MINNIE COOPER GETS SUPER HONEST ABOUT RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE

It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week. They might welcome back guys to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris, and on this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television. Each episode you will get a front row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors, and casting agents, plus the talent that we see on

And while she.

Did rub some queens the wrong way, audiences were left divided. Love her or hate her. This is one impressive queen. There was plenty to talk about with Minnie and we have to pay some respect to some impressive commentary with her master interviews, her conflict style was always take no prisoners, and let's face it, I don't think anyone will ever

I'm talking to you because you were bitching behind my back previously on Rupas Jacks. Well, all that stuff that you see on the first day is just me being myself this whole season, Mini versus x y Za Queen was really upsetting for me to upset her that much. This is the first time in the competition I've seen you not feel in control. We're all talking about each other's outfit. Everyone hated my mind because I stuck with it together.

Minni and Beverly, I'm sorry, my DearS, but you are both up for elimination.

There's so much other stuff that you didn't see that didn't make it to camera, where we had such great rapport.

Hi bare Mini Cooper how are you.

I'm here eliminated. She's been picked to the.

Curve, which is a massive shock. If you asked me, I was very surprised to see you go. Are you coping with the elimination?

At the time, I wasn't coping, But I'm coping now it's been seven months. I've had a lot of time to think about it.

Well, awesome to be able to have this chat with you.

I thought you made a huge impact on this series, and the fact is you had the most amount of people talking about you.

Well, I'm pretty interesting, That is true. I did have a lot of people talking tonight, not necessarily for good things. All the time, there was a whole episode about me, and I wasn't in the bottom, all the top. I didn't win, all lose.

It says something about you, my friend.

You know about this being polarizing.

Can I just say that is the ultimate showbag with you is to get a bit of a shady comment, because that has just made my day.

At least you can take the shade. Some people can't.

They really can't. They really can't. I have to ask you how much of this experience was like what you expected to be.

Honest, it wasn't what I expected. I didn't expect to be so isolated by the group. I didn't see that coming. I had no idea, Like I knew I was going to come in with my career and that would be obviously have an effect, but I didn't realize it would have that effect on people. And it was jarring because I've never been in a group of people, especially of drag, where I've been isolated by a group people like I've never experienced that before, So to me, it was really

Well from the start, you had the best jokes and the best pieces to camera, and I want to know what sort of preparation did you put into the show prior to packing your bags and turning up.

Well, all that stuff that you see on the first day is just me being myself because I am constantly making jokes and having a good time and being aware of the environment. Okay, you're going to throw something at me off. That's what drag queens do well. In my generation of drag, you throw a joke, you throw it back, and you bounce off each other, and it's fun. It's fun to say, well, you've fifty, how old are you? Well, at least I look good, Like it's just funny. It's just lighthearted.

When you were relaxed and you weren't worrying about the others, you really shone in a way that was just excellent.

It was great television.

But I guess a lot of people were wondering, did you get sandbagged by the relationships with these other queens?

One hundred percent? Like, I think that's obvious in Snatch Game because I had that oldcation. That oldcation with Beverly is literally probably an hour before we're doing Snatch Game, so you can imagine having that. And I didn't mean to upset Beverly. I actually really liked Beverly, and it was really upsetting for me to upset her that much because she was really upset, and for me, because I'm empathic person, I would never want to upset her like that.

You know, there was a lot of people commenting online saying that RuPaul loved you the most out of all of the Queen's. Do you think that there was any truth in that, especially in episode one.

Well, that was absolutely the truth, and that there's so much other stuff that you didn't see that didn't make it to camera where we had such great rapport and that I think was a great thing for me, but also a hindrance with the other contestants because they're all looking at me being confident and making real laugh and who doesn't want to do that on Rubel's drag race. It's like chag winning.

I honestly think that you are a dream when it comes to reality television, because I think you are a bit of shake and bake drama. And that's because you can turn any situation into, you know, a big focus piece. You know, is that who you are? Or did this show do something to you?

