15 of the best queens ever on RuPaul’s Drag Race

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been edited using a digital filter) Willam Belli arrives at the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 27, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Turner)

Willam

Speaking of Shangela’s A Star Is Born castmate, let’s discuss Willam’s road to stardom. Willam already had a taste of fame before landing on season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She had already appeared in guest roles on shows like Criminal Minds and Sex and The City and films like American Wedding. Most notably, she had a recurring role as the trans character Cherry Peck on Nip/Tuck.

Working alongside big names on TV and having access to designer clothes was something that was brought up a lot on Willam’s season of Drag Race. The show’s production company reached out to her directly to audition, but many of the queens felt like she bragged about her previous gigs and her designer duds, feeling like she wasn’t right for the competition. She won a few challenges, but was eventually disqualified for breaking the rules (which apparently consisted of her having conjugal visits with her husband while filming, which was a big no-no).

Being the only queen ever disqualified from the show worked out in her favor and she harnessed that publicity to help make her one of the show’s most recognizable and wide reaching stars. She started a music career in the girl group DWV, along with Detox and Vicky Vox, and they released parodies of popular songs like “Boy Is A Bottom” (a parody of “Girl On Girl” by Alicia Keys).

Willam also became quite popular on YouTube, with Willam’s Beatdown, where she would review viral videos, and she landed a gig as the face of American Apparel with fellow Drag Race alums Courtney Act and Alaska, with whom she went on to form the girl group AAA Girls. She published her book Suck Less in 2016, and has released lots of music, both with her girl groups and solo. As we already mentioned, she also appeared in the Oscar-winning movie A Star Is Born in 2018, which has further solidified her icon status in the Drag Race community.