SPECIAL THANKS TO IMOGEN REID AND JASMINE ALOMA AT THE BBC

There’s a reason why Jujubee has appeared on Drag Race more than any other queen, other than Roople: she is – and this is one of those statements that will never be up for debate – one of the most treasured drag entertainers of all time. Although she landed in the bottom for three consecutive weeks on UK vs the World, and was often told by the panel that she hasn’t “arrived”, the Glamazon Warrior has made herstory as the first queen to make it to the finale on four different seasons. With this week’s grande finale seeing the top four contestants competing in a US vs UK lip-sync smackdown for the crown, Jujubee – one of the franchise’s most revered lip-syncers – could finally sashay away with a title, this time: ‘Queen of the Mothertucking World’. Remember how the straights felt when Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar? This would be the queer equivalent.

With or without a crown and sceptre, Jujubee admits that UK vs the World is probably her “last time” appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race as a competitor. “I would love to be a part of Drag Race and with the WOW family and the BBC family in other aspects, but I feel as though there are so many amazing queens that have come through this franchise that deserve the space to share their talents,” she explains. “I know I’m great TV, I’m very aware. I’m great at what I do, and that’s not to degrade anybody else’s talent. I’d love to do more television and more theatre, perform and sing, but I believe that if I were to be asked to do another drag competition right now, I would respectfully decline.”

Here, Jujubee chats with GAY TIMES about her stint on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs the World, why she refused to allow her participation on the series leave her financially “insecure” and the importance of treating social media trolls with kindness.

Jujubee! How are you?

I’m ready to have a gay time!

Did you get your vegan sausage roll?

Not yet. Okay, where is Greggs in London? Because I think it’s up.. there. Like, it’s in the Northern area.

We’ve been in quite a few offices at GAY TIMES but there’s never been one nearby, but there’ll always be one near a station or inside a station – if it’s a big one.

Oh, I should go to [whispers seductively] Waterloo or [whispers seductively] Charing Cross.

I know there is definitely one in [whispers seductively] Waterloo and [whispers seductively for the last time] Victoria.

You’ll probably see Baga [Chipz] and myself there, just looking in the window.

The queens of Drag Race UK vs the World in their natural habitat. Juju, let’s talk about your trajectory across this season. There’s a lot I disagree with, I’m just gonna put it out there! Was it surprising for you to get the “Wake up Pearl!” treatment this series?

Was it surprising? I don’t think so. You know, it’s really hard to navigate because I bought good Juju spiritually, but I think physically she wasn’t there. I did feel as though I kept on being told I wasn’t there, but I always felt like I was very present. I’m a very present person. I was there, it’s just my suitcase wasn’t filled with the things that I wanted to be there, you know? And when it comes down to timing and travel, it’s not just me. Just like all the queens, it’s not just them, it’s a whole team of people. So, we rely on other artists. Sometimes in a pandemic, it’s hard because all of us are emotionally drained. We’re all confused. This was my first pandemic that I remember. Maybe I lived another life where I experienced another. But this time around I was like, ‘What do I do?’ and I knew that I wasn’t going to serve the best version of myself. With that said, I knew that the judges weren’t going to love it. And with that said, I knew that the fans were going to hate it. So, I was ready for that and I’ve been preparing myself for a year for that. It’s fine, babe. I’m going to therapy. I’ve unpacked my childhood trauma and all the people that have sent me hate, I recommend that. Unpack your childhood trauma. And that way you don’t go online and hate on the queens that you love so much, you know?