The Business of Drag with Alaska Thunderf*ck (RuPaul's Drag Race)

Speaker 1 I live in LA now, but lately I have been craving the seasons. Snow, hot cocoa, the whole thing.

Speaker 1 I don't even ski, but I have been daydreaming about working remotely from somewhere really cozy on the East Coast, like a cute little ski town for a little bit.

Speaker 1 And whenever I know I'm going to be gone for a while, I always remind myself that my home can actually be working for me while I'm away because I host my space on Airbnb.

Speaker 1 It is one of the easiest ways to earn passive income from something you already have, and that extra income feels particularly helpful this time of year as we approach the holidays. holidays.

Speaker 1 A lot of my friends say that sounds amazing, but where do you find the time to manage guests and bookings? And that's when I tell them about Airbnb's co-host network.

Speaker 1 Through Airbnb, you can find a local co-host who can help you set up your listing, handle reservations, communicate with guests, provide on-site support, even help with design and styling.

Speaker 1 I like to give a personal touch when I'm hosting on Airbnb. So I make a list of my favorite restaurants in the area and I hand write a note welcoming my guests to the property.

Speaker 1 My guests love it, but I also know that some of those little personal touches can take a lot of extra time. So this is the exact kind of thing that you would want your co-host to help you with.

Speaker 1 Whether you're traveling for work or chasing the snow or escaping it, or you've got a second place that just sits there empty more often than you'd like, your home doesn't have to just sit there.

Speaker 1 You can make extra money from it without taking on extra work. Find a co-host at airbnb.com slash host.

Speaker 2 Here's one piece of advice that I've given for years. Build an emergency fund.
Aim to stash away enough to cover at least three months of expenses in case your income suddenly drops.

Speaker 2 Sounds simple, right? But let's be honest, it's not. Saving even one month's worth of living costs can feel impossible.

Speaker 2 Just when you're making progress, that check engine light blinks on and derails your plans. Life already throws enough curveballs.
You don't need your bank adding to the chaos.

Speaker 2 That's why it's so important to choose one that makes savings easy and doesn't nibble away at your hard-earned money with ridiculous fees. QIIME understands that every every dollar counts.

Speaker 2 That's why when you set up direct deposit through QIIME, you get access to fee-free features like free overdraft coverage, getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit, and more.

Speaker 2 With qualifying direct deposits, you're eligible for free overdraft up to $200 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals. To date, QIIME has spotted members over $30 billion.

Speaker 2 Work on your financial goals through QIIME today. Open an account in just two minutes at chime.com/slash MNN.
That's chime.com slash MNN. Chime feels like progress.

Speaker 3 Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bank Corporation Bank NA or Stride Bank NA.

Speaker 3 Members, FDIC, spot me eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Timing depends on submission of payment file.

Speaker 3 Fees apply at out-of-network ATMs, bank ranking, and number of ATMs, according to US News and World Report 2023. Chime, checking account required.

Speaker 2 Here's one piece of advice that I've given for years: build an emergency fund. Aim to stash away enough to cover at least three months of expenses in case your income suddenly drops.

Speaker 2 Sounds simple, right? But let's be honest, it's not. Saving even one month's worth of living costs can feel impossible.

Speaker 2 Just when you're making progress, that check engine light blinks on and derails your plans. Life already throws enough curveballs.
You don't need your bank adding to the chaos.

Speaker 2 That's why it's so important to choose one that makes savings easy and doesn't nibble away at your hard-earned money with ridiculous fees. QIIME understands that every dollar counts.

Speaker 2 That's why when you set up direct deposit through QIIME, you get access to fee-free features like free overdraft coverage, getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit, and more.

Speaker 2 With qualifying direct deposits, you're eligible for free overdraft up to $200 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals. To date, QIIME has spotted members over $30 billion.

Speaker 2 Work on your financial goals through QIIME today. Open an account in just two minutes at chime.com/slash MNN.
That's chime.com slash MNN. Chime feels like progress.

Speaker 3 Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bankor Bank NA or Stripe Bank NA.

Speaker 3 Members, FDIC, spot me eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Timing depends on submission of payment file.

Speaker 3 Fees apply at out-of-network ATMs, bank ranking, and number of ATMs according to US News and World Report 2023. Chime checking account required.

Speaker 2 I'm Nicole Lappin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand.