Well, it's really interesting because you know, one of my things was to go on that show was to discover things about myself as well, like especially when I said to all Real, I think your costumes are fitting, and it's funny how she played that down. I don't know why she's going on about this. She was bitching and behind my back, and I pulled her up on it,

I think the side note to that is that it is the best recipe for success when it comes to TV reality TV stes. Producers want someone to go from zero to one hundred pretty quickly, and in some situations you kind of did, which I think made good television.

Yeah, and it's so funny. I was just asked the question before because I did get trolled after that episode. I'm going to be honest, and it was about my dyslexia and it's so funny. Yeah, I did overreact in that moment, but I didn't know actually what they were laughing at because I was actually going to give them a compliment for being so helpful in the challenge, right, So here I am being vulnerable. They laugh and they go, oh,

But who decides the boundaries or the parameters on what is okay to be made fun of on Rupoul's Drag Race.

What is it about dyslexia that people think it's okay that it's okay to laugh?

Is that a really hard thing when it comes to RuPaul's Drag Race though, because around the world, I mean, it's a part of the magic at the show in a way, is to call people out and kind of make fun of some of their things, and then you're supposed to just dust it off and pick yourself up. But I think in some ways, you know, that wasn't how you wanted to play it. You know, you didn't play by the Rupoul's drag race rules in some ways.

Yeah, I suppose it's so interest that you say that. So it's I think there's a time and the place to throw shade and laugh. I don't think when someone's talking about something vulnerable as a time and a place to be laughing and throwing shade. I think it's disrespectful. All that whole thing, to me is really quite vindictive and quite mean. And but then people go, it's all right for you to laugh. But I think it's two separate things.

Reality TV is a very unusual thing because so much footage is shot, but then we only get to see a certain amount. We do struggle between the realities of what we remember and then what the audience is seeing, and they can be two different things. However, I do think the essence of people is captured correctly. Do you think the essence of Minnie Cooper has been captured correctly?

Well, it's interesting when you see your conversation take out of context and it's flipped and the two separate conversations didn't happen like that, and what happened prior to that. Okay, if I said to this, if you had a whole bunch of people yelling at you, screaming at you. Prior to that conversation, would you have a different response to me. I think that's quite a major part of the the circumstance. Would have I said those things if I wasn't being yelled at by a group. I don't think of.

With some of that drama away of your subconscious also wanting to be noticed. Because you were quite eloquent with the way in which you would have these little trice with people, and it made for good television. I wondered whether or not that was a your subconscious being like, oh, this is good content. Oh this is how I'm going to be, how I'm going to get seen.

No, that's not the way I think. It's not the way. I don't think that way. It's not in my makeup. I would have been quite happy to get on that show and just made jokes.

And the jokes that you made were hilarious. Let me tell you.

Exactly, that's your I want to go on there and be an entertainer. I don't want to. I don't want them to be talking about stuff that happens backstage, that happened in a dressing room two years ago. Brought up on a television show, like, do I want to talk about that now? No? Absolutely not.

Honestly, I think that it's going to be hard to watch without you because you were such a tent pole of this series. You know, you were so much a part of it. It'll be interesting to see where it goes without you.

Yeah, but I think in any circumstance, I think the Giana, we're going to have to change a move it somewhere else because it's obviously part Like I believe if you look at it as a group of ten people, right and with these lines in a pack, that line goes, well, the drama's got to go somewhere else, because, let's face it, it's got to move to So who's next? The focal point's going to move to someone else? And who that is? I bet you're at someone else, I guarantee it.

Who do you think it would be?

I'd say Beverly? Is it my picking?

Okay, because it's.

Got to move somewhere. Who else? Who would you would be next in the firing line. It's either going to be Beverly or it's going to be Uri. And I don't think it's going to be Uri.

Well, we got to see you react to that sort of treatment. How do you think Beverly is going to respond to it if she then gets the heat. Oh, it's the focus put on her.

I think she'll be reactive like I was reactive. But I think she does it. I don't know she'll be able to be as calm as I am in that circumstance, because I think I was pretty calm, and because I can't. I thought I was calm at the time, but when I watched back, Oh, I'm not so calm.

I know that feeling. I know that feeling very well. I remember thinking in Big Brother, when I was doing that show, I remember thinking I was like, really can'tfortable with being able to have conflict, And I would talk it through and then I'd watch it back and I'd be like, oh my god, I'm an asshole.

