Whether podcasting on his newest audio iteration GAY AF or sitting down with our favorite queens on the Hey Qween (with new episodes airing on WOW Presents Plus now), Jonny McGovern is a proven maven at absolutely everything he does. As his chats with RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16’s eliminated contestants become must-see streaming, I sat down for an extensive chat with McGovern. We dished about the brand new season of Hey Qween, collaborating with Kevin Aviance, and the legendary stars that he would love to have join him in the Hey Qween chair!
Michael Cook: It is 2024 and Hey Qween is officially back and on WOW Presents Plus! The fans are obviously thrilled for the show to be back, but what does it feel like for you to have such a wildly popular show return?
Jonny McGovern: I’m thrilled. It’s really incredible to have the dream of the show, which from the beginning was to be able to be part of the family and have access to the queens and different elements of the show and to work with the Emmy- winning team at World of Wonder. This is really the dream realized; I am thrilled-and I am having so much fun.
MC: What changes have you noticed about the world of drag in the past decade?
JMG: The queens each year are getting younger & younger and they all stated doing drag…I mean you can get taught by YouTube how to do drag! You can see performances by the legends on YouTube. You used to have to move to New York, join the underground scene, join the ballroom or the nightclub world, stay up until five o’clock in the morning, just so you could see Kevin Aviance or any of those people show you what legends are made of. Now it’s like the encyclopedia of drag is available at your fingertips. If you are a thirteen year old in love with the the idea of drag, you can dive in and do your research. As someone who at thirteen was a big researcher of culture, I can relate. I had to go to the library to look at issues of Jet Magazine on microfiche, you know what I mean?! (Laughs)!
MC: You mentioned the legendary Kevin Aviance and it is truly a joy seeing him get his flowers and be featured with you on Hey Qween. What it is like getting an opportunity to feature him on Hey Qween and helping shine that light on him that is so richly deserved?
JMG: Kevin Aviance has been my favorite drag queen since I moved to New York and I saw him in New York at The Roxy and at Twilo. We’ve become good friends over the years and when we were talking about whether we would have a co-host or any element like that, I really didn’t think that there was anyone that could fill in for Lady Red Couture in the full capacity; that’s a chemistry that cannot be duplicated and I wouldn’t want to put somebody in that position. I did think that I wanted to have a part of the show that did have an element of that Lady Red intro and there was truly one person that I could think of to do it, and it was Kevin.
Not only did Kevin and Lady Red really love each other, but Kevin really means something to me. He was my entre’ to the world of drag and to the world of club performances. I love that he is having this moment and I thought that if there is one person that could evoke the spirit of Lady Red..I mean they both can make fashion out of anything, they are one hundred percent themselves at all times..it was Kevin. I called him up and told him I had a “little question for you” ….and he said “Girl, of course, anything you need I’ll be there, I love it”! He called me on the day of the shoot and said “Girl, Lady Red was here, I could feel her”. It was beautiful and I love Kevin. I think it’s a true treat for me to have him as part of every episode. And we all get to enjoy those looks that he’s serving
MC: The seat that Lady Red Couture filled at Hey Qween made for some truly magical moments. What is a facet of Lady Red that you consistently found hilarious?
JMG: She lived with me, we drove to set together, and I would arrange to make sure that the outfits and everything were there; Lady Red was simply uncensored and herself. She would roll her eyes, not pay attention, fall asleep sometimes (laughs)! She could never not be herself which is why she was so incredible on the show and with us together. Those moments of just unbridled Lady Red-ness are what make me smile and laugh. There are so many different memories of her; there was no showbiz pretense. She would hit the set and do what she wanted and that was the chaos element that really added something to the show; and something to my life.
MC: With Hey Qween returning on WOW Presents Plus after a hiatus, is there anyone that you are absolutely dying to get into the chair after this season on RuPaul’s Drag Race is over?
JMG: There are a couple people that I have never gotten to talk to from the Drag Race family. Alyssa Edwards has never had a sit down on Hey Qween, and I would love to really talk to her, I would love to get RuPaul again, that is a dream. It is very exciting though, to talk to “the girls”. My personal taste of people that I wanted to get on the show are the people that were stars to me when I was very young. Kevin Aviance, Junior Vasquez, Martha Wash, those are my dream guests! As far as Drag Race goes, anyone that is one of the big girls…I haven’t had Naomi Smalls, I haven’t had Kim Chi, so many people who are doing so many amazing things, Monét X Change has never been on…I would love to get the chance to chat with them.
