PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE CLAVEL/KAT HENNESSEY

Alexis Michelle describes her run on Drag Race All Stars 8 as – no surprise here – “controversial”: “I take responsibility. I said what I said. I did what I did. Did I feel great about it then? Not necessarily. Do I feel great about it now? Not necessarily.”

From her seemingly duplicitous lipstick choices to the hysterical outbursts that memorably elicited viral death stares from Jessica Wild, as well as her perplexing stance in the Kandy Muse, Heidi N Closet and Jimbo saga, Alexis took centre stage in a majority of this season’s conflama. (Give her a producing-related Primetime Emmy now.)

While the Sister Mary Koontz star arguably deserves her flowers for elevating a rather divisive season of Drag Race, her social media has been a feeding ground for “possessive” trolls who “feel a sense of ownership” over their favourite queens: “I appreciate fans’ obsession with it. It is the LGBTQIA+ Olympics. […] Just remember that it’s a show for entertainment.”

Read ahead for our interview with Alexis Michelle, where she breaks down “the truth” behind all of her controversies, whether she had a game plan and why it’s important for online trolls to focus on “real foes from outside of the [LGBTQ+] community”.

Alexis, I would like to shower you with praise for providing us with some unforgettable entertainment this season. All Stars 8 wouldn’t have been the same without you.

So I’ve been told! I’ve got to say, I really don’t think of myself that way. I generally just don’t. It’s not to say that I don’t value who I am or what I do, or think the art that I do is not quality. But, I just don’t necessarily see myself [in a comedic way]. But yeah, I’ve been told many times that I brought the drama.

You and Alyssa Edwards both fall under the ‘unintentionally hilarious’ category, which is a great place to be, right?

And I appreciate that, too, because there’s been a lot of talk about my ‘strategy’ and my ‘game’. To be honest, I wish I had better game! Better game in competitions and dating. So, it is unintentional! I think the comparison to Alyssa is good, I agree. My god, to be in the company of such a legendary queen!