Jinkx Monsoon

by Christian Lisseman / The Big Issue North / courtesy of INSP.ngo

“We all have an alter ego, a superhero persona inside of us,” says Jerick Hoffer. “Drag shows us that it’s okay to have different facets of your personality and to want to explore those different sides of yourself.”

Hoffer’s own alter ego is Jinkx Monsoon. Citing influences such as Lucille Ball and Madeline Kahn, Jinkx is, Hoffer says, “all my favourite comedians filtered through a crude impersonation of my mother. At her core she’s a single mother who has big dreams and is desperately grasping at fame. And she’s a bit of a lush and a bit of a slut.

“That’s not a comment on my mother’s sexuality. It’s more a commentary on my own. I feel like Jinkx is the place where I put all my naughty behavior. I get my demons out on stage so I don’t carry them with me.”

Jinkx Monsson

Tim Harmon photo

Channelled through Jinkx, Hoffer’s performances include acerbic comedy, satire, impersonations (Bette Davis is particularly spot on) and singing. It was that combination of talents that led to Jinkx taking the crown in Ru- Paul’s Drag Race in 2013.

For those who don’t know, Ru- Paul’s Drag Race is a reality TV talent show that started a decade ago. The queen of queens RuPaul presides over the competition alongside a panel of regular and guest judges as a selection of drag artists undergo various trials to be crowned America’s next drag superstar.

Jinkx’s surname comes from Adina Monsoon from the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. “I feel like I’m on the same page with my audiences in the UK. My sense of humor is esoteric and eclectic, delivered with a deadpan dryness and that works really well there.”

Hoffer uses the pronoun “she” when talking about Jinkx, but “they” when talking about having come out as gender nonbinary a few years ago, even recording a song about it: "Just Me (The Gender Binary Blues)."

“I always knew I didn’t identify as male but I also didn’t identify as female,” says Hoffer. “And I never really felt like I knew exactly where I sat on the whole gender spectrum. And when we started having the conversation that many people don’t adhere to the constraints that we’ve been given, that’s when I started to realize the way I wanted to live the rest of my life. I’ve become really passionate about spreading that kind of open-mindedness towards the conversation about gender.”

Hoffer first performed in drag at the age of 16 in hometown Portland, Oregon. They moved to Seattle to study acting and established Jinkx Monsoon as a well-known presence on the Seattle drag scene while also taking on a number of other theatre roles. Inspired to audition for Drag Race by the previous year’s winner, Sharon Needles – another character-driven avantgarde performer – winning the Drag Race crown is something Hoffer is immensely proud of.

“I was taught in acting school that there was this term called arte, where better art is created in competition. And I look back at my time on Drag Race and how such a rigorous competition caused me in so many ways to up my game as a drag performer and really focused my passion and my interest. I came out of it a much stronger artist and I’m grateful for that.”

Since winning, Hoffer has developed a number of stage shows and released two albums as Jinkx. Jinkx Monsoon is, indeed, more famous than Hoffer. Does she take over Hoffer’s life?

“Yes and no. When I go out to a gay bar [before the pandemic] I can assume that I’m going to be recognized so I prepare myself for that. But then I can be in an airport or a fast food place or something – I’ve gotten really good at snapping into Jinkx when I meet someone randomly in the street.

“When I feel most sorry is when I’m out with friends or my boyfriend and they have to wait patiently while I take a selfie. But I’m starting to have the career I’ve always wanted, doing things that I dreamt of doing as a kid, and if the trade-off is saying hello and taking a selfie here and there, then I’m cool with that.”