Asia Consent is equal parts gorgeous, gory, and downright disgusting. In other words, her drag is a perfect fit for The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula — and her run on Season 666 of the horror-infused drag competition proved it. After racking up three challenge wins with her twisted takes on Art the Clown, Joan Crawford, and Dead by Daylight, Asia earned the crown (and a bloodbath, to boot) in last week’s finale. Now, she’s ready to begin her reign of terror.
INTO caught up with Asia two days after the finale to talk all things Dragula, including her controversial favorite challenge of the season, which of her castmates she wants to see on Titans, and why she deserves a brand deal from Sharpie.
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Hi, Asia! Congrats on becoming America’s current reigning drag supermonster. How have you spent the past day and a half since winning the crown?
It’s been so surreal, oh my goodness. It still doesn’t feel real, because I’ve been kind of just everywhere. As the finale was airing, I was with my home bar in Portland, and got to celebrate with my community, and that was insane. Being able to celebrate with everyone and talk to all the fans, it’s been so amazing. I love these little weirdos that are the fans. I love them so much.
Have you had any especially memorable fan interactions?
Okay, I will tell a little secret. Obviously, I got a tattoo on the show, and as I was doing my club gigs and everything, I would just Sharpie out where it says “Dragula” on the tattoo. So I was like, hopefully people won’t know. But this one night, it rubbed off a little bit, so they were like, “Oh, what’s your tattoo say?” And I was like, “Oh, nothing!” And I tried to cover it up really quick and ran backstage, but that really scared me. I was like, “Oh no, they’re gonna know! They’re gonna know!”
I never considered that the show literally has y’all tattoo a spoiler on your bodies.
I know, yeah! And they know I show my ass and titties in, like, every show that I do, so I was like, “Damn, what am I gonna do?” Sharpie, sponsor me!
The brand deal is incoming. Your run on Dragula was incredible — do you have any favorite on-set memories?
I think probably my favorite moments are anything that I got to share with Drac and Swan, because I was not expecting that going into the show. But they’re really so hands-on with us, and — not to ruin their image that they have their black little hearts and everything — but they’re so sweet. I was not expecting that, and they made the experience so special.
One moment specifically was after we got our little bloodbath, I got to talk to Swan, and she was just saying how proud she was of all of us, and that this is one of the best finales ever. And she gave us hugs, the whole top three, and we were just covered in blood. It was so special, like getting to end the whole summer camp experience with our mom hugging us.
Black trans artists — we were at the forefront of drag and really shaped the revolution.
– Asia Consent
All of the looks you brought this season were amazing. Which one was your favorite?
I think my favorite — which, of course, I did win these challenges, but these two really stood out to me.
Of course, my Episode 1 look, the Art the Clown-inspired look. It was just so Asia: I love doing headpieces. I love making weird, club kiddy type of looks. And that was really my huge inspiration for that, was a glamorous club kid that met Art the Clown. So I love that one.
Also, the Mother’s Day look. I love my mom so much, and I wanted to give the most demented tribute to her. So shout out to my mom! I call her Mama Consent; she comes to all my shows. She actually showed me Mommie Dearest when I was little, and she was like, “See, I’ll never be this awful of a mother.” [laughs] And I love that! That really just stuck in my head when I was thinking of Holiday of Horrors.
What’s your favorite look that another competitor brought to the season?
Oh, damn. Okay, I know that Pi went home on this look, but one of my favorite looks of all time was Pi’s Frankenhooker look. Phenomenal. If you look at the silhouette and the way that the body parts are coming together, it’s such a feast for the eyes. It’s absolutely lovely. And then when she turned around, the “NO LOAD REFUSED” with the nasty hole — like, I loved it. And it’s not just because she’s my alliance sister. She’s such an amazingly talented artist. I love Pi.
Beyond your favorite looks, what was your favorite challenge? Which category really spoke to you?
Okay, it’s gonna sound crazy, because honestly, I was very nervous going into the challenge, but I really loved the musical challenge. I actually really love musicals; I’ve been to Broadway many times, and I’ve seen so many of them. So yeah, I really liked the musical challenge. It was very different for Dragula, but I liked that they took a risk with it and saw where we went with it. That might be a hot take, but I thought it was super fun. And it was like, alright, I got to be off, off, off-Broadway on Dragula.
I loved the musical challenge! I thought it was camp.
It was very camp. I was not expecting the live singing. That was fun, though. It really pushed all of us to be like, “Damn. We really have to actually sing.”
I didn’t know you were a Broadway girl! What are your favorite musicals?