Speaker 4 It's time for some Money Rehab.

Speaker 4 Hi, Money Rehabbers. It's Morgan, the EP of the show, guest hosting Money Rehab this week while Nicole is on maternity leave.
Today, I'm going to be talking about the business of drag.

Speaker 4 This is an episode I've wanted to do for so long because one, I am just a big fan of drag, but also because it's one of those jobs where I've just always wondered how people actually make money doing it.

Speaker 4 Today, I'm talking to one of the most iconic drag queens ever, Alaska.

Speaker 4 She goes by Alaska or Alaska Thunderfuck, and so today I'm just going to stick with Alaska because I don't know how many times I can say Thunderfuck without the show getting canceled.

Speaker 4 Two, already feels like I'm kind of pushing it. Alaska grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and worked in Pittsburgh, NLA before getting cast on the Olympics of drag, the show RuPaul's Drag Race.

Speaker 4 Alaska was a runner-up on season five and then went on to win RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars Season 2. If you don't know Alaska, you just simply have to.

Speaker 4 Her memoir, My Name's Yours, What's Alaska, is a good place to start.

Speaker 4 She has a huge fan base, 1.8 million followers on Instagram alone, and she just does a zillion different things from performing to her drag race rewatch podcast, Race Chasers.

Speaker 4 She makes music, she tours, she has a fragrance, and now she has a show in New York City. Alaska co-wrote and stars in Drag the Musical, which if you're in New York, you definitely should see.

Speaker 4 And she tells me a little bit more about it in this conversation.

Speaker 4 Today, we talk about the business of drag through her story, from how she got started to redefining success after drag race, how she kept going when she had no money, and yes, how drag queens actually make money.

Speaker 4 Here's Alaska.

Speaker 4 Alaska,

Speaker 5 welcome to Money Rehab. Thank you so much.

Speaker 5 The pleasure.

Speaker 4 It's the pleasure, it's all ours.

Speaker 4 I'm so excited to talk to you about the business of drag really through your story. So let's start with you.
Do you remember the first drag performance you ever saw?

Speaker 5 Yes. I think her name was

Speaker 5 Amanda Love.

Speaker 5 Amanda Love or Amanda Hug and Kiss. I can't remember.
But we walked into like a bar and it was like one of the first gay bars ever that I went into. And

Speaker 5 she was like lip syncing and doing a number. And

Speaker 5 I was like, why? Why isn't she singing? I don't understand. I had only seen like the birdcage and like Starina like with the microphone, you know.
So I was like, I didn't understand what drag was.

Speaker 4 Do you remember what she sang and what she was wearing?

Speaker 5 No idea what she was doing but she was huge and just like

Speaker 5 gorgeous and yeah and so this was in pittsburgh i feel like it was in like

Speaker 5 i feel i want to say like

Speaker 5 west virginia or something like that like i don't that's a plot twist that is what i thought west virginia okay yeah

Speaker 4 And so when you saw that, did you think, I want to do that immediately? No.

Speaker 5 No.

Speaker 5 No, because I was like, I can't do that. I can't be that gorgeous and glamorous and beautiful.
I was just like stunned. I just wanted to get drunk, you know.
And did you?

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 5 Well, yeah.

Speaker 4 And so this, this happened in West Virginia, maybe. It did not happen in Erie, where you grew up.

Speaker 5 Not a lot of drag representation in Erie. Well, there is.
I just didn't know about it. And I think we went to West Virginia because I was under 21 and it was like you you could get into bars there.

Speaker 5 I don't know. My memory is full of holes.

Speaker 4 Happens. Yeah.
But even though you felt at the time that could never be me, you had an early interest in style.

Speaker 4 I read in your memoir that you would make cat woman suits out of trash bags and you would dye your contacts with food coloring.

Speaker 5 I definitely did the contacts thing. Yes.

Speaker 5 Just because I liked like changing my

Speaker 5 appearance. I thought it was fun.
And I always wanted to have dark eyes. Like I still do.

Speaker 4 So when then did you for the first time think like I can do that? Like I could do drag.

Speaker 5 It was San Francisco that did that for me.

Speaker 5 I went to the stud on my 22nd birthday and there was a show there and it was Duran Duran night and it was a drag show and it was and Duran Duran is a bunch of guys.

