The illustrious alum of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and co-host of the wildly popular podcast 'The Bald and the Beautiful', Trixie Mattel, revealed her plans to deliver a rousing roast of her fellow podcasters at the upcoming March 26 event. So, why did this drag superstar embark on a podcast journey with her beloved 'Drag Race' compatriot, Katya? In a nutshell, it was pure "Insanity."
"The word 'podcast' is so loaded," Mattel quipped. "I'm not even sure what Katya and I do over there." But after over 150 episodes of 'The Bald and the Beautiful', Mattel confessed that this collaboration has become her most cherished project, surpassing even her other ventures with Katya. She described it as "Trixie and Katya after dark," where the two besties record the podcast, appear on the YouTube version sans drag, and engage in candid conversations about their larger-than-life stage personas, the drag industry, while taking a satirical swipe at celebrity culture, television, music, memes, and beyond.
"I believe this podcast is our true show now," Mattel asserted. "I adore 'UNHhhh' and the Netflix series 'I Like to Watch,' but 'The Bald and the Beautiful' is the one I'd save in a burning building, no question." A winner of 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars', Mattel is also the CEO of Trixie Cosmetics, a New York Times best-selling author, and a musician. She's now poised to add another feather to her cap as the host of the Podcast Academy's 2024 Ambie Awards, set to take place on March 26 at the JW Marriott L.A. Live.
Mattel, who confessed that the genesis of 'The Bald and the Beautiful' stemmed from a desire to embark on a project that didn't involve hours of drag preparation, is a voracious consumer of podcasts. Her favorites include 'Office Ladies', 'Las Culturistas', and 'Scam Goddess,' which she listens to at full speed, remarking, "Life comes at you fast enough."
The prep for her own show is surprisingly minimal: Mattel jots down potential topics in her iPhone notes app, current ones ranging from "Lana Del Rey getting pushed on the ground at the Super Bowl" to "straight male flight attendants," which she likens to "watching a dog walk on its hind legs." But most episodes are sparked by the lightning-fast repartee between her and Katya.
"I'll throw a card, and she'll throw a card, and it's almost like a rapid-fire game of slapjack," Mattel explained. "We just volley jokes until one of us erupts into laughter, and then we shuffle the deck and start all over again." She intends to bring her trademark sass to her Ambie Awards hosting gig, promising to reveal a secret that podcasters would prefer to keep hidden.
"I'm going to let you in on something the podcasters don't want you to know," Mattel leaned forward and whispered. "It's not a demanding job at all. They all pretend like you don't understand the effort it takes. I'm here to tell you, Mary, most of you don't even operate your own audio equipment, you don't manage your cameras, and you don't have to dress up. Anytime I'm not in drag, I realize how effortless everyone else's job is."
"I'm not here to coddle podcasters," she added with a chuckle. "They're not ER nurses, they're not first responders. They're not volunteering to give haircuts to the homeless. As podcasters, we should all be grateful, because at the end of the day, we'd still do it for the sheer joy of it. It's my dream job." This exclusive reveal first appeared in the March 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Subscribe now to stay in the loop.
