Drag Race star Nicky Doll defiant after bigoted backlash to Olympic opening ceremony

PinkNews has spoken to Drag Race France host Nicky Doll about the backlash she and other drag artists received after they appeared in the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Reflecting on the performance that sparked controversy for its diverse and playful style, which some believed was inspired by the Last Supper, Nicky said: “I knew that it would be something very special, it was a massive honour.”

However, that didn’t mean there weren’t challenges: one of them being the dreadful weather. “We were perfuming in the heavy rain for an hour and 45 minutes,” Nicky recalls. “I looked like a wet-a*s panda. Turns out waterproof makeup works for me.”

Despite the downpour, the moment wasn’t dampened. “We were all looking at [one another], we knew, regardless of the discomfort and probably the messiness, we were creating something beyond what we [could] understand.”

The Drag Race star has felt the positive impact of the performance on the world stage ripple through different communities.

“Someone from Algeria [said]: ‘Thank you so much. Nobody knew you would appear on stage and my whole family, Muslim grandfather, parents and cousins, saw this and it started conversations’.

“This person was in the closet, queer and Arab. You know you did something beyond you.”

Although many were thrilled by the opening ceremony, others found the presence of drag queens to be deserving of a backlash. Nicky had a message for them.

“Every religious [person who has] our interests at heart, [who] is an ally to queer people, [who] wants us to have rights and safety, I apologise if you misunderstood what we wanted to do.

“To [everyone] who decided to use this to unleash their fatphobia, racism, transphobia and homophobia… I wash myself every morning with your tears.”

In the aftermath of the online criticism, Nicky announced that she was launching legal action against former Lewis star Laurence Fox, who called participants in the extravaganza “deviant little pedos”.