When you think of RuPaul’s Drag Race icons, Ginger Minj is one of the queens at the top of the list. Hailing from Orlando, Florida, the self-proclaimed “Southern-Fried Queen of Sass” first made her franchise debut in the flagship series’ seventh season. Throughout her run, Ginger proved to be a fierce competitor, winning three maxi-challenges and mini-challenges, respectively, and only landing in the bottom twice. Due to her undeniable charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, the beloved performer made it to the top three. Since 2015, Ginger has become one of the most successful queens in the long-running franchise, expanding her reach into other sectors of the entertainment industry like music, film, and TV.
However, despite releasing three studio albums and starring in various high-profile projects – including Hocus Pocus 2 and AJ and the Queen – Ginger hasn’t forgotten her Drag Race roots, appearing not one but three All Stars seasons, including her current stint on All Stars 10. Described as the “Tournament of All Stars,” the new batch of episodes features three different brackets of queens competing across three episodes for points and a place in the semi-finals. With Ginger’s bracket in full swing, we sat down with the Dumplin’ star to discuss her Drag Race journey, performing in front of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and the season’s “very intense” drama.
First of all, major congratulations on winning the first episode of bracket three. What was it like for you to win a *design* challenge?!
It’s kind of mind-blowing to me simply because I’ve always allowed it to get in my head. I’ve allowed myself to get in my head when it comes to design instead of just focusing on the story aspect. And I think the difference this time was I just wanted to approach it from an acting standpoint and let the costume kind of speak for itself, which I think is the reason that Daya [Betty] and I ended up winning the challenge because instead of just focusing on what the garment would be, we really tried to create fully fleshed out three dimensional characters and a story to back it up.
You also won a Wicked-inspired challenge in front of the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. As a Wizard of Oz stan, tell me about that? What was that like for you?
It was one of those moments where it felt like all aspects of my life were kind of combining, and I was either going to sink or swim, so I knew how much I personally and emotionally had riding on this entire moment. So I dug down deep and made sure that I gave everything I had to give. It was surreal. It’s one of those moments, even watching it back, that I have to pinch myself and remind myself that yes, this is real. It did happen, and it’s something that I will forever be really proud of.
And let’s talk about that lip-sync! You absolutely smashed it. Take me back to that moment?
I wish I could take you back to that moment, but it’s one of those times where the whole world just kind of blacks out around you and you don’t wake up until it’s over. I honestly had no idea what I had just done, what Daya had done, or that Cynthia and Ariana were in tears until later, when I was told in the workroom, ‘How does it feel making Ariana cry?’ And I was like, ‘Wait, what are you talking about? I would never want to make Ariana cry.’ And they said, ‘No, your lip sync made them tear up. It made them very emotional, and that meant the world to me because they’ve both done that for, well, they in their Wicked roles and all of the original cast, everybody in general who has ever told that story has done the same thing for me. So it was nice to be able to give that back a little bit.
This season, you share the werkroom with Acid Betty, Daya Betty, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Denali and Alyssa Hunter. Who were you surprised to see? Who gagged you?
I was most surprised to see Alyssa, and only for the simple fact that she’s the only queen in our bracket that I had never met or worked with before. I had spoken with her online, and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen, but she was like the unknown element to me. I had no idea what she was going to bring, so that was probably the scariest to me when I was sizing up the competition.
What were your expectations coming back to the franchise for All Stars 10?
My expectations coming back… well, the whole reason that I came back was because I feel like I’m at such a different place in my life now than I’ve ever been before. I feel like I understand myself as a person and as a performer better than ever. So I wanted to come back and play the game, understanding who I was and what I had to offer, instead of trying to keep up with everybody else. I wanted to outdo myself.
And what did you want to show fans this time around?
I want to show fans that it’s an all-new Ginger. Every time that I’ve been announced for any season, there’s always been immediate pushback. And why is she here, particularly this time, why is she coming back again? It’s the same old Ginger doing the same old things, and I will be the first one to admit that I have relied on my talents that were comfortable for me in the past, but I’m at such a place in my life right now where I want to continue to push myself to be better and better and better, not just as a performer, but as a person. My entire health journey is finally getting under control, and I feel like, for the first time, I am unstoppable.
This is your fourth stint on Drag Race. You now join the elite ranks of queens such as Alexis Mateo, Jujubee and Eureka. How does it feel to be in that company?
It feels amazing, and I think that it speaks volumes that the majority of us who have been back several times are pageant girls. We got our footing through drag pageantry, and for those who are out of the loop with that in drag pageants, you go back until you win. We always had this saying that just because you get older, your dream doesn’t die, it just gets stronger. And when I found out what the system for this particular season was, with the brackets and the semifinals, it sounded like an old school drag pageant to me because in order to compete for a big national pageant, you have to compete and qualify at a preliminary. That’s what the brackets feel like to me, going into the big final national Lip Sync SmackDown for the crown. So it’s really exciting that it feels like Drag Race is catching up to drag culture outside of the television competition by throwing it all the way back to drag history.
Has your relationship with fame and the fandom changed over time, since appearing on season 7 over 10 years ago?
That’s such a loaded question, honestly, because I don’t know that I’ve completely changed my relationship with the fandom or with fame. It’s always going to be weird because it’s not something that I ever expected for myself when I was growing up. So even 10 years later, I am trying to really listen when people tell me how important I am to them and what an impact I’ve made in their life just by doing what I do and being myself. But it’s also something that I have never taken for granted. And I think that that’s why, even though I don’t have the biggest fan base, I’ve probably got the most loyal through all of the Drag Race fandom because I don’t expect people to support me without getting support back. It’s very reciprocal for me, and I’ve become very close to a lot of the people who started out as fans. They’ve really become, I call ’em my family, and I think that that’s why I’ve been able to last this long, have such a thriving career, come back for a fourth time and also just kind of keep my wits about me.
What has gagged you the most about the other two brackets, while watching the season?
What’s gagged me the most is that every bracket has its own vibe and its own flavor. You watch bracket number one, and it’s very sisterly, kumbaya, very supportive of each other. Then you watch bracket two and it’s like the antithesis of that. It’s all backbiting and manipulation to try to get to the top. And what I love about the fact that our bracket is third, we get to go last, is that I feel like we really kind of encompass the most interesting parts of both of the first two brackets. We do love each other, we do support each other, but there are some very tense, dramatic moments that I think fans are going to be taken a little bit by surprise by, but also really live for
And does bracket three get just as crazy as the other two? Spoiler free, of course!
I think it gets its own unique brand of crazy. It’s certainly unhinged, but I also think that the drama stems from some very interesting places that I don’t think people are going to expect.
Across your four incredible seasons of Drag Race, which moment has gagged you the most?
Honestly, being able to perform ‘Defying Gravity’ in front of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande is all aspects of my life converging together to make this one incredible moment, and it’s something that I will never ever forget.
On a final note, what else can we expect from you over the course of this season? Again, spoiler free!
I think you can expect the unexpected. It’s a whole new Ginger Minj, and if you don’t see that already, stay tuned and get ready because it’s coming.
Catch a new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10 every Friday on WOW Presents Plus in the UK.
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