast of characters, it had incredible talent, and it was when the world first met the eventual winner of that season, Jynx Monsoon. Now, I'm not starstruck by many people, but I remember being somewhat speechless when I met Jynx for the first time. I mean, maybe that was because I met her in a small bathroom in the basement of the West Bank Cafe. Not how I was expecting to meet her.

It has been so thrilling watching her star rise with her own shows, a second win on Drag Race as part of the All-Star season, and her record-breaking Broadway debut as Mama Morton in Chicago. Okay, wait, stop. You look gorgeous. Thanks, but don't look too close. and her record-breaking Broadway debut as Mama Morton in Chicago. Okay, wait, stop, you look gorgeous. Thanks, but don't look too close. It's daytime. So today I made things easy for Jinx because she's fresh off performing the night before

as Audrey in the off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, and Lord knows she'd probably just love to stay inside and play some PlayStation. But I lured her out to a trendy new spot in Chelsea called Lula. It's inside the Motto by Hilton Hotel. It's spacious, it's gorgeous, and it's the perfect place

to saunter in with big sunglasses after a night of a spectacular performance. And that's exactly what Jinx Monsoon did. Okay, let's get to the conversation. Did you, do you know that RuPaul hates watching people eat? I believe it, yeah. That's why he only serves TikToks at the end. Yeah, it's like a thing of RuPaul's.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's kind of a thing that a lot of people have. They don't want to watch people eat or hear people eat. I'm okay with it. I think, I think it could be charming if thing that a lot of people have. They don't want to watch people eat or hear people eat. I'm okay with it. I think it could be charming if you know how to do it right. Wait, I thought I was going to be coming to you in Brooklyn this time.

You're in Manhattan now. So when you were doing Chicago, you were living in Williamsburg, was it? Yeah. Yeah, and so I know when I saw you in Chicago, you're like, I got to get out of the city. I got to get out of the theater district. I was being very extra last time. I think that's really healthy. And now I learn you in Chicago, you're like, I gotta get out of the city, I gotta get out of the theater district. I was being very extra last time.

No, but I think that's really healthy. And now I learn you're living in Midtown. It was a very busy year, 2023, and I knew that I needed to be somewhere quiet in my downtime. This year, I'm feeling like ready to, I mean, I had my face crushed. I'm ready for anything. I'm referring to my facial feminization surgery, which is not so much a crushing as more of a chiseling.

A sculpting. I checked in on you when I found out that that's, because you talked about it on your social media, so I checked in on you to see how you're doing. And you said it was really intense. It was one of the harder things I put myself through. One, because it's putting your body through physical trauma, like willingly.

Right. Isn't that what all like plastic surgery is though? Yeah, essentially, yes. You know, and there are those who say being born is trauma, but... Yeah, yeah. I'm one of those. But then it was that I really couldn't do anything for a while, and I'm a very like, go, go, go, I want to be working on the next project.

So I was kind of like sketching notes and stuff, but I had purposefully stayed at my friend's place in LA for the whole month. And I didn't bring anything except for my video games to entertain myself, so I kind of made it impossible not to just be bored and sitting around. Right, how long were you down for? Oh, I was home you know, like homebound

for about two and a half weeks and then at about that point I started wearing a disguise because I was still very lumpy and swollen. And then I had a couple more weeks of just kind of slowly reintegrating Now I'm like I I'm living in Midtown this time and I actually really like it I don't normally like living in Manhattan, but this time there's something in the air I don't know if it's being here in the spring or if it's the FFS or the estrogen, but there's That does help. The FFS or the estrogen, but there's something. There's a little like-

You're a lady about the town. I feel a little more, and you know what's crazy this time is I don't know if it's because I've been to New York so many times or if it's doing little shops specifically, but people who like recognize me on the street act very much like it's a, it's like, they're like, oh hey Jinx. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Morning Jinx. Yeah like it's a, it's like, they're like, oh, hey, Jinx. Mornin' Jinx.

It's like. Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. Well, that's kind of just like, I think a lot of people in New York, they just, they've seen it all. They just don't give a shit. And I love that. I feel very comfortable in this city.

