'RuPaul’s Drag Race' Interview: Silky Nutmeg Ganache: 'RuPaul Understood Me. He Felt My Energy Of Me Trying To Change My Life'

By Christopher Rudolph


Whether you loved or loathed her, each person had a suggestion about the Reverend Dr. Silky Nutmeg Ganache — yet how does Silky feel about her time on the show?


MTV News talked with Silky about the haters, feelin’ the passion from RuPaul, how she perfected her Oprah impersonation, and what it looked like filming a video with “Juice” goddess, Lizzo.


MTV News: Hey Silky! How are you?


Silky Nutmeg Ganache: Good, how are you doing?


MTV News: Excellent! So Whenever I met you at the Season 11 RuVeal, I came away saying you were one of my preferred queens from this season. How has your experience been with the fans this season?


Ganache: Well, the fans hate me online, yet they love me in person. So I’m totally bitch, completely blessed, and totally bougie.


MTV News: You really never have time for the haters, do you?


Ganache: No. I’m attempting to get a job, honey!


MTV News: You just went to your first DragCon, what was that experience like — meeting all of your fans?


Ganache: It was a wonderful experience. You never know what little things [you do] touch people. I mean, I’m not a girl with 4-5 hour lines. Yet I made sure I gave every person who stood in my line the chance [to meet me.] I gave love and encouragement. I feel like that’s what I owe people. You know? I got this possibility a million and one females would’ve loved to have. And RuPaul took a liking to me. I feel like I could be doing people a disservice by not showing them the passion they require from me.


MTV News: I think some of the viewers thought that you were a lot on the show, whether that’s good or bad. Did you get that impression from other females whenever you were filming?


Ganache: It honestly wasn’t like that on set. Yes, I was loud, and I was obnoxious, yet I was very afraid to be there. And actually, one of the ladies mentioned to me immediately following the show, “I wish I would’ve lived in the moment like you did. While you were on the show. Maybe I would’ve been there a little bit longer.” If I was on the show, I never second-guessed myself, you know? I just did. I was like, I’ll pay for it later. I think the ladies love and appreciate me. They know me my background, and so they understand why I did what I did. Because I wanted a career that will last me for the next 20 years, and I think that I’m going to have that.


MTV News: Did you visualize yourself going all of the way to the finale?


Ganache: Yes and no. My objective on this show was just to resemble myself well and to do my best. And wherever I land, I land. I feel like the crown is the bonus, know? You could become a winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race without taking the crown. Look at Alyssa Edwards. Look at Shangela. Look at Willam. These ladies have made long-lasting careers from doing drag. And how? Because they were themselves. They had an organization mind. And so they weren’t afraid. And I wanted to follow in those girls’ footsteps.


MTV News: it was like Ru really fancied you. How did that feel?


Ganache: It felt really good. Because at the very end of the day, no matter what my fellow competitors had to mention, the only thing that mattered to me was RuPaul. And I felt like RuPaul understood me. He saw through all of my craziness. He felt my energy of me attempting to change my life. I feel like RuPaul enjoyed that.


MTV News: I loved your Oprah! How did you nail her?! What did you study?


Ganache: Actually, one of my Snatch Game characters was Oprah.


MTV News: and also you already had the impersonation down...


Ganache: I don’t hope to mention that I’d totally practiced, yet the Oprah routine was in the back of mind. I’ve been an entertainer. I’ve been doing drag for years. For all queens, they mention, “Find someone good to impersonate.” The reality of that [“Trump the Rusical”] episode was I didn’t want Oprah as the part was only 40 seconds, and never could I imagine that I could turn something out in 40 seconds like that. That just never occurred to me. I think that was a learning point for me — it’s not the role that you get, nevertheless it’s how you portray the role.


MTV News: You love education. You love teaching. What do you desire to teach children out there in the event you can teach them one thing?


Ganache: How to love yourself. It’s something that I would love to show the fans and people overall. While I was a kid, I was — I don’t aspire to mention fat or chubby, because my boyfriend don’t like Whenever I mention that — yet I’ve habitually been heavy-built. No secrets, no shame to it. Any time Once I was a kid, I used to look in the reflect, and I used to pick one thing a day and tell myself that I loved. Like, I would get in the reflect one day and be like, I love these eyebrows. I love this cheek. I love my shoulder. Also it was something I had to deal with constantly within myself.


I think that people don’t understand that nobody owes you anything in this world. You have got to claim it yourself. And that’s how I was able to love myself. And you also know I had to love myself totally naked on national TV. And I don’t have a body like [the other girls], so… I really had to love myself. That’s something that I would love to teach people. Because whenever you totally love yourself, you could truly dive into anything. Even Drag Race was a dream. It was destiny. I habitually knew I would get on it one day. I just didn’t think it could be so soon.


MTV News: Are you still using Sharpie to draw on your eyebrows?


Ganache: They ask me this at every interview! [Laughs] Absolutely, I just did them for DragCon. I’ve done drag for a short period of time, although one of the reasons that I’ve been so successful is that I study drag. And If I do, I make sure that I know all of the tricks of the trade. Maybe people don’t know this, although a lot of plus-size queens are taught to use a Sharpie. Because I sweat a lot and my eyebrows won’t go away. That’s the reason I use it.


MTV News: Last question: What was it like filming that video with Lizzo?


Ganache: Let me tell you something. I had just moved to L.A. I wasn’t supposed to be in that video. However somebody called out, so they called me and mentioned, “Can you be here in a hour?” So I painted my face on the way to the studio. It was surreal because I think Lizzo is the hottest thing in the music industry now. And I am so honored that someone like me — someone who truly loves and cherishes their body, and is an intellectual and truly talented — has that platform. Hopefully, I can work with her one day again. Oh, yes — I am looking for a job! [Laughs]