You're listening to Comedy Central, Now what is? What would you say your biggest challenge has been getting you to where you are hurt? Oh hope. People don't talk about how hard hope is. To live in that place where you're like, it's gonna happen tomorrow, It's gonna happen tomorrow. It's gonna happen tomorrow. Is a very hard place for people because sometimes it lets you go. I can't. I quit,
so a lot of them. So I've been doing stand up since two thousand and nine, but I've been acting since I was a kid, and I've been singing since I was a kid, and I have a theater degree. But y'all know me as a comic. So now all this work that I do, and I used to do musicals, I've done children's shows, I saying I was in an improv group. I did all of these other things, but y'all know me as a comic at a correspondent on the show.
So now all of these things I did since I was seven years old, I have to now reintroduce everybody too. But if I had lost hope and didn't start doing because I started doing stand up because somebody told me I was a comic. It wasn't something that I chose to do. I just happened to be good at something. So someone saw something in me that I didn't see in myself, and so that was the biggest challenge for
me to go okay. I have a theater degree. I've never been on stage and been myself and said my own words, So getting into stand up was one of the hardest things for me because I'd never been myself on stage. I knew how to perform. I knew how to find my light. I know how to plant my feet, I how to do I knew all of the trappings I'd done on stage nine hundred set theater with no microphone and saying to the back of a room, I
can perform, but it not as me. So that was the hardest part of the whole process of going okay. I have to be duel set before, so that was the hardest part in that. And also listening to my mother because a comic told me in two thousand and seven then I should do stand up and I didn't listen to him, but I started when I was supposed to. You see what I'm saying, so you get things and
you're supposed to, which is always hard to hear. But in two thousand and nine, I and once again on a unemployment look at God, and I was taking a sketch comedy class and I got laid off from a job and the comic Big Kenny is like, again, come take my stand up class. And I was like, uhh, I don't have a job. I can't afford the three hundred dollars class and he's like, you're supposed to do this.
I won't charge you for the class. And then I couldn't decide what to do, and my mother told me because Big Kenny had been inviting us to shows for two years, He's like, you have to do this, you have to do this. I was like, no, no, no, I'm good. And then my mother came up to me one day before the class started and she said she had a dream that the whole world was laughing at me, and she didn't understand what it meant. She's like, why
people laughing at my daughter? I don't understand what's going on. What did she do? And then she said she prayed on it. And she was like, oh, my daughter's a comedian. So because of my mother and I didn't talk about this for a long time because he used to piss comics off. When I took a stand up class and my mother supported my choice to do stand up. A lot of comics don't get that feedback from their family, and so I did it. And so May twelfth will
be my stand up anniversary. And if someone can do math, that's what fourteen fifteen years. Thank you Grassi as I went to school in Georgia. So I don't know what you want from me, but Gwydnett County, so you know I did okay, but you know I can't the sixes and multiplications are funky, and so yeah, on the twelfth, it'll be fourteen years. But either a lot of things from just like I'm not sure. I moved to LA
with suitcases. I moved here with suitcases, and now I'm moving, you know, and it's like, so now you're moving, it's you have to just go. I will be okay. But for me, the hardest part is hoping is I want to be a mother and have children and I don't have that in my life. So the same hope that I applied to work, I now have to figure out to apply to this other thing. And that's even harder because I knew what to do to be successful in my career. I don't know how to hog tie some man.
So and that's when I, uh, the Lord gave me my ministry of no more broke Dick and so yeah, I'm the hardest part of any of this is hope, because you have to believe in you more than anybody else, and you have to love you more than anybody else. I have to admit when it just came up on the screen, almost tear it up and I was like, no, you have a makeup one.
Don't do it.
Don't do it. But no one's gonna bring you in a tissue. Listen, I'm so excited for you. America's next track, Superstar Congratulations with Sashakoby. Now tell me you're in your winning era.
Definitely, definitely early.
I was at the Sasha Colby meeting. Great period And if you weren't watching the show and don't catch that you need to get your life together. How does it feel?
Oh my goodness, it's two weeks since I won, and it's like still like integrating in me, Like I haven't realized that I actually want the big one, Like I caught the biggest fish that you.
Could and it hasn't clicked.
Yeah, I know, like it'll be random. I'll be like on a plane, I'll be like, oh I did it, Like.
