Kerri Colby may have sashayed away from RuPaul’s Drag Race, but she will always be our viral obsession. This week, the House of Colby alum lost her place in the competition after failing to impress with her performance in the 60s-inspired girl group The RuPremes, which the panel deemed too “gospel”. (It gave us life, tbh.) For the second time, Kerri later lip-synced for her life against lip-sync assassin Jasmine Kennedie to the beat of Toni Braxton’s Unbreak My Heart (Remix), with the latter (emotionally) emerging supreme.
Although Kerri admits she “came to terms” with her elimination “pretty immediately”, the bodacious contestant calls the smackdown “heartbreaking, literally and figuratively” due to her powerful bond with Jasmine. During last week’s episode of Untucked, the 22-year-old dancer memorably came out as trans to her season 14 sisters; citing Kerri’s unabashed confidence as a reason for feeling comfortable in her identity. “Just in living authentically, I was able to be an example that made things more comfortable for my sisters to either open up about their journey, find their journey or dig deeper and start to search into their journey,” Kerri tells GAY TIMES.
“And that’s just the truth we needed. Trans women have been around for eons and eons, but many times in recent history, we have not been given the opportunity to speak or be spoken to correctly. And once you give us the opportunity and the floor, that’s all we ask for. If we get the opportunity to share, it’s amazing what you’ll usually find happens when you allow someone to exist in a space.”
After Jasmine and fellow contestant Bosco came out publicly as trans in Untucked and on social media, respectively, Drag Race season 14 made herstory for the franchise as the first season to feature four openly trans contestants. (Kornbread “The Snack” Jete, who was forced to exit the competition in week five due to an injury, also identifies as a trans woman.) Following her exit, we spoke with Kerri about the “power” of season 14’s trans sisterhood, how the show has allowed her to reach trans and non-binary youth all around the world and her plans to “educate, uplift and build awareness around” the trans community.
Kerri, I’m so sad to see you go so soon. How long did it take you to come to terms with your elimination?
I came to terms with things pretty immediately. I’m not someone that holds onto expectations when they don’t meet up with reality. So for me, when I knew that unfortunately my time had come to a close, I was surprised – I definitely saw myself at the very top – but I was also okay with it.
Throughout the course of the series, you grew close with Jasmine Kennedie, particularly after she credited you with feeling brave enough to come out as trans in Untucked. With that in mind, what was it like lip-syncing against one of your closest sisters?
It was heartbreaking, literally and figuratively, because the song was Unbreak My Heart. But, it was really sad because that was not what I would have wanted to see from us. I wanted to be able to be with her and around her while she grew into herself and found those next steps. Because once you realise the truth, there’s usually a process that you go through where it’s like… You know the truth now and you figure out how to get a game plan going. I was looking forward to doing that with her on the show but unfortunately that wasn’t in the cards. But, it was so special to be able to have a moment so raw and so real with her, also a record-breaking moment too in the history of Drag Race.
Since competing on Drag Race, how has your relationship developed with Jasmine?
Beautifully. She literally is a little sister to me. Each time I saw our moment, whether it was me reading her notes after I was eliminated or me watching our moment together with Bosco and us just sharing in our transness, I got emotional. But it wasn’t emotional for me – it was emotional because I’ve seen, specifically with Jasmine, her come out and say what she wanted to do. And now to watch her actually doing it and achieving it, it’s so beautiful. Because I’ve seen the progress and it’s heartwarming.
Your chocolate bar didn’t contain the golden ticket. So far, the candy bar twist has been met with polarised reactions from viewers, to say the least. How do you personally feel about this new format?
I feel like I am the golden bar and the golden ticket no matter what happens on that show. However, I was very much shocked and in disbelief that I did not get the golden opportunity.
With yourself and Kornbread, as well as Jasmine and Bosco coming out as trans in Untucked and on social media, respectively, season 14 features the most openly trans contestants in Drag Race herstory. What does this personally mean to you?
It goes to show the power of giving someone from the community the floor – specifically giving the Black trans life the floor. Just in living authentically, I was able to be an example that made things more comfortable for my sisters to either open up about their journey, find their journey or dig deeper and start to search into their journey. And that’s just the truth we needed. Trans women have been around for eons and eons, but many times in recent history, we have not been given the opportunity to speak or be spoken to correctly. And once you give us the opportunity and the floor, that’s all we ask for. If we get the opportunity to share, it’s amazing what you’ll usually find happens when you allow someone to exist in a space.