Speaker 5 And so just that in and of itself was like, wait, like sort of all the rules of what I thought drag was did not apply.

Speaker 5 And it was, it was scary and it was funny and it was sexy and it was gross and like messy. And I just, I was like, I want to do that.
I want to do this.

Speaker 5 So I went back to Pittsburgh and I was like, I'm going to do drag now because of that.

Speaker 4 And so how long after that did you perform as Alaska for the first time?

Speaker 5 It wasn't too long after that. And I picked up a flyer at Pegasus.
It was like a contest, a Chichi Luru contest.

Speaker 5 The Fishbowl? Yeah, the Fishbowl contest. And I was like, I'm going to do that.
And I'm going to win that.

Speaker 4 And you did.

Speaker 5 Well,

Speaker 5 I don't like to brag.

Speaker 4 And so I love that you knew what your name would be as soon as you encountered it, which was a weed strain, right?

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 4 Love that. And so there was never another contender.

Speaker 5 You were like, this is the the camera. No, that was it.
It was like a lightning bolt. It was like instant.

Speaker 4 So tell me about the fishbowl performance.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 5 All the queens in town showed up because it was like $250 or $200. And that was like, I mean,

Speaker 5 basically like with inflation, that's like a million dollars now.

Speaker 5 And so we were like.

Speaker 5 you know, everyone came out.

Speaker 5 And so I was very nervous, but I had a bunch of tricks and gags planned in case I didn't know the song I would still have something to do so I like put put all this stuff up my skirt and I would pull it out as the number went on and then the skirt would tear away and it would be a giant sign that said I love Chi Chi LaRue so you know sucking up to the host stunts and gags distractions

Speaker 5 Those are the key to performance in drag, I think. And yeah.
And I pulled, because you had to choose your song out of the fishbowl. You didn't know what you were going to do.

Speaker 5 And I pulled How many licks by Lil Kim and I happened to know every word of that.

Speaker 4 And so we did it. So

Speaker 4 was that actually your first time performing as Alaska?

Speaker 5 Officially, yeah.

Speaker 4 Officially. And so how did it feel?

Speaker 5 It felt great. I was bit by the bug and that was that.

Speaker 4 And so then

Speaker 4 You decide to move to LA.

Speaker 5 Uh-huh.

Speaker 4 But you are decide at the time that you're not going to do drag there.

Speaker 4 You like pack your wigs and then you go through security at the airport and then you take your wigs out because you're like, I'm not doing drag.

Speaker 5 You did all your research on this. Like usually I have to explain all of this on podcasts and you know everything.
I'm so glad. No, I got you.
Yes. I was like, I'm going to be a serious actor.

Speaker 5 I studied theater arts. And I'm going to be a serious actor.
And I'm going to give up all this drag shit.

Speaker 5 And then I was like being a serious actor is hard and I did I lacked the discipline and the skills to do it and I was like I had to like have normal looking hair and I had to take my piercings out and like I like

Speaker 5 I had to wear like normal clothes I was like none of that appealed to me and it didn't make any sense to me and so I was like I can't do that

Speaker 5 So I didn't know what I was doing. And so I did drag for fun, just to like keep my, keep myself sane.
Yeah. And I ended up getting a job just from like going out on drag and looking crazy.
Yeah.

Speaker 5 And well, thank God that you did. What a gift.

Speaker 5 What a gift.

Speaker 4 So at some point, you're like, okay, I'm doing drag for fun. Now I have to make money doing it.

Speaker 4 And I read that you sort of like looked around and you were like, what, how are other drag queens making money? And so you saw somebody sell t-shirts online. So you're like, I'll sell t-shirts online.

Speaker 4 Yeah. You saw people promoting and producing shows and parties.
So you're like, I'll try that. Yeah.
And then also making their own music.

Speaker 4 And so, well, first of all, do you have any of those old t-shirts still? Cause I want one.

Speaker 5 I do.

Speaker 5 You know, I must. They must be somewhere.
They're like the OG. And it was like a, like a face,

Speaker 5 the eyes, nose, mouth on a white t-shirt and just like blue eyeshadow. And

Speaker 5 that was it. And

Speaker 5 then it was like we did a yellow yellow eyeshadow edition and like, that's it. There are very few of those out there, but those are OG.
I don't even know if I have any. Okay.

