Widow Von'Du's Eyebrows Will Never Be The Same After RuPaul's Drag Race

By Christopher Rudolph


Once Widow Von’Du was revealed to be segment of the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12 cast, she was labeled the “confident Kansas City queen,” a superstar in her hometown’s drag scene. Any time as soon as she sashayed into the workroom she told viewers to relax their throats, “’cause you’re gagging.”


She proved them right: Widow sparkled in the initial challenge of the season with her inspired choreography and powerful rap skills, performed to the song “I’m That Bitch,” and secured her legacy by crushing competitor Gigi Goode in the subsequent lip-sync to Nicki Minaj’s “Starships.”


However because the weeks progressed without another win, the pressure started to take its toll on the self-proclaimed “nastiest bitch in Kansas City.” And though she pulled out all the tricks challenge immediately after challenge, even doing cartwheels as “Femmepire Madonna” in the Madonna Rusical, nothing seemed to take her to the best. It was the “Droop” infomercial challenge, as soon as she had to sell her throat-coating spray, that finally landed her in the bottom — and in front of one of her diva icons, the singer Chaka Khan, no far less. She brought down the residence with her “This Is My Night” efficiency against Jan that night, and was asked to stay by Mama Ru.


The following week, the queens were tasked with running for office as America’s first drag queen president by debating in front of the visitor judges, actors Rachel Bloom and Jeff Goldblum. Unfortunately, Widow did not get their vote and noticed herself in the bottom for the second week in a row. Soon after failing to light her “Firework” lip-sync ablaze, she was sent back to Missouri.


MTV News rang up Widow Von’Du to dish about what brought her to the breaking point while in filming, kiki-ing with Chaka Khan, and what gay bars to hit up in Kansas City.


MTV News: Hey, Widow! So you are a Season 12 girl. You're supposed to be also booked to be bothered now. What have you been doing with your time?


Widow Von’Du: I have been washing my hands. I've Been working on my album that comes out October 31. It's called The.


MTV News: What's that title mean?


Widow: Well, RuPaul kept calling me the Widow Von'Du. And also it looked like, this is her statement right here. I am the Widow Von'Du. That's where it comes from. So, that's what I've Been working on. And I've Been working on preparing a tour for whenever this is all over. The "Yes, Bitch! She may Be" tour.


MTV News: I was watching this week's episode, and I have to mention that the presidential debate challenge seemed very hard. What was it like filming that?


Widow: It was sort of rough because nobody's laughing. You're supposed to be getting jokes and you're supposed to have that seriousness, although nobody's laughing. So it's like, I don't know should these jokes are funny.


MTV News: I may visualize why you stayed up till 4:30 a.M. Writing.


Widow: Yeah. I stayed up all night and then we had to be up, prepared to go in and do everything. I was just like, "Just be funny. Just be funny."


MTV News: also it came the week soon following the infomercial challenge. What brought you to the breaking point?


Widow: I literally thought that I did very well in my debate and just hearing that I didn't do well, again… At big level competitions, if you're not doing well, you're doing bad.


MTV News: And any time once you were standing up there on the main stage. Ru actually singled you out and mentioned, "Don't dig yourself into a hole." What was going through your mind? 


Widow: I was already in the hole. I was scooping the dirt on top of me. That's what was going in my mind. We're already also far gone.


MTV News: On Untucked you mentioned that you weren't only mentally exhausted, you were physically exhausted. Is that really how you felt?


Widow: Yes. I was just so drained of everything and I wasn't sleeping. It's a competition and also you can't sleep any time you're nervous.


MTV News: Although you got to meet Chaka Khan! How was that?


Widow: That was life-changing. It certainly was one of the biggest moments of my life.


MTV News: You really slayed that lip-sync. You can tell it was coming from the heart.


Widow: Well, I didn't wish to give Chaka Khan a bad show.


MTV News: Did you take a break from drag soon after you left Drag Race?


Widow: I did. I took a bit of time off, maybe three weeks. Then I was like, "All right, bitch. You got to get back inside work. You're bored."


MTV News: Did being in Drag Race change your drag in any way?


Widow: I mean, I certainly wouldn't have drawn my eyebrows on in jet black.

MTV News: You did two characters for Snatch Game. Do you suggest that was a good idea? What was your thinking in back of that?




Widow: I wanted to push myself and visualize if I may do it. At least I wasn't the worst.


MTV News: What was going through your mind if they told you you're going to dress up as a cat and get into a litter box for the mini-challenge?


Widow: I thought, I have a cat, and what I don't desire to do is get into a litter box.


MTV News: Speaking of Chaka Khan and diva icons, I know you’re a big Erykah Badu fan. In case you had to lip-sync for your life to a Erykah Badu song, which would you choose?


Widow: Does it have to be just one?


MTV News: you could do a medley.


Widow: “Bag Lady,” “On and On.” Let's visualize, what else? “Window Seat” and “Tyrone.”


MTV News: All good choices. So if someone was going to Kansas City and so they wanted to hit up the nightlife there, what are some places they must go to?


Widow: Well, one, you got to come to Hamburger Mary's in Kansas City because we do charity bingo with a drag queen, and you get one hell of a bingo. Then stick around for my Friday show. It's everything you've ever wanted in a show. We have a perfect cast, we have perfect songs, and we do astonishing numbers. Then you could bar hop and go over to Missie B’s to watch the “Dirty Dorothy Show.”

MTV News: How is this pandemic affecting the Kansas City nightlife?


Widow: To be trustworthy, I'm not really sure. I haven't really been in any big categorize messages. I think that people think they can't reach me right now because I'm on the show. Nevertheless they can and I've Been just doing a lot of Instagram Live shows to get by.


MTV News: Since you're not on the road now, no one is, where can fans find you?


Widow: They can find me in my living room, on Instagram, acting a damn fool.


MTV News: You made it for now in the competition. How was filming different than you thought it would be?


Widow: All I can mention is that anybody who thinks this shit is easy, you surely have it wrong.