I just came from Washington, DC. I was down in DC with some of the nonprofit leaders of different theater companies throughout the United States. And we're basically asking the government for like $5 billion over the course of the next five years to help these nonprofit companies stay afloat when they've had a hard time recovering from the pandemic. And there's like a subway system that runs between

the House of Representatives and Congress. And so like you take this like subway with all these senators and they are like freaking out about me Because they're not used to seeing Someone from TV on their like workplace and I've never taken more selfies than I have With the with with all the people in DC like they're just they just lost their mind That's very funny here in New York New York, no one gives a shit. Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh. I hate to sound sycophantic, but as you were wheeling

and dealing in DC, did you feel like Mitchell? Did you feel like you were fighting for the cause? Yeah, yeah. Well, no. Did you know? Okay, so me? People do though, because I played a lawyer on TV, they think I'm a lot smarter than I am. And meanwhile, I didn't even take college.

I did not take college. Hello, how are you? I didn't take college! Hi. Hi, my name is Jamika. Hi, Jamika, how are you? This is Jynx, I'm Jesse. Hi, Jynx, more Jynx, good.

Yeah. Can I get you guys started with tap water, sparkling? I'll have tap water's fine for me. Can I get you guys a start up with tap water, sparkling? I'll have tap water's fine for me. We need any caffeine? I do. I'll have some tap water and I'll have a boss tonic. What's the boss tonic?

How do you feel about clean up? What, Chef, what? How do you feel about clean up? That's kind of what we got right now. The clean up. That sounds good, yeah, thank you. I'll do an almond milk latte please. No, get cute, later.

You want to, would you like flavor or anything? No, no, just as is, boring. Gotcha. Okay. And you said a tea? The cleanup and a tap water. Sounds like, I'll just get the cleanup and a tap water. Nothing has been more, less like, less been less sexy ordered on in any restaurant ever.

I'm just going to start with the cleanup in a tap water. And wait until I order the overnight oats. It's like a hangover meal. So sexy. What am I going to get? Actually, was I in overnight oats? Yeah, I'll be completely honest. I don't normally eat breakfast.

They were up early. I'm making it. Well, no, I'm up every day at like seven, but I have an insurer. And so. My God, you're my mother. I know. How old's your mom? 75.

Yeah, I've been saying. You're spiritually about that age. I've been saying recently that I've started taking care of myself like a woman in her 60s, and it's really working for me, because I have to say it's the best I've ever felt, the best I've ever looked.

People are responding to it. Yeah. And ensure every morning. I'm a big fan of the pressed juice shots. Yeah, oh, I love those. Okay, so my best friend, who was my assistant for many years now is, we just started calling them chief of staff.

Perfect. But they're essentially my business partner, right? So they pointed out how many of these juice shots I was going through daily and it was nuts. So my current assistant, Alec, now pretty much daily, boils and makes these little juice shots with the ginger and the turmeric and all the spices and the orange juice and stuff,

and then squeezes it through the cheese cloth. And I drink about like three or four a day, it's nuts. But we're saving so much money making it ourselves. We got one, what, magic bullet, ninja bullet, magic ninja? Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, the ninja bullet. I think one of those is a vibrator and one is a blender, yes. So yeah, I don't know, an insurer and a juice shot and a big rip from my bong and I'm good to go for the day.

Oh, and then, you know, the cocktail of medications and prescriptions. Right, right, right, sure, of course. Hormone replacements. Oh my gosh. Yeah, it's a whole thing. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, we'll reminisce about the time I first met Jinx on a toilet. And Jinx tells me about her run-ins

with the late, great Joan Rivers and the celebrity admirer she loves right back. Okay, be right back. This episode of Dinners on Me is brought to you by BetterHelp. Okay, so listen, I was in my kitchen the other day, and I'm very particular about how I like things in the kitchen. I need things to be in a specific place. I like things to stay clean. So imagine my frustration when I saw that my husband Justin had left an empty can of cold brew and a wrapper from protein bar on the counter right next to the recycling bin.

Why couldn't he just open the drawer with the recycling bin in it and put it in there? This is something I needed to get off my chest. Therapy is a very safe place to get things off your chest and to figure out how to work through whatever's weighing you down. I mean, I've learned a lot from therapy and I have learned that I need to pick my battles. If you're thinking about starting therapy,

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No. I mean, also I was seeing you out and about two in the morning. Yeah. At different bars. We met, oh my gosh, if not 10 years ago, almost 10 years ago. It's got to be over 10 years. I think it's over 10 years ago.

