While I'm out of drag, I'm still extremely effeminate.

If you hide, you won't find the eccentric people who will be your best friends.

I used to watch 'Death Becomes Her,' and I knew I wanted to become Meryl Streep.

I want to be a role model and an advocate for social change.

I want a computer that's bigger than my TV at home!

I've been dressing like a girl my entire life!

I basically can't go to any gay bar in America without getting mobbed, which is fun and tiring.

I find a lot of joy from legitimate theater. But Jinkx is my passion project.

I think this is a trait that runs throughout the queer community, the obsession with the hyper-feminine female villains. And we see it in Disney movies and in movies like 'Death Becomes Her,' and in characters like Poison Ivy and Catwoman.

I'm going to release whatever feels right and what I think is going to spread a good message about my artistry and what I believe.

A lot of people just feel really impacted and inspired by drag in ways that I don't think we, as self-absorbed drag queens, think about that often.

The idea behind Jinkx is that she's a single mother and failed actress. One time she went out to a gay bar with her son, who's a gay adult, and started singing torch songs on the bar and became a hit. Now she's every gay boy's favorite cabaret act.

I was raised Catholic primarily by my mom's side of the family. But at 18, I found out there was an adoption in the family, and that I was of Russian Jewish descent on my mom's side. After that, I started to look more into the philosophies and culture of Judaism.

Sarah Silverman has always been a huge influence on my comedy.

I can't speak for the Jewish population, but I attribute my sense of humor to the tragic moments of my life. The best way to overcome certain tragedies is to develop a thick skin and sense of humor about things. Of course, I am very politically conscious and careful about my comedy. But when I do push an envelope, it's with a purpose.

I did 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' two years in a row in the winter in Seattle, and that was an amazing experience both times.

Well, I think 'Addams Family Values' is definitely a gay icon movie and definitely a drag queen icon movie that no one ever talks about.

You can't believe that you're the best at everything.

There's a mixture of pride and self-loathing in Jewish female comedians that I've always admired and wanted to bring into Jinkx.

Jinkx is a single mother and I've seen so many strong Jewish women.

I was so nervous competing against Lyneshia Sparx. She's so gorgeous, and she's hilarious. When you get to know her, she's the most lovely person.

I mean, drag is a universal language.

Drag has come a long way and people are respecting it, and giving drag queens and other people who defy gender norms more chances than they've ever been given before, but it's thanks to people like RuPaul, especially, who set that momentum going.

Who knows where I would be if I hadn't gone on Drag Race and gotten that kick in the rear to step it up to the next level?

In any kind of performance field, there are always going to be 101 people doing the exact same thing as you. You always constantly have to be thinking of, 'What's going to shock my audience the most?'

As drag queens, you constantly have to be coming up with, 'What's the thing no one's ever seen before?'

Nowadays, 'Drag Race' shows how fantastic and amazing drag queens can be, so audiences won't sit through a boring show anymore. You have to keep people entertained.

I'm extremely into Greek Mythology and know almost everything about the classic Greek myths.

I've always preferred drag roles, because typically I get better costumes and I've always felt more connected with the female characters in my favorite shows than most of the male characters.

I'm not the hugest fan of pop music and electro music, which is why 'The Inevitable Album' was entirely live instruments.

It's silly, but 'You Really Got a Hold on Me' has been a favorite song of mine for a long time.

I think the best way I've grown as an artist period, not just in relation to creating music, is having a lot more confidence in myself.

Coming out as nonbinary was a response to a lot of criticism I got when it leaked that I'd be playing a nonbinary character on 'Steven Universe.' I never really had the words like nonbinary or gender fluid or gender nonconforming until after 'Drag Race' and that's when I first started identifying publicly as nonbinary.

To be completely honest, I find New York to be too much city for me.

Drag is very regional.

I think there's something for anyone who wants to be a performer in Seattle.

That openness to experimentation in Seattle is how I learned a drag queen doesn't have to just be in her pageant gear and lip syncing to top 40. Drag can be off-the-wall, ridiculous, profound.

I always say better busy than dead.

There was a time when I said I wouldn't do something like that but I've seen so many of my friends go on the 'All Stars' seasons and they seem to be having a lot of fun for the most part.

Most people tell me that what they are surprised about the most is that I sing really well, I always find it funny.

I guess it wasn't really part of my story on 'Drag Race' but I'm a trained actor and singer.

I call myself a gorgeous anachronism.

Don't be afraid of wearing a lot of makeup. Like, a lot. Your eyes deserve to be showcased. I think it's important to just remember that whatever you think you hate about yourself, there's a way to counter that with makeup and make that part of you beautiful.

When your career and your passion one in the same there is very little downtime.

When you become your own boss, and your artwork becomes your livelihood, it becomes the only thing you think about.

Everyone should be able to express themselves in the way that best suits them - life is too short to spend it unhappy.

Drag queens, our whole art form is about taking inspiration from artists we adore.

With Jinkx Monsoon, I strive to make her pretty and likable and have this bubbly, lovely personality. But then she can also be the most crass, out of the blue, kooky character.

It's not just putting on a little bit of makeup and putting on a dress. Some drag queens duct tape their heads, some drag queens are bound and strapped and pulled in every which direction. To be in drag is no small endeavor.

It used to be that I'd do drag, then get out of drag, and try and be as much of a boy as possible. That didn't feel entirely authentic for me, but it felt like what I had to do at the time.