Speaker 4 Well, if you find one,

Speaker 5 let me know. I want one.

Speaker 4 But when I was reading that, I was surprised because I figured that sort of the big moneymaker is performing. Is that right?

Speaker 5 Yes, but the problem there is that it also takes all your money to do that.

Speaker 4 So it's tell me about that.

Speaker 5 So drag is like a conundrum because because it it costs a lot of money. Like we have a song in the musical called drag is expensive because it fucking is.

Speaker 5 And it so you have to ride the line of like, okay,

Speaker 5 when I was first starting out, it was like, I'm getting paid, you know, a hundred dollars to do this. So that means I have to make sure I'm not spending more than that to get there.
Yeah. To wear.

Speaker 5 the all the things that I'm required to wear to do drag. Luckily, I wore a bunch of garbage.
Thanks. So that's the business savvy that we're here to do.

Speaker 4 Keeping costs low. Yes.
No, perfect. And so when, so you said you were getting paid like a hundred bucks, maybe.
So is that normally the structure? It's like you'll get a fee and then tips.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 4 So how much, like say the Blue Moon, where, you know, bar in Pittsburgh, where you're a big part of the legacy there. How much would

Speaker 4 somebody make in in tips a night there?

Speaker 5 Well, the Blue Moon was special. And I've never had a, like a, a show structured like this.
Andy, who was the owner and the manager, believed in us and wanted the bar to not have a cover charge ever.

Speaker 5 So he

Speaker 5 gave us a chunk of $500,

Speaker 5 which we could use as we saw fit. There were three of us, usually four of us, but sometimes three of us.
And so we would take that and then we would like hire a guest to do it.

Speaker 5 We'd each get like $100 or $125, which was amazing. No cover charge.
So all our friends could come. They'd get drunk on four locos and we could do whatever we wanted.

Speaker 5 I've never had a show like this ever since where it was structured like that. And I'm so grateful for that because it was such freedom creatively.
Yeah.

Speaker 5 We weren't worried about, oh, we've got to sell tickets. We have to do something that grabs people and gets them to buy tickets.
It's like, no, it's free.

Speaker 5 Just come watch us do a show called The Bible. And it's, you know, I'm dressed up like Jesus with a laser blaster riding on my friend like a Minotaur.
Like that's what we did. Tips.
We'd get tips.

Speaker 5 I don't know how much. $20?

Speaker 5 $40?

Speaker 5 Something like that something like that yeah and so all the other stuff i mean selling t-shirts and making music and you know all of those things like that no one was buying it yeah when i was first starting out because no no one bought a shirt no one bought a shirt no one bought a shirt but i wanted to have it there yeah to do it because i saw someone like jackie b who is a brilliant you know, drag artist, the queen of fucking Los Angeles.

Speaker 5 And I was like, I want to emulate what she's doing. Even if no one's buying it, I want to have it.
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 And so what are the, what, what are the costs? How does it get so expensive?

Speaker 5 Um, eyelashes,

Speaker 5 hair,

Speaker 5 uh, makeup is expensive. Um,

Speaker 5 clothes,

Speaker 5 shoes.

Speaker 5 All of it is so

Speaker 5 costly and there's so many steps just to like get out the door. Yeah.

Speaker 4 Yeah. And do you think, because I was thinking about it and not every

Speaker 4 job has such startup costs like that. Yeah.

Speaker 4 And so you really have to be willing to invest in yourself. Yeah.
And so did that make you feel differently, do you think, than if you had a job where like you could have just jumped into it?

Speaker 4 Like, do you feel like you were more confident because you're investing? Or did you feel like, I got to make this work because I'm like putting my money into it?

Speaker 5 I had to make it work because I wasn't good at anything else. Like it wasn't like drag chose me and it's my destiny because every other job, like it was like, it just wasn't working.

Speaker 4 Just wasn't.

Speaker 5 Couldn't do it. Yeah.
So I had to make it work.

Speaker 4 So, but pre-drag race, it sounds like you were not making enough money from drag that you could live on. You were like working in coffee shops doing other things.

Speaker 5 Yeah. Is that right?

Speaker 4 And then when you were in LA,

Speaker 4 you got a shitty apartment so that you could save for a second audition tape for drag race, right?