It is so exciting to see what I consider home grown stars. We’ve never as queer people, had stars made so quickly and then not have a glass ceiling to hit. They’ve been able to take this “gay-lebrity” and it only gets bigger; some of these girls are millionaires. That is really something that just happened in the last decade and it is exciting to see; it is something that I need to talk about with all those girls!
MC: Sitting down with the legends that helped raise us is truly a surreal moment isn’t it? I’ve been privileged to interview Junior Vasquez several times and its always like unlocking a treasure trove…
JMG:I did a podcast interview with Junior which I swear was about two hours. I don’t think he was expecting the deepest dive that he got. He and Kevin’s relationship was such a fascinating dynamic and endlessly entertaining to me, there were just so many things that I wanted to know.
MC: You have also brought back your podcast, and you are doing the main show, Jonny McGovern is Gay AF, solo. You truly take up the space on your own and are able to showcase your own pop culture knowledge and interest.
JMG: You know, I love doing podcasts with other people. I still on my Patreon get together with that same group of Gay Pimpin’ and Gayest of All Time people and do it. For GAF, I wanted to give you a classic Wendy Williams vibe. Wendy Williams could get in front the mic and uncensored, give every one of her opinions, spill all of the team, give all of the blind items, the gossip, the whatever else, and give you an experience like you were talking to your girlfriends. That is what I like to do on GAF; we are looking at pop culture through my very homosexual senses and talking about the things that I think are interesting or important.
Whether that is the big stories of the day or every gay rumor on the internet about Diddy or every blind item about Hugh Jackman or which Only Fans creators are gay baiting, and which are worth the money or giving fake videos. There are not a lot of places where you can hear the really queer tea, and that is what I like to give. I like people to feel like it’s just me and you and I am just whispering in your ear and just telling you everything that I think.
MC: You truly went in deep on some of the stories about some of those people on GAF and it was absolutely engrossing to listen to!
JMG: I really wanted to pull every clip, if there is a reference or an interview, I can do it. We all think as pop culture aficionados, “yeah everyone knows this”, but everyone doesn’t know those things. I love to open up these little worlds and I am even learning stuff when I start to go deep! I love that it’s unfiltered, uncensored, there are no ads so I can bow to no one and can say whatever I want, that is what makes a great show.
MC: The days of Mr. Black in New York City are that of legend. When you look back on that stage of your career, what many would consider your launching pad, is it like looking at someone else’s life?
JMG: That whole era, it definitely was wild. I am really happy that I could have those wild days and be part of that scene because it continues to influence me to this day. Even with the creation of Hey Qween the original elements of Hey Qween had Lady Red representing drag, the trophy at the end of the show representing ballroom, the lap dancing go go boys, all of that nightlife stuff has fully influenced everything that I do throughout my career. I just go to bed early now and don’t drink or do drugs anymore so I see everything very clearly. I regret nothing though, I had a great time, I partied my face off, I made so many close friends. I still collaborate with all of the same people from that era and they continue to inspire me.
Kevin, Erika Toure Aviance, Adam Joseph, all of those people are still part of my life and we’ve just now matured into making professional creative things. We were in such a fantastic bubble at that time, I think I had looked at the internet once, I barely checked my email! There were no outside influences to tell you you were dumb or horrible. Now, you have to have such a think skin and black out the comments becuase if you want the good ones, you know the bad ones are also going to be there. At that time, we had such a beautifully delusional nightlife bubble and fully create and do what we wanted without hearing judgment from everyone else. That was really important time for me and I often try to dive back into that delusion and try to pretend that there are no outside voices; it’s healthier for me (laughs)!
MC: One through line throughout your career has been collaboration; you seem to have a talent for collaborating with people that truly bring out the best in you and vice versa. How do you think it is that you seem to choose the perfect collaborators?
JMG: You know what it is, I think especially back in those early NYC days and with Hey Qween, I’ll meet someone with so much charisma and star power… I love to see a star in the wild! Especially back in the day, we had to create our stars. When we were in nightlife, you could say this go-go boy was the poster boy, this queen we are going to showcase every week and make them the star. We would be inspired by the big pop campaigns that Janet and Madonna would do and we would do our own little version of that. I will see someone with star potential and I will want to help do it. I think, they’ll be good at a song or put them on a show because their point of view is incredible.
Everyone that is on the Gay Pimpin’ podcast was a star to me. I love to share the spotlight and for me, it is more fun when you are not doing everything alone and you all can raise up. That is something that has continued though my whole life, even through Lady Red and what we’re dong now on Hey Qween, it is about celebratingthe queens and making them feel good. We want to celebrate them and we want all of our guests too leave the pink couch feeling great and celebrated. That is what love to do.
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