Strutting into our hearts and minds with big emo energy as only she could, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 18 Floridian firecracker Discord Addams is now bringing her Demon Pope royalty to Brooklyn and beyond. [Cover photo: Paige Butler]
Thotyssey: Discord, hello! Thanks for talking with us today! Whereabouts are you at this moment, and what were you just doing before you started answering these questions?
Discord Addams: Hi! I’ve been all over the country. Answering questions in the airport, answering questions in my hotel! Thank you so much for being patient with me during my crazy tour schedule!
Congrats on a great run in this last season of RuPaul’s Drag Race! What was the experience like watching it as a viewer for the first time? Was it a lot of, “did I really say and do that,” or did everything “track” from what you remembered?
It was so fun watching it back! I had so much fun on the show and went on to represent exactly who I am, versus creating some different character for the camera. So watching it back wasn’t hard for me, because it all tracked with how I remember it going down.
You’re punk emo aesthetics blazed through every moment you were on screen, particularly with that deliciously edgy yet controversial safety pin look! RuPaul started in a sort-of-punk / avant garde band in her early East Village days… do you think your presentations probably stroked those nostalgic counterculture flames within her?
I hope so! Ru and I seemed to have a connection from the moment I walked into the workroom, which did put some pressure on me to perform to my very best, but also was comforting at the same time. I made sure to tell her how much I loved her band Wee Wee Pole and the way her drag originated, and how much of an effect that had on me and the way I present my drag.
Do you have a favorite moment from either taping the season, or something that struck you as amazing from watching it back?
Oh my gosh, so many incredible moments! The Snatch Game was by far one of my favorite days on set; I was just truly having the time of my life all day!
Also having that one-on-one runway lesson with RuPaul blew my mind! How many girls get to say that they got to have a moment like that with Mother? I think that officially made me her drag daughter, haha!
As a Florida based queen, was it a little surreal to be surrounded by all these bitches from your state in that workroom, lol?
Honestly a lot of them were from parts of Florida I don’t typically travel to, so I was getting to know them the same way I was getting to know the other girls who walked into the room. But it did create a small unspoken bond of Let’s get all of Florida to the top! Florida Vs. the World, baby!
To rewind for a sec, can you tell us a bit about how you discovered drag and how your style in both looks and performance has evolved over time?
I discovered drag as soon as I turned 21 and saw Daniel Vasquez performing at my local club! I thought it was so much fun, but never considered it as something I wanted to do until i saw Raja on Season 3. Her elements of high fashion on the runway changed everything I knew about drag, and I told myself I can do this and I WILL do this. I can’t thank Raja enough for everything she did for me, just by seeing her on my TV screen.
Your runway walk was much discussed and playfully ridiculed throughout the season… but I liked it! It’s dramatic, and serves your looks well. I would maybe go insane, though, if suddenly everyone started carrying on about how I walked and commenting on it. Was that walk ever a source of insecurity before or after the show, or is it something you embrace?
I truly had no idea I walked like that until it kept getting talked about every single episode. But as soon as we got to have real one-on-one time with RuPaul, she made sure to let me know how iconic it was and that it was going to take over the world. And as always, she was right! Hard to be insecure or upset over something everyone in the world is doing right now!
It did make for a cosmically perfect “Sissy That Walk” in the “LaLaPaRuza” lip sync battle with Jane Don’t. I’m sure the pressure was on, but at the same time that must’ve been really fun to do!
Jane and I had SOOO much fun with that lip sync. When neither of you have a true goal of winning (due to Juicy and Mia being lip sync final bosses), then all you can do is have the best time! I just wanted to show up, look hot, and laugh.
There were of course some dramatic moments and confrontations throughout the season, but your cast seemed pretty tight and copasetic throughout most of it.
Oh yes! The internet is so mad we liked each other! How dare we!? The kids want drama, and we just wanted to showcase queer art and love.
You gave us a full one queen band with guitar, keys, drums and rock vocals for the talent challenge, which was a great thing to see on the usually pop-centric Drag Race. Can you tell us a bit about your band and its sound? And in general, who are some of your musical influences?
I’ve been so obsessed with music my entire life. My influences are all over the place, which I hope can help bring in something new yet nostalgic at the same time: Dead Kennedys, Rancid, Nirvana, The White Stripes, Pixies. I want my future music to say something, be loud, melodic and chaotic at the same time.
By the way, I just saw that you were credited as being in the audience for an episode of Hamburger Mary’s direct-to-digital comedy drag competition Camp Wannakiki! That’s random, lol! Was there ever a chance of you competing in that show before you got on Drag Race?
Yes! They were filming the finale in Chicago, and I got invited to show up and watch! And LOL no, there was not a chance of competing on that. I always knew I was destined for Drag Race, so I have always put all of my focus on becoming the star I knew I was destined to be!
I can ask you six million questions covering every episode of this past season of Drag Race, but I’ll save them for a follow-up down the road! In general, has your life changed in a huge way since the finale?
Life has been so beautiful since Drag Race; I’m getting to travel to places I’ve never been able to before. I have been poor my whole life, so traveling has always been viewed as a luxury. Now im getting to connect with people everywhere I go
And we all know about how the fandom can be toxic and awful, but I imagine it also might be odd in a way to take in all that love and appreciation from your actual fans who feel seen by you.
The fandom online is toxic as fuck. But the kids online aren’t real… they not a representation of the people we get to meet in real life. The online kids need to start being met with the same amount of vitriol that they give us, and perhaps treated as imaginary and invisible as they seem to feel. If you give shit, you get shit.
Charli XCX said dance music is dead and rock music is back! That was likely just her cheeky way to get some buzz for her new track, but if she’s right… is that a good thing or a bad thing?
I think we are right now witnessing that side of the pendulum swinging back. I don’t think dance music will ever or should ever be dead, but I think what she’s saying is there’s a growing call for stuff that is real (not saying dance music isn’t).
But with the growing levels of AI we are seeing, the Kardashians being shoved in our face for so long, the Taylor Swifts dominating the musical sphere for so long… I think people are begging for something that sounds, looks, and feels real and tangible. It’s like when the 80s were ending and people were tired of bullshit hair metal, and were begging for things like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc. Something that felt honest and raw.
You were just at 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn for the Drag Race S18 finale.
That night was crazy! Two thousand people all coming together to celebrate everything we put forward that whole season! It was so beautiful and overwhelming in the best way possible.
And you’ll be back at 3DB when your EmoFest tour stops there on Wednesday, June 10th! What can you tell us about this tour and what folks can expect?
EMOFEST!!! I’m so excited to bring back the era I grew up with, and that we all love so much! We’re gonna have live singing, Name That Tune, karaoke and killler drag performances! I want to bring the feeling of Warped Tour to bars across the country! Most of us were too young to party too hard in this era–so now we can show up, drink and mosh to all the songs we grew up loving!
Is there anything else you wanna share with the kids?
I’m going to take over the world.
Finally: as a former Pope, how might you rate the job performance of Pope Leo so far… especially regarding his flame war with Trump?
Honestly, I never thought I’d be rooting for the Catholics in the way I have been watching The Pope fight this Antichrist of a president.
Thanks, Discord!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Discord Addams’ upcoming area appearances, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and her website. Get EmoFest 2026 tickets here.
Thotyssey 