Well, okay, I will say, I was, of course, I fell in love with you when you were on RuPaul, season five. Season five, right? Yes, season five, but you sound like one of the, well, Alaska and I call a fair weather drag race viewer, because avid drag race viewers say, drag race. Yeah.

Fair weather people go, you were on the RuPaul. Oh, I didn't say the RuPaul. I know the RuPaul, but you were like, you were on RuPaul. I was on top of RuPaul, yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. OK, so you were on Drag Race, season five. You were a judge. You should know these things.

Yes. I know, I know. I wasn't good. Shortly after, the year after you, I think. Yes, day last season? No, I was on, I was on Sharon Needle's season. Was that the year before you? Year before, yeah.

Okay, gotcha, okay. That was when the RuPaul was a little scrappier. The RuPaul. The RuPaul. The RuPaul was a little scrappier. Yeah. So I fell in love with you, season five of Drag Race. And when I saw that you were performing your own show,

Vaudevillians, at the Lori Beechman Theater, Justin and I immediately bought tickets. I somehow contacted you probably on Twitter or social media or some sort, and said I'm coming. And you were like, please say hello afterwards. And I thought, okay, I'm going to go backstage and say hi to Jinx. And who was your friend that did the show with you?

Major Scales, my long time music partner. You're so brilliant. And so I was held in the theater area and they're like, okay, Jinx will come and see you now. And I walk into a restroom of a single room, bathroom. You're sitting on the toilet. It was closed, you're just using it as a seat. I was still in full drag.

Full drag, full drag, and that's where we met. We met while you were sitting on a toilet, fully clothed, in full drag, and that's where our love affair began, and I have, I've just been so grateful that we connected and we've remained friends. And the, you know, the Lori Beachman brought so many wonderful people into my life who are still close friends, people who came to see the show, people who I worked with while there.

And one of my favorite things is, I'll try to keep this concise, but because of that bathroom meeting, shortly after that I was talking to the people there and I was like, I can't keep meeting people in the bathroom. Like, this is like, first of all, the lighting's terrible for pictures. Jesse Tyler walked in on me on the toilet, you know? So, I don't know why this wasn't what we did

at the beginning, but they said, okay, we'll have you do photos and meeting people in the hallway where Joan Rivers normally meets people. Oh. So then they put me in this hallway, and the hallway is painted like this lime-ish, seafoam-ish green, and I'm very fair. You can relate. And my skin is glowing green in all the pictures,

so I suggest maybe a warmer color for the walls, right? So then they paint the walls pink. And then the next time Joan and I are passing each other in the night, because she had the seven show and I had the nine o'clock show, she comes stamping up to me and she goes, I've been telling them to paint that hallway for years and they didn't do it.

And you're here for two months and they painted the second you say something. Drag queens always get the better treatment. And I'm like, drag queens always get the better treatment. I was meeting celebrities in a toilet It was a really wonderful time There and I'm really grateful that like that, you know I feel like I really put in my time as a New York actor before

the bigger opportunities can you know, what was it like sharing a bill with Joan Rivers? Well, she was incredible, and she was so supportive of us, and she came to see our show, and there was one night, because someone wanted to come take a picture, and I think we were in the New York Times or something about us doing shows back and forth, and I think we were in the New York Times or something about us doing

shows back and forth and I would joke that she was opening for us and And we would joke in the show because we were vaudeville stars we were like it's crazy because back in the day we used to open for her But my favorite thing ever about Joan Rivers was when they were taking our picture for this, she was tiny and in my biggest heels I'm like 6'4". And so she's complaining about how much taller I am. And she's getting up on a chair to stand up on a chair for the picture to be as tall as me. And people are screaming, she's like, I don't know, 80, 81 at the time.

People are screaming, Joan, get down from there. Get down, what are you doing? And she goes, is it funny? Is it funny? Is it funny? And she's screaming at them. Is it funny? And they finally say, Joan, yes, it's a little funny.

And then she goes, then I'm doing it. And she gets up on the chair. And I just. That is my motto. I loved it because no shame in just going for the joke at any cost. Totally. And I feel like I'm like that to a fault.