That's exactly what I thought as well. Do you check it what I thought as well?

To be honest, Well, the younger Queen's being a little I mean, they were being a little bit ages towards you, and that was a huge talking point right from the start of the series. Is that a reflection of this competition or is that the drag scene as a whole.

I think it's the gay scene as a whole, right, don't you think too? When you're a gay man of an age, you can walk into a bar and you cannot even be present or exist, And that happens all the time. Would you agree?

The LGBTI community is amazing to be a part of. But we can also be our worst enemy. And I've seen that happen Whilst we're trying to prove who we are. Sometimes we can stand on others. That's what I think.

Oh, I agree, and you don't want I find the most fascinating. It just gets my goat all the time we've asked for gay marriage and asked to be the same, yet we don't want to invite them into our spaces. So I was too many straight girls here or and I just think, what are you saying? One minute, you're saying you want to be treated the same, you're saying you're you don't want people to come in. That doesn't compute in my brain. Just I don't get that connection. I've really struggled with that.

For some reason, we want to be included by everybody. We should include others.

Yeah, to me, it's such a we fought for that, like, I'm glad we paid all that money for the play aside because I think, you know, we we pay all these taxes. We don't have children, so I'm glad we have that.

Phot Some of the other queens have come out saying that they didn't really see being ages towards you being a problem, or they said that, you know, they didn't even notice they were doing it. Is that another part of the problem I guess in our community is not being self aware of how we are treating other people.

One hundred percent. I don't even know half the time. We'll look at the first thing she asked me that came out of her mouth, that's ages. I didn't ask her about her age was so I would never do that to someone, ask what their ages. That's ages. That's what agesm is because oh you're old, you're old. Focusing on I'm not your age, that's ages. But it also goes the same way where I could look at them, go of the young the young kids. The way they responded lat's ageism as well to their defense.

The question that's there, though, and it has to be asked, is is there any insecurity about your age?

I mean to be perfectly honest. Going into the show, I did not feel like that. But being in that group has made me feel like because I was ostracized because of my age and who I am because I wasn't their age group and at where they are emotionally and mentally in life, I'm much more mature, I've had more experience, So that made me isolated by that group. Was it intimidating? So many reasons why they? Only they could really answer that, not me.

Do you feel like you've learned something from this? Do you feel like you're stronger now going back into I mean the world that you've already owned for so many years. But do you feel like this show has made you stronger? Or has it made you question yourself?

It's made me question myself to do everything else.

No, I need to go and have a drink with you immediately.

I didn't remind you of the amazingness that you have been able to create for so many years. You are one of the iconic austrained drag queens. I mean, when I think of Melbourne, I think of Paris the drag Queen.

And I love Paris. Yeah, I know, and.

I wonder if Paris was in your situation being that you guys are of a certain age. Like I'm not going to say how old either of you are, nor is it that important, But how do you think that Paris would have reacted to all of that?

Probably the same. It's just weird. I just didn't expect it. I just didn't expect it because I don't feel like that when I work in the environment in Sydney, I feel like I'm standing next to someone I work with. We always made this joke I said, ninety six was the year I bought my apartment, ninety six, It was a year or she was born. But we work together and I don't feel and she offers stuff to me and it's reciprocated, like I don't look at her talent

Well, I think we can all be like that. And in a world of Instagram and being on social media and us believing we know who people are from what we can just see through through photo and through text. I mean it's a real breakdown of society of actually genuinely knowing people.

Yeah, Like because I could look at Kong, who I'd followed online and had so much respect for as a performer, but then meeting Kong, there was so much more to Kong than just a tumble roll. Like I even text Kong after the Roast challenge and I said, look at you being more than just a tumble role on that episode, Like, how much more of you that I saw in that two and a half minutes of that episode. How incredible

Absolutely. What do you think of the amount of new drag queens that we all have now all around the world that have surfaced because of RuPaul's drag race.