That's pretty listen. It's like I was. Someone asked me yesterday, it's like, so, how does it feel to be hosted a daily show? And it didn't click for me until about four pm yesterday because I've been like moving and I was like time and I was like, oh shit, I'm hosting a daily show. So I know exactly how you feel. Because what I got here, I was like, they're asking me all these questions. I'm like, oh shit, I'm hosting a date.
Oh I'm supposed to know the answer.
I'm supposed to do to answer to these questions. So it's like, listen, now, I know. The running joke we told y'all was the Sasha Colby meet and great Now, what's it like competing as a queen who was already legendary before she got on the show, Because you are a legend and you have to appreciate her as Goddes sees.
Daughters, greatness is greatness, absolutely, So tell the children what it was like to be legendary and then be out here with the children. Well, I mean, I am mother, true, so I deal with a lot of kids, right, A lot.
Of kids come in and out of the way.
But I must say the group of girls, the group of drag performers that we were with that I got to be so blessed to compete with, were such amazing girls, like literally the best cast I could ever have dreamt to be with. Okay, but legend they all knew, you know. That's why they all stood.
Up with the mead and greet and like listen, because I remember when you walked in the room. I don't know if you've ever seen shock and awe before, but I'm talking about face cracked, jaws drop. I literally saw somebody go.
And I think you can hear a nature go. Should we all go home now?
Because you walked in the room, and it's like, should we even try?
I'm glad the delusion was hitting hard and they did try. I mean, I want I want him good next to me, you know, I want to beat the best.
I'm going to go respect that because the nature was not playing when it came to the lipsy, just free.
Willing, no, ma'am.
If you did not do no free Willie moment because the nature was not playing with anybody. That's why the whole season, I was just like, please please please put Sasha in a nature together. Television is not ready. They have to compete together.
Yes, I mean after that lolla perusa. I mean that was like a final two number right there.
It had to happen. It had to happen because the drag delusion was real.
It's real.
We all suffered from it a little, some more so than others.
Mother, this this on the like now y'all know for like I've watched the show. I was a judge on Rupel' Drag Race like last season like two seas and I was like, it has been my dream forever to be a judge on that show. So I'm waiting. Listen, they're gonna put you on All Stars. They're going to a winner, also a winner now because you are legendary, because you are mother, we need to know about the journey. So I do want to know that you're the first Hawaiian queen to take the crown.
Yes, actually I think I'm the first Hawaiian queen to compete All That's actually show one of other Polynesian girls, but the first representing Hawaii.
Praise God. So how is your Hawaiian heritage shaped you as a trans woman?
Oh?
Well, I think being any indigenous culture, there is the third sex. There is this level of non binary that was always known and spoken about before you know, colonization, Christianity, all that love you Christians love yourselves anyway, that's the reality.
How you gonna love anybody else? It's gonna get an as.
I may read the word, that's not the point. Often we thought that truly tangents, tangent cholls. What was the question? How we've both got distract it? Because you were so pretty and this jacket is shiny, and I like shiny things. I was asking you, how how has your Hawaiian heritage shaped you as a trans woman?
Well, like I would saying before I interrupted myself, in any indigenous culture there was space for trans and non binary folk and they were integral parts of our society and every indigenous culture you can find. So my transness is in my blood, it's in my dna, it's it's what has been going on since before any man made religion, any any of these like standards that we hold ourselves to any male woman.
All of that that's just.
A way to oppress, you know, a way to keep been lying, a way to segregate everybody. And that's why I feel it's so important to be really into your culture, to figure out your culture, because we are always programmed to believe what our parents need us to believe instead of what it's actually going through our veins, in our DNA and our blood.
Right and then with the society at large wants you to believe, because if we go about mainstream society, then none of us would be able to dance.
No man, I definitely would have been able to show my tits on national television.
And we all needed that.
I mean we all needed realty.
Like I was like, everyone saw like a great competition in Sasha Kolby, but all my friends were like, they didn't even see Sasha Koba at naked.
Drunk at brunch, you know, rolling around have naked.
I think you showed us so much. I think only doctors would.
Need to see anymore not a cough.
I mean listen, if I closed my eyes and they were like, okay, Sasha Kolby is missing, I'm like, all right, don't you It might have to identify it for our pitties.
But I got you, you said, or you know, identified by booty and that bang is Spider Mermaid.
And as the one bang off of We Bang and listen, I don't recognize. Yeah. Now, as women of color, especially, we always have to worry about representation, right, And I know you want to be an example of a happy trans person in the media. Why is that important to you?
