Bob The Drag Queen Showed Madonna ‘Drag Race’
As they prepare to go out on tour, Bob the Drag Queen showed Madonna THAT episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race where queens dressed as the icon.
Bob The Drag Queen is getting ready to head out on the road with Madonna on her The Celebration Tour, but he’s also busy with his own projects as well. The beloved drag performer and winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race spoke to Attitude magazine about his new comedy special, the tour, and his relationship with the pop icon, and he revealed that yes, he’s shown her one of the most shocking moments from the RuPaul’s Drag Race runway.
In the chat, Bob stated the he “did once show her a clip of Drag Race when all the queens were dressed in kimonos.” While some might see the episode as odd or even find it uncomfortable, Madonna reacted well to the many homages paid to her. “She thought it was pretty funny” the champion admitted.
The clip that Bob showed the Grammy winner was from an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race that included a Madonna-inspired runway challenge. The contestants all had to pick an iconic look from Madonna’s time in the spotlight and showcase their own version of it on the runway, which is a challenge that has happened in the past with a focus on other stars.
Four contestants, Thorgy Thor, Derrick Barry, Kim Chi, and Naomi Smalls, all wore kimonos as part of the challenge. They were all referencing her “Nothing Really Matters” music video, which famously featured Madonna in a kimono at a time when cultural appropriation wasn’t as much of an issue that people got called out for as it is today. Immediately after the episode aired, many fans of the show referred to the moment as “kimono gate.”
Bob has referenced this interaction with Madonna before. In a separate chat he had on his Sibling Rivalry podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Monét X Change, Bob stated that when he showed this clip to Madonna, her main question to him was why he chose to recreate her 2013 GLAAD Media Awards protest look, which featured a Boy Scout uniform.
Of all the many looks she’s turned out throughout her career, why pick that one, which is fairly straightforward, and very masculine? Bob explained that he loved the look and believed it was a great choice. He then proudly told Madonna that he had won the challenge that week, thanks in part to the Boy Scout outfit.
Bob is set to open for Madonna when her The Celebration Tour begins in October in London. The run of shows was supposed to begin in America this summer, but weeks before it commenced, Madonna was rushed to the hospital with a bacterial infection, which delayed the start of the venture.
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