Well, it's leading people living their authentic life. See, when I grew up, I was never there so much shame involved with being a drag queen. Like to put on a dress to go out the door was a really big thing. Like it wasn't safe, it was taking a risk, and you were being mocked. You were basically if you were a drag queen before Drag Race, you were a junkie and you were basically you parted, that's all you

And it's very different and paid your bills, like you know.

Think about own your own apartment.

Not everyone has that you should wear that you should wear that well. I have been asking everyone coming off the show for a recommendation in case there's a down under series three, Do you have a recommendation for an Australian queen that you think should go on the show?

Vanity Fair torah heiman penetration for them to right in there and see what you get. You know, I love to see more of an older demographic with minimal young people and see see how that would work, Like be a bit more of an even playing field. I reckon if I had even one more person that knew me on my spectrum, it would have been a whole different ballgame.

The drag queens that I like, that I grew up with, that I think this is showing my age because I'm mid forties, but I grew up watching drag that is you, and so maybe my connection to you has a lot to do with the aesthetic of drag that I appreciate that I've grown up with. And maybe there is a little bit of a distance between this new breed of drag.

And there's nothing wrong with that though, because the people idolizing the people they see on TV. But I believe the best and I think what you're talking about if drag queens of my era is really an essence of who they are internally, not externally. They're not taking their drag from somewhere else like my drag. I believe it comes from the inside of me. Like Mitsy Macintosh's vanity. All their drag comes from inside of them. Yeah, and I think it represents the Well.

We need to quickly talk about something that happened in the episode, which is the Snatch Game. You were so confident with your Ellen impersonation when you got your chance to have a pregame conversation with Rue Paul. Where do you think that that Ellen impersonation went wrong?

Oh, I don't know. You told me.

You were so confident with it, and I thought, you know, that's a great pick for Mini Cooper.

That's a great pick.

So this is going to be fine, And then I want to throw this to you. Your Ellen kind of was very similar to the SNL Ellen.

Yeah exactly right, yes, yeah, yeah, because I took that from that whole thing from me.

And I could see that, and I could and some people who will watch this will say that's not Ellen. But I think what you did was a little bit of the recipe of that snl impersonation, which was totally fine. But I think the confidence in your face with the whole thing wasn't being completely sold. So I just wondered whether or not there was something that was your undoing with that.

I think it was having the altercation of Aubrey before, I'm not Aubrey, I'm Beverly before I went on. To be perfectly honest, I was keeping mindset. And it's funny that you say that, because that's the way that was playing on my mind very much. So really weighed on me. And here you are going into a challenge with something like that. I don't know if you've ever had conflict

You know the trick and this is so weird if I had to learn this. But if I'm doing television or as something live in front of an audience, I don't I minimize the amount of contact I have with people because it will change who I am on stage. The last things that you have with people before you go on to be a presenter, it's still in you. So God is so careful of that, you know.

Yeah, I agree with you one hundred percent. So how can you go on and be joyful and be funny when you've just had an old cage, when you've upset someone?

Well, that's why I don't have an ento rush. If I'm going somewhere to do a job, I go on the plane and I fly there. I go by myself. They're like, do you want to have people in the green room? Can we organize any food for you? And I'm like, I will be by myself because I've got to get into the zone.

It's a job.

Yeah, I agree with that, all wanted, And I think that's why when I first come onto the show, because I've just been by myself and I'm really am in that space like I've just having fun.

Was there anyone else that you could have been, because that's the question.

My other choice, but never asked me, so I didn't even go there. That was jelling. I would have been so much better.

Oh my gosh, Oh that would have been so good. Well, you'll have to do that on your Instagram or wherever you're going to turn up next. We're going to have to see some Jenny little from you.

Let me try delling. You've run out. I'll run a lady when I run a lady.

You know, in other seasons of RuPaul, when Queen's would be shady with each other, they would quickly move on. What I loved about you was that you wanted to finish everything that you started.

Is that a part of the Mini Cooper brand?

Yeah? It is, because I believe if you don't, because I think what's happened in my li I think this is from being older. Is when you don't resolve things, people carry them. And I'm the type of person if I resolve that, I can move on, Like the minutes of resolve, I move on. Are you okay? I'm okay? From And it might be uncomfortable for a sick but if you talk about it and come to a resolution of a place, because I take responsibility in a second,

Sometimes people take it as being aggressive, you know, for me as well, I'll be people have put it to bed, but I'm still thinking about it and I still need to finish it off and have they.