Beetlejuice on Broadway. Like, so amazing. I still listen to the soundtrack; so good. And then also, I would say Sweeney Todd. The movie is good, but on Broadway? Phenomenal. Phenomenal. Honestly, I think that’s probably the best one, but Beetlejuice is a very close second. Love both of those.
Appropriately spooky picks. Going back to challenges, what would be your dream challenge to see on Dragula?
What I would love to see is a design challenge: they hand us the materials there, and we have to do something with these awful materials. I would love to see something like, “Oh, you have to make a complete outfit out of toilet paper,” or like, “You have to make it out of trash bags.” I would love to see crafting like that on the set.
In the finale, the Boulet Brothers teased that another season of Titans might be coming soon. Who from your season would you love to see come back for a second chance on Titans?
First person that comes to mind is Grey Matter. I mean, he is absolutely phenomenal, and gives me Victoria Elizabeth Black on Titans 1 vibes. Yeah, I could totally see Grey there.
Also, Aurora. I would love to see her have another shot at the show. She’s so amazing, and I would love to see the haunting, beautiful glamor that she’d be able to bring for the entire show. So I would love to see those two.
It doesn’t matter who you are out of drag; it’s what you bring to the stage.
– Asia Consent
The finale also saw you open up about what it’s like to be a Black, trans alternative artist in drag spaces that don’t always make room for you. What did it mean to share that side of yourself on this platform, and what do you hope Dragula fans can take away from your message and your journey on the show?
I think it can be very scary, being vulnerable for the world to see. But I know that if I’m struggling with it, that there’s probably many other people that feel the same way, or know someone that has felt the same way. So I’m very glad that I was able to talk about that on the show. And you know, even Jaharia, when we were getting the tattoo extermination, got to talk about it a little bit too — even someone there has experienced something similar. So it’s nice to know that you’re not alone in that, and I hope that this does change the tides a little bit.
With me being the winner of Dragula, showing that Black trans artists — we were at the forefront of drag and really shaped the revolution with Stonewall and everything. And I really hope that people open their minds a little more to be like, “Oh, drag isn’t just men dressing up as women.”
It’s gotten better over the years. Now, we get to see more trans artists, we get to see AFAB performers as well, and I’m so into it. Drag kings! We need every type of drag monster out there. And I’m so glad that Dragula as a platform has shown that multiple times, like with Sigourney Beaver and Throb Zombie and Jarvis Hammer, and I’m really glad that they’re not afraid to put whoever on the show. It doesn’t matter who you are out of drag; it’s what you bring to the stage.
I’ve always loved that about the show too, the diversity of drag represented, in both the artists themselves and the ways that they do drag. That came up on your season too, with people asking, “Oh, is Grey Matter really doing drag?” But I thought it was explained very well in the finale — like, yes, obviously.
I know. And like, Grey will throw on a heel and an eyelash! He is not afraid to do it. Even his monochrome look, I love that he’s just like this complete monster, and then just has these feather eyelashes on. I was like, “Yes, you better put those eyelashes on, Grey!” I love it.
We’re learning from the past — not going to be a Victoria Elizabeth Black alien in this moment.
No! [laughs] Robbed. I’ll say it right now, she was robbed. But, you know, if she did put an eyelash on, maybe she would have won.
I feel like my win couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. It’s really just a “f*ck you” to everything that’s going on right now.
– Asia Consent
She got her crown eventually, so it all worked out. Now that you’re officially America’s next drag supermonster, what do you want to do with your reign?
One littler thing I want to do is I definitely want to stream on Twitch. I love video games; I’m such a nerd. So I really want to do that and have some of my Season 6 sisters with me. I also want to star in movies and make art films. I love making costumes and stuff, but I want to be behind the camera and in front of the camera and do things of that nature.
And of course, performing and seeing all the fans and all the Consensuals out there. Meeting some of the fans has been so surreal, just because they’ve had some hard times. There’s some people that have not really had the best experience being queer in America, especially now. It’s a really difficult time with everything going on politically, and I feel like my win couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. It’s really just a “f*ck you” to everything that’s going on right now.
I met someone last night that just came out of a very conservative household and everything, and they’re having a rough time with that. And I just want to meet more people, share all the love that I can, and show them that if they don’t have love in their family, you can find family out there. I love all the little weirdos out there. I can’t wait to meet every single one of them, give them all a hug, and maybe give them a little filth as well.
I’m curious (and scared) what “giving them a little filth” looks like in practice, but that’s a beautiful mission.
I’m just super excited to spread the trans mon-starness that I have in me. ♦
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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