Oh, absolutely. Oh my god, you 100% are. I met Melissa Rivers at an event, this is a very special that to a fault. Oh, absolutely. Oh my god, you 100% are. I met Melissa Rivers at an event, this is a very long time ago, and I was very happy to meet her, and I told her, you know, I'm a big fan of your mom, and just please pass along,

that I love her, and I've been a huge fan of hers for a very long time. And so she texts us maybe two days later, and says, my mom wants to know if you want to come over for Passover dinner. And so Justin and I are like, yes. And so the first thing I make Justin do is watch A Piece of Work, which is the documentary about Joan Rivers.

Have you seen it? Yes, yes, yes, yes. Genius. And we go and have Passover dinner with her. And it's a very intimate group of people. It was only like 10 of us at this dinner. And she made everyone go around the table and say what they did, even if like, a lot of these people already knew each other. like group of people, it was only like 10 of us at this dinner. And she made everyone like go around the table

and say what they did, even if like, a lot of these people already knew each other. And so, you know, got to me and I'm an actor and Jen's like, yeah, whatever. And it gets to Justin, he's like, I just graduated from law school and she stopped the room, she shakes the table and she goes, Elijah approves, Elijah approves.

I mean, she was so taken with Justin, the fact that he was like, you know, not in the entertainment industry. And she was just such a dear friend up until the day she passed. Like I'm so glad that I got to intersect my life with hers. It was really, really meaningful. Yeah. Everyone that I have met who knew her has similar things to say about her generosity and about how enthusiastic she was for other people.

And it's like, you know, she played this grouchy old lady for years. Bianca really stole her act. Yes, she really did. Because Bianca is also a lovely, lovely person. Just such a bitch. Such a bitch on stage, that's right. Yeah, and Joan was so good. I think about Joan Rivers and Elaine Stritch

and that's truly, I don't wanna take a dark turn, but that's how I wanna go. I wanna be working up until my, I- Living in the Carlisle, doing shows downstairs. You know, we'll see what science is doing. I might be like 120, we'll see. I feel like you are. I feel like you're putting the groundwork

for a very, very long time. I really want to live a long time. Who are some of your other people that you've lived up to? I know like you're the palette of people you draw from are kind of these grand dame Yeah well No, we're just about to get into something very interesting to it's good to be now I'm gonna have that overnight oats. Thank you

I'm going to do you know, I think I'm just going to do the yogurt and granola. You sure about that? Yeah, I'm just making sure there's nothing else I need to add. I think that's good. Like making the side or something? No, I'm okay. Okay. Thank you. I appreciate it.

Alright, guys, if you need anything else, my name is Jamika. Thank you, Jamika. Pleasure. So, yes, a lot of... So yes, a lot of grand dames of yesteryear have been imprinted on me from the start because I was very close with my grandma and my aunt. And so my aunt was only about like 13 years older than me and she claimed me basically from birth. And my grandma was still kinda taking care of my mom,

you know, and helping my mom out. So I would say I was raised by the three of them. But my grandma and I had this really close bond, and I watched a lot of TV and movies with her. And so Madeline Kahn and Lucille Ball, and she freaking loved the movie Stealed Magnolias. She'd watch it all the time. That's not yesteryear, but you get it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, it's all these actresses that found a way to do camp in a, like, believable way. A grounded way, yeah. And that's kind of like, if I were being self-aware about one of my strengths, it's that I'm, I think a director said, you're able to make big choices,

but make them feel earnest, you know? And I think I learned that from watching these women who towed the line of essentially being drag queens in the public view, like Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland. Lucille Ball became more and more of a drag queen the older she got. Bette Midler is probably the most successful drag queen in the world, next to RuPaul.

So there are a lot of old school references, but then not to name drop, but like a contemporary reference who has been really, really lovely since I met her. I mean, she's been lovely since before I met her, but she's really been inspiring me lately. Melissa McCarthy keeps just showing up to our shows. Oh, I love Melissa.

She's so great. Well, she's a huge Drag Race fan. I know. I went to go see Drag the Musical with her. Yeah. Alaska Thunderfuck, I just love Sarah. Alaska Thunderfuck's musical. Yeah, we went together, and she has such a deep respect

for what you do. Absolutely, and it shows, and she's so genuine and earnest and so supportive, and I was telling her when we first met, because I always do the compulsory gushing, I have to get it all out of the way, and then I'm able to just be a person, but I was telling her, you know, like the work she's doing has like paved the way

for character actors to be big, big, big, big stars. Yeah. And that has ripple effects for drag queens because, you know, we're only a stone's throw away from character actors, you know? We're a subset of character actor, I think. And then when I told her that, she was saying, well, you have ripples that affect me because I get my inspiration from drag queens to create my characters.