Put it to bed though I don't believe they had put it. If they put it to bed, why would they bitching behind my back? That's not putting it to bed. And that's when it all started, the isolation and started because it's so funny. It's also the way they've shot it as well. They only ever show me having the conversation. They never show you the chwo or three people that are talking. Did you notice that?

Yeah? I did, I really noticed that.

But you know what I also noticed was usually when there's a tiny little bit of conflict with rue Paul, it goes quickly to like a sound effect into something else. And I'm always going to remember you, Minnie, because I'm always going to remember those moments where it didn't leave and we did get you to ask the second question, which was really out of the you know, not in the cannon of RuPaul's drag race at all, because it normally would be like that's done, short, sharp and move on.

Yeah, it's interesting, isn't it. I found that really interesting as well, from just from a why what I found interesting about the way the cameras were why they weren't showing them? Ask them as well? Why was the focus always the focus was always on me? Did you notice that?

Absolutely? I did?

Yeah, Why did they do that? I don't know.

The answers to that, I think because and I understand that being a polarizing person myself, is if they gave it, if they've given us the whole picture, we would understand the story. But on the giving us half of it gave us more to digest. And so I think that is something that you and I both get easily done with television is that they don't really show you the whole picture. They just show you half of it, and then people have to think more about it.

And it's so interesting listening into the podcasts of everyone's interpretation of what they thought the circumstance was, and some are right on the money. Some go like, it's really There's one podcast I listened to he's a psychologist, and he got he pited it all on the head, all of it. I was like, Oh, my god, that's right on the money. That's exactly what I How did you see that? But nobody else can see that. He could hear the other voices talking back in the camera was

The audience is not stupid and they do work things out. Like from my perspective watching the show, my take home from you brilliant drag queen, brilliant performer doesn't mind a little bit of conflict because I don't think you see conflict as a negative. I think you see conflict as a resolution. And that was blurred a little bit with you on the show and some people will watch that. Some people will watch you on the show and be like, oh,

You know, yeah, and it was interesting. People will call me toxic. It's like wow, that's very hard thing to read. It's like whoa Okay, and when you see it on that episode, it looks like I'm like that twenty four cent.

I guess that's the question. Are you do you think that the way you were seen and the way we saw you on RuPaul's is how you are in the normal drag scene?

Not at all?

Okay?

Not twenty four seven? No? Am I do I approach conflict?

Yes?

Would I have said those things? Some of those things? What have I reacted to the dyslexia? Think of the way I did? Probably? Yes, in moment I would have been light snatched, Yes, agreed, I would. Yes.

So we're going to play a game, and I've just been calling it shady old lady. I'm pretty sure I've stolen it from like Andy Cohen. I'm not sure I've heard shady or lady being played on something else. But four quick questions. You don't need to go into term.

Much informations, just some simple answers.

Oh yeah, I love this.

Okay, shady ol lady. So you could be shady and just give me your honest answer, or you can say lady and you can veto the question if you don't feel comfortable. So I'm giving you the out. Okay, okay, So who was the most talented? Not yourself, but who was the most talented Quinn? Who would you say is the funniest? Who was the funniest Spanky Jackson? Who did you not like or maybe didn't get enough time to get to know?

Molly?

Right?

Who was the messiest queen? That's why she had to shave off for eyebrows?

Yeah? Exactly, I love you my favorite. Actually, I just with her so much. She's so funny. I think it comes across slightly on camera, but she's just so hysterically funny, so funny. I adored her today.

It actually Well, the last question I have for you is the hardest one? Who deserved to go home instead of you?

Bellily?

Can I just say this has just been so amazing to have this chat with you.

I'm a big fan.

I will be forever in your audience, and I just hope that this RuPaul's drag Race is just an amazing chapter in a very big story.

For you and congratulations.

I have to say thank you very much and thanks for watching him. Thanks for John, I've been a big fan as well. Love polarizing people.