Well, all that media has been concerned with a lot of the time is telling the transition, story, telling the trauma, telling the effect that it did on the family, but not showing why why we go through all that?
And how how happy like being being so.
Adamant about making yourself feel comfortable in your own skin. Uh, that's the whole reason why we do the transition. It isn't to like hurt or harm or traumatize our families or anyone else. It is to be our true happy selves. And we are missing that a lot. And I don't want it to get like misconstrued that I want to be a representation of only I'm a happy trans person. There are so many happy, well adjusted, loving trans people, but you only.
See us getting murdered.
And yes, so to be able to normalize the fact that you probably have come into contact with three or four trans people every day and not even know it because we are everywhere and we're not going anywhere.
Well, I can definitely understand that because being you know, a woman of color and a plus size one of color in this industry there spent a lot of time. It's like, oh, well, you're plus sized, you must be unhappy, and it's like, no, I'm not. Also, I'm the very saty girls are unhappy hungry. It was a hundred hungred girl that was at a diner at Thram and I saw this drunk white girl eating a salad and I'm like, that's not what you want. What you are drunk a Thram? Why are you eating lettuce?
Eat the girl?
You were in a track suit, your yoga pants working, Eat the fat drunk and a salad. You're going to be sick. Now I have to ask this question because we know we have to ask this question. Now. You won drag race at a time a drag is being politicized for absolutely no reason. What do you think they're really trying to do?
Well, I mean, the the legislation. I don't want to be like political and say like this.
I mean, you know, you know they're out here knocking a donkey.
Right.
It's always about these white men trying to control people's bodies. Right, So they're there were doing, you know, controlling women's reproductive rights, controlling our medicine like a basic human right of giving trans people and like even like anyone good health care. So it's always about controlling. And I always notice that these guys, they're not really killing a lot of like trans men.
There's a lot of trans women being murdered.
That's because these men objectify trans women as much as they objectify CIS women.
Yes, so once they objectify you and you're living your truth, they.
Get so mad because they're one and jealous that they're not living their truth, yes, and two because it makes them question why do I like this?
But why do you have to question that? Why does that even have to be a thing? You know?
So for all of them, just I think they just want to be in drag or they.
Probably win in drag. Yeah, and then they look awful. Sanchos.
They say, you hop in, you find out you're a booger, and you bitter bitter burger, bitter burger, and you're like, you know, I'm all this free tress wig might not be for me.
She couldn't find a mother, she couldn't come from They say, no.
Lost cause.
Nows. Oh my goodness. Nothing like calling CPS on a forty five year old man, like not on his children's at on you you need adult supervision. This is true.
This is true.
So with all these anti drag bills that they're starting to pass places, has that affecting where you can work?
Yes, I'm a little nervous to go to Tennessee and I do have a booking there in like a month or so.
You could be committing crap.
I mean technically walking like sending foot down there. I'm breaking the law for some reason. You know, it's insane, even when you're in grog. Well like so if you are, I'm not too sure exactly, but I've heard from my queen friends like Aura, she lives in Tennessee, like you can get in drag at the venue, but you out like walking from your car to the venue. If you're in drag, you're breaking the law. So someone like me who doesn't this is what it's made for. I can't
get out of drag. I'm trans woman, because you're going to be breaking the law, and that's what they want.
Oh, because they're trying to learn about.
Way to get trans people controlled.
So they're trying to say you're in drag when you're really just caring the legislation.
I believe like the wording is if you're in an article of clothing that is not your assigned birth article of clothing. That's how they can round about say that drag is illegal, and then the real thing is being trans is illegal.
Oh dad, I did don't even know that they live in New York. They think they.
We live in a good left bubble.
It's listen. I've had a lot of people try to con me and tell me that New York was a racist Go outside anyway, Like y'all know where all the Dominicans are, Okay, that's not racist anyway. If you know where every part of our group is, it's right since I shouldn't be able to roll go across that street that's where they at. But you know what, that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about I call me right now.
This is a this is a segment of tangents.
I mean, listen, I am tangential. I'm a tangerine. So oh, they messed out of Tommy vocabulary. Now all right, Now we have talked about all of the the political thing. Yes, we have talked about the experiences. But what I do have is one final question for you mother. If I was in the family, what would my drag name be?
Oh? I mean, says already, A sick dragon called me something really nice. I just gave birth again so many ten. I think water is broke.
Listened somebody gets us puts in a wrapped up.
On Hey.
Baby.
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