And she talked so much about Divine. And she could have gone the press friendly route and not bring up this dog shit eating drag queen while she's doing her Disney press tour. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But she brought up Divine every step of the way. And I just felt such a- So she based Ursula off of, yeah.

Yeah, absolutely. And the fact that she knew that, that Ursula was based off of Divine, so she maybe based her Ursula Oppa. Yeah, absolutely. And the fact that she knew that, that Ursula was based off of Divine, so she based her Ursula off of Divine, and just such a genuine respect. Respect, yeah. The respect is mutual, and she's just such a lovely person.

Yeah. And she inspires me. When I saw Spy, the movie Spy, And she inspires me. Like, when I saw Spy, the movie Spy, my idea of what was possible for character actors really shifted. And now I'm playing Audrey, and I'm like, I don't know what a character actor.

I don't know that we need to draw that line anymore. I think that casting is starting to have a more open mind and letting new types of people play the ingenue and new types of people play the male lead. They're not sticking to old archetypes. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Jinx tells me about what it has meant for her to be cast in roles typically given to cis women. I mean, she broke box office records with her role as Mama Morton in Chicago.

It's incredible. And we get into her sobriety journey and her kind of bro-y self-care ritual. Okay, be right back. I'm Chris Morocco, food director of Bon Appetit and Epicurious, and this is Dinner S.O.S., a new podcast from Bon Appetit. On each episode, we'll take a call from a home cook facing a real dinner emergency. Then, I'll work with one of our editors or someone from our amazing test kitchen to try and solve it. Because cooking for the people you love should inspire joy without a side of stress. Make sure you're following Dinner SOS wherever you're listening now.

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And we're back with more Dinners on Me. My producer, Joanne, and I just saw a little shop a few nights ago. And I mean, I thank you so much for going. Jinx, you were so wonderful in that part. Also, when I saw that casting, I was like, yes, yes, this is incredible casting. You do you what you said about taking big swings but having it land in a grounded way is absolutely so accurate. And that role, which has always been played

by a cis white woman usually, no actually, I saw MJ Rodriguez play it, which was really exciting. I've been thinking about her a lot. I bet, yeah. But it's really these risks being taken in theater and opportunities being given to different types of actors. It's just, it's really, it's, I don't know,

it's why I love theater so much and why I'm so proud to be a member of this community. But then on top of that, to have someone come in and just nail it so hard, and that can be said also with your mama Morton in Chicago, which I'm wearing on my shirt, although this is obviously not from- Well, it's mama Morton in her pinup days.

Sure, there you go. But I mean, you know, when you were in, like, the ticket sales for the show went through the roof. I mean, you broke box office records, so it's pretty incredible. Well, what I like to say about all that, because my brain is very over analytical and so what I've been saying about that

is it's very nice to have objective success to refer to. Yeah. But everything you were just talking about, not to kill the mood of all the praise, but it's also like there's a lot of pressure when you're being given that chance that like, oh, I hope I don't fuck this up because will they give another queen or trans person

a chance after me if I fuck this up because will they give another queen or trans person a chance after me if I fuck this up or if it's not a success or if people hate it, you know? And luckily it wasn't that and I have an objective success to refer to. So I went into Little Shop a lot more relaxed. And what I'll say to all of that is producers need to pay attention to the people who are adamant about like this is what I do, this is what I've been put here to do, this is how I want to do it, and then have already proven it. And I say this specifically about drag queens, because, or drag performers rather,

because we get on Drag Race, and we show you our talents, and then it's getting better, it's getting better all the time, because I wouldn't be where I am right now if it wasn't getting better, but for a long time it's been, you know, drag entertainers are in a subsect where I am right now if it wasn't getting better. But for a long time it's been,

you know, drag entertainers are in a sub-sect of the entertainment world. But we don't do anything less than any entertainer. In fact, we're used to doing everything. Right, right. You know, most people when they're on Drag Race, at the age of what, 24? 23 when we filmed it, I think, right. Most people when they're on Drag Race, at the age of what, 24? 23 when we filmed it, I think.