Speaker 5 I mean, I guess that's how we tell the story. I don't know.
I think

Speaker 5 I was driving my friend Jeremy nuts and he was like studying in grad school and I was being an unhinged drag queen pothead. So I got my own place

Speaker 5 and it seemed like a great idea until it was like infested with roaches. And it was just like, it was like stalled.
It was like just like a dead end. I was like,

Speaker 5 I don't know if I can do this out here.

Speaker 4 So you

Speaker 4 did your audition tape for season two. You auditioned every year until season five.

Speaker 5 I did.

Speaker 4 And so I also read it in your memoir that you said that. early on you were like i'm gonna be famous and when i'm famous all my problems are gonna go away

Speaker 5 And so, when the folly of youth, the folly of youth.

Speaker 4 And so, when you did get cast, did you think this is it? I'm gonna be famous, and all of my problems are gonna go away.

Speaker 5 I mean, that is what you think. Yes, that is what you think.

Speaker 5 And then it was like, then I got, you know, we wrapped filming, and you know, Sharon, who I was dating at the time, the first phone call we had was like, the cat ran away, the house burned down.

Speaker 5 Like, like, it was just like everything had was a disaster. So, no, it getting on drag race doesn't make all your problems go away.

Speaker 5 Shocking.

Speaker 4 And so, how have you had to think about

Speaker 4 redefining success for yourself so that

Speaker 4 you can feel like it's not tied to fame, but it's tied to maybe something that is

Speaker 4 self-worth, happiness?

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 5 I mean, that took a really long time. Yeah.
It took a really long time to

Speaker 5 value

Speaker 5 my life outside of drag as it relates to drag race.

Speaker 5 It took a very long time.

Speaker 5 And

Speaker 5 that's really important. Yeah.
I think that's important with any career. It's like you have to have something

Speaker 5 beyond that, because if that evaporates or slows down or goes away, like that can't be your whole existence. Yeah.
It's like the the movie The Substance.

Speaker 4 It's exactly like the movie The Substance.

Speaker 2 Hold on to your wallets. Money Rehab will be right back.

Speaker 2 Hey, Money Rehabbers, aren't you crushing it with your savings goals? Of course you are. But did you know that you can make your money work as hard as you do with U.S.

Speaker 2 Bank Smartly checking and savings?

Speaker 2 From tracking your spending to growing your savings, Bank Smartly can help you reach your goals faster with higher savings rates and waived monthly fees on eligible accounts.

Speaker 2 Because when your bank believes in your potential as much as you do, that's when real progress happens. That's the power of us.
Visit usbank.com today.

Speaker 2 Interest rates and annual percentage yields for variable accounts are determined by the bank's discretion and can change at any time. Deposit products are offered by U.S.

Speaker 2 Bank National Association, member FDIC.

Speaker 2 And now for some more money rehab.

Speaker 4 Before you got that call saying that you were on drag race, were you stressed about money?

Speaker 5 Yes.

Speaker 5 Oh, yeah. We were very, very poor.
Oh, yes. It was a disaster.
It was like, are we going to keep the lights on?

Speaker 5 Are we going to keep the heat on?

Speaker 4 Yeah.

Speaker 4 And so do you think if you hadn't have gotten on drag race, would you have kept doing drag?

Speaker 5 Yes. Yeah.
Because I can't do anything else. That was it.
Yeah. So, yeah.

Speaker 4 When I first moved to New York after college, it took me a long time to get a job.

Speaker 4 And my, I did the thing where I like sold my car to move here and moved with one suitcase and was like, this is the total amount of money that I have in my life.

Speaker 4 And I just watched it go down while I was trying to get a job. And when I finally got a job at iHeartRadio, I didn't have enough money in my bank account to pay for subway fare.

Speaker 4 So I walked to work every morning. Yeah.
Thank you. Do you have any stories like that where you're like, I just got to fucking make it work?

Speaker 5 I ride my bike a lot, but also when I was in LA, I was like, I would ride my bike to gigs sometimes, like in drag. So

Speaker 5 in like, you know, 2007, if you saw a drag queen on a bicycle going down Santa Monica Boulevard, it was probably me.

Speaker 4 Can you tell me about drag musical?

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 4 Let's start with where did this idea come from? How long have you been working on it?