How has being on RuPaul’s Drag Race allowed you to reach fans, particularly trans/non-binary youth, all around the world?
It is so insane. It’s hard to put into words – it’s one of those things where you can try to put a word or try to put a feeling to something, but when it’s so much bigger than who you are, that can be a challenge. What I would just sum it up to say is, I see a lot of myself in the people that I interact with. I’m still pretty recently finding and getting through my own trans journey – I found myself and started my own trans journey during the pandemic in 2020. That was when I officially came out and started my journey showcasing who I am. And when I get to experience these people who also are in the process of evolving and finding themselves, it just feels surreal to me. When I hear them talk about questions or share their stories with me, I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness, that is me’ or ‘That was me’ or ‘I’ve been that.’ The trans sisterhood is so beautiful because it really is an unspoken sorority of an entire group of individuals – male and female – who completely relate to everything you’re dealing with. And you usually feel so alone, but you’re not because each one of these people has gone through – or are going through – finding themselves and allowing the truth of finding who they are to make who they are in the future. It’s amazing because we all can relate to that.
During your time on the series, you opened up about your evangelical background and being kicked out of the house at age 15. What kind of impact have you witnessed these conversations have on viewers/the KerBears at home?
I get a lot of people that feel very, very upset and very sad. And I understand that, because it is a negative situation. But what I like to do is flip that on itself. It is such a blessing that I’m able to share about the unfortunate reality that happens specifically in the trans person of colour and evangelical umbrella, because a lot of times, we don’t get to see the reality of the story. We just see the happy-go-lucky, ‘I’m transitioning and it’s amazing and my dad all of a sudden took and bought me my first pink car and he’s getting my first prom dress and I’m so loving it’, which is lovely. I absolutely respect that and think we need to see more of that. That should be the norm. But on the flip side, there are a lot of people out here who don’t get to experience that – they experience something a lot more traumatising. To be able to have a voice and a person embody the truth on the other side of the tracks have the opportunity to say, it’s not over if you don’t have help. But if you don’t have help, you have me. That’s a really, really powerful message to send.
You were so incredibly fun to watch this season, from your runways to lip-syncs and, of course, your confessionals. You were the talking head this season. What else could we have expected from you if you continued on in the competition?
I’m definitely going to be narrating my way through life. I love to engage with people and I love to talk and I love to walk down a runway and I love to show my ass and shake it. So, I will definitely be finding a way to combine all those elements and all those new things. I’m so excited to see what the world has to offer. LA is a great bubble to be in, but I’ve been in that bubble for years – going on seven years now – but I can’t wait to see more and experience more; and touch and feel and hug and be able to dive into more for more people. I think that education is the key to the future, and what better way to educate myself than to go out and experience new things?
Kerri, I’m dying to find out who you planned to impersonate on Snatch Game – and why?
I was going to be the elusive chanteuse Mariah Carey! Which is so sad, because we just experienced our loss of Pangina [Heals] doing it, who did a great job on UK vs the World. I have always been inspired by Mariah – she is a very, dare I say holy, piece to me that I very much cherish, love and relate to. I’ve always been inspired by her story. People always say that I embody her anyway with her daily mannerisms and how I live my life, and the things I say and the way I think. I was looking forward to being possessed by the spirit of Mariah. I’m a firm believer of doing the best I can with what I’ve got.
I need to see this one way or the other! What is your personal highlight from your time on season 14?
Being able to stretch J. Lo’s dress out nice and beautifully…
And what’s next for Kerri Colby?
She is a doll of many devices. I see myself continuing to go wherever the trantasy takes me. I’m really looking forward to – especially with this current time, we have a lot going here on our home soil – getting to be able to educate, uplift and build awareness around our community. I’m also doing more stuff with modelling and the entertainment industry. I can’t wait to keep those doors open and push those ceilings. I’m really looking forward to it.
Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 every Saturday on the streamer of all things drag, WOW Presents Plus. Subscribe via http://uk.wowpresentsplus.com/
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