Season five, right. So most people at that age, you haven't done, usually they're the ones that are very green. When you came in to that show, you had already had almost eight years of drag under your belt. Mm-hmm. Because I started sophomore year of high school, I think.

So about like seven years, seven, no, no, and then yeah, it wasn't right after college. So eight or nine years actually of drag. And I started drag very young because I lived in Portland, Oregon, and that was an option for me, and it was a huge privilege, and I feel very grateful that I grew up where I did. But after college, I was kind of flip-flopping back and forth

between working as a drag queen, working as an actor, and I will, I mean, I look back on season five, the whole backstory with Jinx is that she is, Jinx's story is that she is a cis woman, a single mother, her adult gay son is a slacker who lives at home to support the two of them. She has to find work. She always wanted to be an actor, an entertainer, like a cabaret star, but she never made it. So she started working as

a drag queen because it's a Connie and Carla thing where she's just talented enough for the drag bars. That was the whole concept. That's a backstory. But that's how she started and in my mind was like, I'm purposefully kooky. And RuPaul said, I just think if you find a way to be the most glamorous, gorgeous version of what you're doing, you're just going to have everything open up. And you can say what you want about that. But she was telling me, if I'm gonna do it, do it at 100%.

And even Michelle was like, if you're gonna be tacky, be so tacky that it's obvious it's a choice. Right. And this is while you're on the show. While I'm on the show, and you can watch the progression as I'm getting the notes. And that's what frustrated some of the girls, is they said she should have been ready

before she got here. And I'm like, whatever. I was ready in other areas that you sucked at. So. So if I had to pick up some of it along the way. And what what Dela, you know, Bendelecram, she told me it was the Cinderella story we wanted to watch on Drag Race. And that helped me kind of, because I was really harsh on myself about how,

like I felt so strong as a performer and so weak as a drag queen at that point because of the critiques and the criticisms of what we were just talking about. But you know, ten years later I don't think about that BS anymore. Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe He's cleaning me out? We'll see. Can you, can you, can you go tap? Can you go tap water? Flush it with some tap water.

Oh my God. How did you manage, because I know for me, you know, I've suffered from a lot of anxiety after people started to recognize me on the street. It's a hard shift. How did you manage that for yourself? Well. Well.

I didn't manage it very well. Overnight success really, you know, what was crazy is for how long in my life I knew who I wanted to be, I knew what I wanted to do. I like, in my baby book, it says I want to be an actor. You know, like, I always knew that I wanted to do everything I've done up to this point. And even so, when it all started happening,

part of because who I am being a perfectionist maybe, or at the time I was comparing myself to other people, and becoming bitter and resentful about things that weren't happening yet, you know? And I self-medicated a lot with alcohol. Finally, I just, it was about, it's almost five years ago that I just woke up after a bender. And I was like, I feel, I felt like a thermometer,

like one of those charity thermometers that reached the top. And... A charity thermometer. It was like, that's all the alcohol you'll have for your life. That was, you know, almost five years ago, I couldn't be happier. And after I got the alcohol out of my life,

I started seeking therapy and psychiatry. And I just, you know, it's like night and day, but it took so long to finally, like, make, I thought about quitting drinking almost as long as I've now been sobering. Wow. It took so long for me to finally be like, it's not doing anything good for me, so I don't know why I'm keeping it around.

But at first, and the reason you form a habit or an addiction is because it provides you something at first. And when it becomes destructive is when you don't need it anymore, but you convince yourself you need it, and then you start needing more and more. And I realized realized I just I'm more introverted than it would appear from what I like to do and who I

like to be but I realized like part of being out in the drag queen environment was like not my favorite because of all of the people and all of the energy and no kind of like barrier or boundary or fourth wall. And so I really worked hard on redirecting my career back to theater exclusively, which was where I wanted. I mean, I'm not exclusively in theater. I'll go to the opening of an envelope, but I've got you here. But now that I've got a year like this year where my whole year is theater

residencies, it's like it's something I've dreamt of. There's been a video going around of me talking to RuPaul and she goes, what do you want to do now if you win? And I said, I've always wanted to do drag on Broadway and now I've done it. And people ask me, what do you want to do next? And I'm like, more of that. Honestly, I'll take out the things that come my way and I'm excited for anything.