Speaker 5 Well, it's been almost eight years at this point. My God.
And I had been making music with my friends Tomas and Ash. And Ash is an amazing songwriter.
And Tomas is an amazing song producer.

Speaker 5 So like all my music was done with them.

Speaker 5 And so we had that relationship. And at a certain point, Tomas was like, so I'm thinking of doing a musical.
Would you want to write it with us? And so I was like, sure, that'll be easy.

Speaker 5 It was not easy. Yeah.
How hard could it be? It was very difficult. But we did it.
Yeah.

Speaker 4 You did it and people love it. And so you didn't just write it, you also star in it.
Can you tell us a little bit about what the show is about?

Speaker 5 Yes, the initial like kernel of what it is is

Speaker 5 I like the idea of it being two rival drag houses. So it's like, originally it was like, this is the singing house and this is the dancing house, but it turned into just like,

Speaker 5 we're kind of the same, but we hate each other sort of thing, which is, you know, that's how, that's how it goes in life sometimes. Yeah.

Speaker 5 And then we wanted to have like a family element to it.

Speaker 5 So

Speaker 5 one of the drag queens

Speaker 5 has to call her brother who she hasn't talked to in five years. They don't get along at all.

Speaker 5 And then her brother comes into town because he can, he can possibly help them get out of financial trouble.

Speaker 5 He brings along his son who's 10 years old and who

Speaker 5 just

Speaker 5 his father doesn't know what to do with him because he's like, he wants to wear his mom's glasses and he, he doesn't, he isn't connecting.

Speaker 5 And then he discovers drag and is like, oh, wait, like this is kind of sickening. I love this, you know? Yeah.
And so there, it's, it's about all of those things.

Speaker 5 There's a lot of like family elements to it, whether it's your biological family or your chosen family. Yeah.
And yeah.

Speaker 4 What would seeing something like that have meant to you when you were 10?

Speaker 5 I can't imagine. I don't know.
I think that it would be great, probably,

Speaker 5 because it's like when you have shame

Speaker 5 as a young person.

Speaker 5 which there was a lot regarding being feminine or dressing in

Speaker 5 flamboyant clothes or whatever. When those things are completely not allowed, then it becomes like shame.
And then you have to like spend a lot of time unlearning that

Speaker 5 and

Speaker 5 reintegrating that into your self. And so I guess there would have just been like less time having to unlearn stuff.
Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 4 Well, one of the parts of your memoir that really made me feel for Little Alaska was when when your mom was like, don't play like a girl.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 4 Yeah, that's really hard. It's really hard.
And then you're also, it struck me that you're also doing this show and then the election happens. So do you feel like the stakes are higher now somehow?

Speaker 4 Or do you try to keep it in its own creative bubble?

Speaker 5 Well,

Speaker 5 and just a side note, my mom is now the biggest fan of Alaska, of me, my biggest supporter. Yes.
She told me, Don't play like a girl because she was trying to protect her child. You know what I mean?

Speaker 5 Yes. That's how it was.

Speaker 5 But yeah, I mean, the fact that like children being in proximity to drag is now like a hot-button political issue. We started this eight years ago.
That was not even on the table. Yeah.

Speaker 5 So it's a little preposterous that our musical is literally about that. Yeah.
But it's also like wonderful. I mean, we're, you know, I mean, when

Speaker 5 it's our turn on the chopping block, which it is sometimes with the, with politics,

Speaker 5 we know what to do. This isn't a new story.
Yeah. And we know how to fight back and we know how to organize and we know how to

Speaker 5 lean on each other. And so that's what, that's what we're going to do.
And the musical is part of that.

Speaker 4 I was reading the comments of some of the posts on the drag, the musical Instagram account, and just so many people being like, hi from Minnesota. Like, I took my kids when we were visiting New York.

Speaker 4 It meant so much to them.

Speaker 4 And

Speaker 4 it's amazing. It must feel so good to hear stories like that and see how it's, how it's resonating because it is such a light right now.
When it's like, that's exactly what we need.

Speaker 5 Yeah. And people come back so many times.

Speaker 5 There's a couple who has seen the show 16 times as of today. Oh my God.

Speaker 4 Oh, my God.

Speaker 4 So will you write another musical?

Speaker 5 Oh, God.

Speaker 5 When? Yes. I mean, maybe.
I don't know.

Speaker 5 Yes.

