Fan-favourite Adore Delano addresses speculation that she’s quit drag
Drag Race star Adore Delano addresses speculation she’s quit drag. (TikTok/itsadoredelano/Instagram/adoredelano)
RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist Adore Delano has denied rumours that she has quit drag following her recent facial feminisation (FFS) surgery.
Responding to a fan on TikTok who questioned whether the star had left the drag industry, because they hadn’t seen her “perform in a while”, Delano insisted that she is “not going anywhere”.
In a three-minute video, the fan-favourite said: “I haven’t gone anywhere. I haven’t quit drag.
“A lot of people would say I never really started [drag]. I was the first of my kind to be called lazy because my style of drag wasn’t really understood,” she added.
Adore, who was a finalist on season six of the show, finishing in the top three, before returning for All Stars 2 – shockingly quitting in episode two – explained that she might not be the same drag artist fans saw on the show, but she’s still “one of the OGs”.
Just last year, she said she’d be up for another All Stars return.
The star has admitted that during her early days, she was “breaking TVs in hotels and drinking a bottle of Jack [Daniels] every other night”, but now, after 18 months of being sober, her outlook and attitude have changed.
In a video posted in July, Delano credited getting sober with enabling her to understand that she is a trans woman. Then, in November, she revealed that she was about to get FFS: a series of surgical procedures which help give the face and neck area a more feminine appearance.
And last month, she shared her first post-surgery video update with fans, in which she beamed while showing off the result.
At the time, she said that she still has “lots of healing” to go through, but in recent TikToks, she said she was already having meetings about performing again.
“I perform everywhere. I finished my world tour last year, I performed all around the country and the Pride circuit of last summer,” she said.
“I was supposed to finish last year in Australia but I had to reschedule those gigs because I would [have] come home just a few days before my surgery date and I needed to prioritise my health… But no, I haven’t quit drag.”
The “I Adore U” singer and punk rock artist, who also appeared on American Idol, said she was “very grateful for Drag Race“, despite having “never really fit in the drag community”, because without the show, she “wouldn’t have the life that [she has] right now”.
She went on to say: “I don’t think this is going to be the last time I hear questions like this. I’ve seen it on Instagram. I’ve seen it on here, I see it in my DMs.
“I also think it’s kinda scary for the public to see me publicly live my life authentically and blossom and change in front of the camera. I’m going to be taking a few more months off but I’m still very much still in it. I’m excited but I have to make sure to prioritise my health.”
A number of Drag Race stars have announced their decision to step away from the drag industry in recent months, permanently or temporarily, including season 15 contestants Anetra and Princess Poppy, season three meme queen Stacy Layne Matthews and Drag Race UK star Copper Topp.
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