But I want to keep doing what I'm doing because I'm having the time of my life. Well, you're so good at it. You're just so incredible at it. Well, it's interesting with Drag Race because you did come back for that All-Star season and you were sober when you came back.

Yeah. So the audience also got to see that evolution in a really pointy way. You were very honest about it. I think at one point you said, people were saying, well, what's different about it this time? And you're like, I remember it. You know?

And it also, I mean, I don't know if you saw it this way, but I certainly watched it this way. I mean, you had already won the show. To come back and be still working on yourself, not only as a human being, but as a performer as well, and then succeeding yet again, I think it really sends a message that we all are always in transition.

We're always figuring out who we are, and there's room for growth. And your honesty with that, and your honesty with how alcohol was affecting you, and now you were sort of able to enjoy this thing that you'd already succeeded at. You didn't have to go back. But like it was very, I don't know, I found it really poignant and I think your,

your sort of openness about being able to re-experience that as a sober person was very powerful, maybe ways that you didn't even understand. Well, I have reflected on what you're talking about, and I like to say that season five felt like my win was for the audience, you know? I felt like a lot of people related to my story on season five,

and I feel like when I went on All Stars and I won, that win was for me. Like that was me not, the first time I was just happy to be there. But All Stars, I had a sense of confidence and a sense of self, and I'm not just paying her lip service, but when Benda LeCrem and I created

the Jininks and Dale holiday show in, I think, 2018, 20. Anyway, I can't do simple math. The point is when we created that, it was the scrappy little production that we did in like eight different cities. And then the following year we did it in like 20 cities. And now we do it, you know, in 40 cities or something, 38 cities or 38 stops, and we're selling out the London Palladium and the Dolby and

crazy venues. And we weren't right here when I went on All Stars, but we had done pretty well for ourselves. And I had this kind of like, there was something about creating something that I believed in and watching it like take on the life that our holiday show has, where I was like, if I can do that, surely I can go in and win All Stars. You know?

Like. I mean, just talking about that, even that insane show schedule around your holiday show, anytime that I've checked in on you, you're always off somewhere else. You're never at home. You seem to always be traveling. I mean, it must be somewhat of a relief, I imagine,

as you're doing these sit-down productions, that you have to sort of stay in one spot and you get to focus on one thing. How have you been able to take care of yourself and just manage the demand for you to be in so many different places? Well, first of all, that's why I absolutely love doing residency.

And I really love getting to just like plug in. Oh, I'm going to start calling it that. I'm going to start calling anytime I get a show or a television gig. I'm doing residency for ABC. It's called Modern Family. I've had residency for 11 years. I'm totally stealing that. When I'm in one place for a while, I'm very happy.

But I do, I mean, I really love my house, especially after I bought my house in 2017 in Portland, Oregon, so that when I go home to visit, I would have somewhere to be. And now you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming, because I love it there. But I don't spend a lot of time there. So I do everything I can to try to make whatever environment I'm in

as close to home as possible, especially when I get to be there for like three months. And so I can be a little extra, like this person's gotten their Airbnb totally fuckin' upgraded since I've been there. Because I'm like, I need more hooks, so I put in hooks and stuff. And the big thing that I do for myself though I need more hooks, so I put in hooks and stuff.

The big thing that I do for myself though is I travel with my PlayStation 5. What I love is when straight dudes hear that I'm a gamer, they're like, Jinx, you play games? You play video games? Overwatch? You play Overwatch? Who do you main? I love that. But for you guys. I have never heard that sound come out of your mouth, ever, ever. I'm surprised.

I have never heard it. But I've always loved video games since I was a kid. I like to say it was a great, solitary, queer activity, and especially games like The Sims. I was a 10-year-old boy in real life, but I was a middle-aged woman in The Sims. Like, I got to live out certain things in my video games. So today I'm very much still a video gamer

and I've just replaced drinking myself to bed with playing video games at the end of the night. Also, I mean, I would be remiss if I didn't confess that I'm a huge stoner, but don't get me started on that unless you wanna hear my whole diet tribe about weed advocacy. That's great. I think it's great as long as you can get yourself up in the morning and you feel good the next day. I get up better. I'm a morning person now like you were saying. I used to be so hungover all the time that I just would

anything before two wasn't even an option. Yeah. And then after I quit drinking, it took a few years to... Readjust. Readjust. I mean, I certainly was embracing having some weed after my show because I guess I kind of forgot it because the last time I was,

when I was really doing theater was in my 20s and 30s and now I'm a father of two. And so when I was doing Take Me Out recently, the adrenaline that you... Is that what you won your Tony for? That sure is. Thank you for bringing it up. of two and so when I was doing Take Me Out recently the adrenaline that you... Is that what you won your Tony for? That sure is. Thank you for bringing it up.

