A fan favorite finalist of both “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 17 and “All Stars” Season 10 thanks to her insanely creative runway looks, delightfully off-kilter humor, out of the box references and captivating lip synchs, Pittsburgh native Lydia Butthole Kollins is spreading the love towards a city near you this summer… including New York! [Cover photo: Eric Magnussen]
Thanks for taking a moment with us, Lydia! So we just finished watching Bracket 1 of the current season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars, and I was reminded of your incredibly daunting but ultimately rewarding decision to compete in your premiere Season 16 and All Stars 10 back to back (you made it to the top of both!). Did the energy of the two seasons you competed in feel very different, or was it like a big two part seminar or something?
Lydia B. Kollins: I felt a major disconnect between the two seasons; it was not at all the same experience! I had such a quick turnaround from my original season to All Stars, so jumping back in right away without all of my sisters around felt familiar and exciting… but entirely like night and day. We also had a good amount of time between filming the brackets, so I was able to ruminate on my choices. By the time we were filming the finale of Season 17, I wasn’t even there mentally. I don’t remember much from that day, because the next step for me was going straight to All Stars.
Are you an overall fan of the “brackets and badges” system of All-Stars that became the norm on your season, or were you kind of hoping for a more traditional format?
I was a massive fan of the brackets system; in my case It made everything much easier and smoother. I only had about a week to prepare for my bracket, which isn’t a ton of time to conceptualize / sew / gather all of my items, but the bracket format softened the blow a bit.. as well as the promise of no eliminations.
Your “ButtTootKing” tour with your S17 sisters Kori King and Suzie Toot after the completion of your season was quite successful, and you’re doing it again later this year (3 Dollar Bill partygoers can see you all back there on October 2nd)! What were some personal highlights for you, and did you learn anything about yourself and the current state of the global art / business of drag?
Butttootking is our pride and joy, our own baby girl that we unleashed onto the world. Our first go at the tour was in October of 2025. It felt like a crash course into the world of touring, and admittedly it was trying at times! We were going nonstop, working our asses off, giving as much as we could with the resources we had. I learned a lot about what’s comfortable for me in a tour setting, in relation to my threshold for stress. Business aside, the love for the art comes first and that’s what I believe really shines through our show. With the help of FlipPhone Events and my management, Fiercely You Entertainment, I feel honored to have completed it with some of my favorite people by my side.
Do you have a “weirdest thing that happened while I was performing” moment from your entire drag career?
Not yet… luckily I am the weirdest thing on stage while I’m performing. We’ll give it a few more years, I’m still in my infancy as an artist! No stopping now or anytime soon.
On June 5th, you’ll be back at 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn for a special show / party: “IT Girls,” alongside Drag Race UK’s Awhora, fellow American RuGirl Luxx Noir London and our local starlet Jazmine! How amazing will this show be? Also, what do you like to do when you’re in NYC, and what queens do you like to kiki with here?
I am very excited to be back In Brooklyn, I can’t lie, it’s always a blast! I was recently there for a Season 18 viewing party with Megami and Jay Kay, both fantastic artists to ki-ki and poo-poo with. As for the show, I’m unable to tell you any inside tea, mostly because I still need to tap into my little brain and make that kitty go purr (conceptually). What I do know is that it’s going to blow everyone’s socks clean off, so make sure they’re on tight.
When I visit NY, I love to see any of shows going on in any given night of the week. Beaujangless, Julie J, Hanukah Lewinsky, and Reese Havoc are some of my favorites to see. Delylah Wylde is also one of my close personal friends; we grew up doing drag together, so it’s super nice to see her any time I’m there!
What else is coming up for you?
There are a few secrets coming up for me that can’t be given away yet, but stay tuned! There are announcements on the horizon. What I can say is: keep your eyes on your local movie theaters, you might just see a butthole pop up.
And finally: did anyone or anything out of Coachella meet your approval, or maybe even inspire a future look or number?
I actually haven’t seen any of the Coachella sets! I did clock Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis returning in Thelma & Louise-esque roles, which piqued my interest. But I haven’t gotten around to watching yet. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I don’t try to let pop culture dictate my work, so nothing I’ve seen on social media has scratched that inspiration itch. I am feeling very excited about how healthy and fed the horror genre is currently; there’s loads of exciting movies that have come out this year alone. My eye’s are set on Evil Dead Burn and Clayface–now that’s something I could get behind.
Thanks, Lydia!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Lydia B. Kollins’ upcoming area appearances, and follow her on Instagram, YouTube and LinkTree.
Thotyssey 