Speaker 4 Yes.

Speaker 5 Yeah. Why not? I love it.
Right here, right now. Another musical.

Speaker 4 Will there be a drag, the musical, the movie?

Speaker 5 That'd be great.

Speaker 4 I would love that.

Speaker 5 I would love that too.

Speaker 4 Yeah. Cause again, it's like more people need to see it.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 4 Before I let you go, I would love to play a game with you. Ooh, okay.
It's never have I ever, but money-themed. Okay.
And we're not drinking. So we'll just put our hands up.

Speaker 5 Okay.

Speaker 4 And so if you have done something, you put a finger down.

Speaker 4 Oh, okay. And if you haven't, you keep it up.

Speaker 5 Okay.

Speaker 4 So never have I ever split the check on a first date.

Speaker 4 If you have done it, put your finger down. I have done it.

Speaker 5 I don't think I've done that. You don't think I don't know.

Speaker 5 Again, brain full of holes, but no, I was, no, I was always dating older guys so they would buy stuff for me.

Speaker 4 Never have I ever maxed out a credit card. I don't think I've done that.

Speaker 5 Oh, I have. Wait, I have.

Speaker 5 Okay. Yeah.

Speaker 4 Never have I ever won a cash prize.

Speaker 5 I have. You've done that? I have.
See the finger down. Okay.

Speaker 4 Never have I ever invested in the stock market.

Speaker 5 I have. Haven't.
You haven't?

Speaker 4 We got to get you in there. Okay.
We're going to make you rich.

Speaker 5 Okay, great.

Speaker 4 Never have I ever given a big gift to a friend or family member

Speaker 5 i have done that yeah okay put that finger down never have i ever had credit card debt i feel like i never got credit cards i've had debt before but not credit card debt yeah what kind of debt have you had like student loans yeah yeah i don't think i've had credit card debt either yeah never have i ever played the lottery i have i mean i i think i have i think i got like, do scratchers count?

Speaker 4 Scratchers absolutely count.

Speaker 5 Okay, great. So I have.

Speaker 4 Okay, perfect. Never have I ever been fired from a job.

Speaker 5 I haven't. I have.

Speaker 4 What's that story?

Speaker 5 Yeah, I went to Burning Man

Speaker 5 and I was supposed to come back after three days. And I was like, I'm not leaving.
So I stayed. And so they fired my ass because I was supposed to be back at work.

Speaker 4 You were like, fair enough.

Speaker 5 Oh, what an idiot. I mean, was it worth it?

Speaker 5 Yes. Okay, God.

Speaker 4 All right. We end all of our episodes by asking our guests for a money tip that listeners can take straight to the bank.
And so it can be anything about

Speaker 4 something, a lesson that you've learned, something that you use to save, negotiate, make money, shop, anything.

Speaker 5 Well,

Speaker 5 And I want to address this to drag queens or really anyone.

Speaker 5 I think it's okay to re-wear stuff all the time. I think so.
I think it's great to re-wear costumes or dresses or so I, because I think there's too much cloth, too many clothes in the world.

Speaker 5 So it's good for the environment, but it also is like, it saves you money. And like, if you spend a lot of money on a garment, you should wear it all the time.
Yeah.

Speaker 5 So don't be afraid to re-wear stuff.

Speaker 4 It's like when Tiffany Haddish re-wore a dress that she wore to an award show when she was hosting SNL. And she was like, I need to get my money's worth.

Speaker 5 Please, right? Yeah, like normalize that because why not?

Speaker 5 I think that we should culturally do that.

Speaker 4 I love that. And it saves money.
And it saves money. Good for the environment.

Speaker 5 I'm sold.

Speaker 2 Money Rehab is a production of Money News Network. I'm your host, Nicole Lapin.
Money Rehab's executive producer is Morgan Lavoie. Our researcher is Emily Holmes.
Do you need some Money Rehab?

Speaker 2 And let's be honest, we all do.

Speaker 2 So email us your money questions, moneyrehab at moneynewsnetwork.com to potentially have your questions answered on the show or even have a one-on-one intervention with me.

Speaker 2 And follow us on Instagram at MoneyNews and TikTok at Money News Network for exclusive video content. And lastly, thank you.
No, seriously, thank you.

Speaker 2 Thank you for listening and for investing in yourself. Which is.