I saw you in it. It was such an incredible show and I can't remember... Oh I was just saying when everyone was like what did you think of the show? I was like Jesse Tyler Ferguson and the cast of Take Me Out made me care about baseball for the first time in my life. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was really great. And then, full male nudity, and also a Barry Weisler joint.

That's right. He really gets... The crossover. He's, I don't know, he knows what the queers wanna see on stage. It's me and Dick. It's Dick. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So true. But, you know, getting off stage every night, like you have all this adrenaline in your body. It's impossible to fall asleep right away. So I would have, I don't know if you've heard

of these sodas called Can. I love Can. Love Can. So I take one of those, it's like basically having my, it's my cocktail of the night. And then I just, I fall asleep great and I wake up feeling refreshed. Yeah. That sounded like an ad. I did not pay for that. No one paid for that.

Maybe they'll give you a sponsorship. I love Cantu. I love Cantu. I just feel like when it comes to weed right I'm a Virgo so I have to make justifications for everything. Everything needs to be rational. Everything needs to have a purpose. And I'm a singer. And I was grappling for many, many years about the guilt of like having a gift, as Christian Chenoweth told me. Which, she's the only person who when she says,

take care of your instrument, Jinx. You have a gift. It's a, I actually like listen and don't just go, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I had to reconcile this. I want to be the best, most effective singer I possibly can. And I will do everything I can to be the best, most effective singer I possibly can. And I have to be a happy person. Yeah.

Because otherwise, will I do anything at all, right? If you're not enjoying your time doing it. So what I'll say to that is, I do have to balance how I take care of my voice, and I have started finding new ways to use my voice that I have never really utilized. Like in Little Shop, I'm singing so much in my head voice and in my falsetto and I'm singing softer and quieter

than I ever have and I used to think that the only way anyone cared about me or my singing is when I was doing party tricks is what I call it like belting my face off singing as high and as loud as possible and and doing everything all in one show just to show off and it caused a vocal injury, but it's now forced me to find all of these different ways to use my voice. And Andre is my first time playing a character where I basically get to use every part of my voice,

smart and effective, and it supports the character, but so easy to build a character just based on the text. I like to say that I started with an Ellen Green base. Then I went to the text. The original Audrey S. She's also a famous drag queen. Yes, totally. That performance, drag.

So I started with an Ellen Green base, then I went to the text, and that informs my character. And then when I saw my styling, and I saw myself in my full costume, I had this revelation. The show's set in the 60s. She was growing up watching Betty Boop cartoons. And so my Audrey has fashioned herself after Betty Boop. She uses her femininity as a coat of armor,

you know, to try to survive on Skid Row. And so backstage, to get into my voice, I say, my dad was the cowardly lion and my mom was Betty Boop. Boo hoo hoo. That's so good. cowardly lion and my mom was Betty Boop. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. people that were lined up down the street to see you and to have a moment with you. It was so gratifying to see that. I hope you recognize how incredible your career has been this far and how much farther it can go. Oh my God, I adore you.

I adore you too. I enjoy you too. Next week on Dinner's on Me, it's actor, social justice activist, and social media star, George Takei. We get into his complicated history with Los Angeles, having been forced from his LA home as a kid to live in internment camps, only to return and become an actor and eventually put his hands in the wet concrete in front of the Chinese theater. God, what a full circle moment.

And if you don't want to wait until next week to listen, you can download that episode right now by subscribing to Dinners On Me Plus. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, you'll also be able to listen completely ad free. Just click Try Free at the top of the Dinners On Me show page on Apple Podcasts to search your free trial today. Dinners On Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Angela Vang. Sam Baer engineered this episode. Hans-Dyl She composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tamika Balanz-Kolassny and Justin Makita.

I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week.