Morgan Lavoie

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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?

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

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

And so this was in Pittsburgh.

And so this was in Pittsburgh.

And so this was in Pittsburgh.

That's a plot twist. That is what I thought. West Virginia, okay.

That's a plot twist. That is what I thought. West Virginia, okay.

That's a plot twist. That is what I thought. West Virginia, okay.

And so when you saw that, did you think, I want to do that immediately? No. No.