Morgan Lavoie

Start your hair growth journey with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com. and enter the promo code MONEYREHAB. Find out why over 4,500 healthcare professionals and stylists recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair. Nutrafol.com. That's spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L.com, promo code MONEYREHAB.

Start your hair growth journey with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com. and enter the promo code MONEYREHAB. Find out why over 4,500 healthcare professionals and stylists recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair. Nutrafol.com. That's spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L.com, promo code MONEYREHAB.

Start your hair growth journey with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com. and enter the promo code MONEYREHAB. Find out why over 4,500 healthcare professionals and stylists recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair. Nutrafol.com. That's spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L.com, promo code MONEYREHAB.

That's Nutrafol.com, promo code MONEYREHAB.

That's Nutrafol.com, promo code MONEYREHAB.

That's Nutrafol.com, promo code MONEYREHAB.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I can't breathe.

I can't breathe.

I can't breathe.

Hi, Money Rehabbers. It's Morgan, the EP of the show, guest hosting Money Rehab this week while Nicole is on maternity leave. Today, I'm going to be talking about the business of drag. This is an episode I've wanted to do for so long because one, I'm just a big fan of drag, but also because it's one of those jobs where I've just always wondered how people actually make money doing it.

Today I'm talking to one of the most iconic drag queens ever, Alaska. She goes by Alaska or Alaska Thunderfuck. And so today I'm just going to stick with Alaska because I don't know how many times I can say Thunderfuck without the show getting canceled to already feels like I'm kind of pushing it.

Alaska grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania and worked in Pittsburgh and LA before getting cast on the Olympics of Drag, the show RuPaul's Drag Race. Alaska was a runner-up on season five and then went on to win RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season two. If you don't know Alaska, you just simply have to. Her memoir, My Name's Yours, What's Alaska?, is a good place to start.

She has a huge fan base, 1.8 million followers on Instagram alone. And she just does a zillion different things from performing to her drag race rewatch podcast, Race Chasers. She makes music. She tours. She has a fragrance. And now she has a show in New York City. Alaska co-wrote and stars in Drag the Musical, which if you're in New York, you definitely should see.

And she tells me a little bit more about it in this conversation. Today, we talk about the business of drag through her story, from how she got started to redefining success after Drag Race, how she kept going when she had no money, and yes, how drag queens actually make money. Here's Alaska. Alaska. Welcome to Money Rehab.

The pleasure is all ours. I'm so excited to talk to you about the business of drag really through your story. So let's start with you. Do you remember the first drag performance you ever saw?

Do you remember what she sang and what she was wearing?

And so this was in Pittsburgh.