Latrice Royale is drag royalty. After her breakout appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4, followed by All Stars 1 and All Stars 4, she has gone on to build a thriving global career as a touring performer.
Her alter ego, Timothy K Wilcots, was born in California and raised in Compton, Los Angeles. He began performing in drag simply to make his friends laugh, eventually taking to the stage at nightclubs.
Before finding fame, Wilcots served several months in prison in 2006 for violating probation following an earlier arrest for carrying marijuana and clonazepam without a prescription.
Making it to the top four on RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2012 catapulted Latrice into the international spotlight and cemented her reputation as one of the most beloved queens in drag herstory.
Latrice’s South African tour in November will feature a star-studded line-up, including her husband, musician and vocalist Christopher Hamblin, and three of South Africa’s most celebrated drag performers: Manila Von Teez, Kat Gilardi, and Stella Rosé.
Ahead of the shows in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Latrice spoke to MambaOnline about her career, right-wing attacks on drag, marriage equality, and what fans can expect from her live performance.
A South African Homecoming
You’re returning to South Africa after more than a decade. What stands out in your memory from your last visit, and what are you most looking forward to this time around?
Well, how beautiful the culture was! Like, I have never felt so embraced. I felt like I was at home, and I yearned to come back. I made a lot of wonderful connections there while I was there. So this is like a homecoming for me. I’m so excited to see everybody’s growth. How much has changed and evolved since I was there last, because I know the girls were turning it then, but now that they got more resources, I can’t wait to see them!
Give us a sense of what people can expect from the show. What kind of experience are they going to have?
Well, one of the things that people don’t realise is that I do sing, and so this is going to be a live vocal show – it’s mixed live vocal. It’s transformative; you get to learn and hear my stories through song. We gonna Kiki, I’m gonna dish, throw some shade. It’s comedy, it’s joy, it’s heart, it’s everything. And when you leave there, you’re transformed. And people are saying that they’ve never, ever experienced anything like that. I tell my audience; this is like going to church and therapy. [Laughs] So, you’re gonna feel real good when you leave!
And your husband is part of the show! Tell us what it’s like working with him.
Christopher has been, pun intended, instrumental in my whole singing career – he’s the one that inspired me and motivated me to start singing, because he plays piano. He has become not only my musical director, but my vocal coach. It’s real magical to see the way we interact on stage. You know, it’s very special. And you see our love through the show. We talk about it, and you understand how we met and got to be where we are. It’s just really, really a dream come true to be able to work with your spouse, the person that you love the most, and make magic happen.
Breaking Barriers for Big Queens
You’ve long been a powerful voice for body positivity and embracing being “large and in charge” and “chunky and funky.” Do you think attitudes towards plus-size drag artists have changed?
I think we have grown and evolved… I mean, you know, of course, skinny is preferable for a lot of people’s palettes for drag, but when you see a polished big girl, you can’t deny they’re fierce, you know what I mean? And so, it doesn’t matter what size you are. And so that’s why we have kind of broken some barriers along the years to get rid of the stereotypes that big queens are lazy or sloppy or not as fabulous.
You are also an ordained minister who’s officiated same-sex weddings. What are your thoughts on concerns that the US Supreme Court might overturn marriage equality?
I fought very hard for marriage equality. That was my journey, and fighting for it is what led me to actually wanting to get married after it passed. So, the idea of that even being a consideration, I haven’t even fully grasped that. I don’t see it happening. I really don’t, and I could be wrong, but I’m gonna fight. We’ve already won this battle, so it’s like, for me, it’s just stupid to be rehashing and undoing things that aren’t affecting anybody else’s life. My marriage has nothing to do with anybody else, and so I don’t understand why anybody’s in my business. That’s the whole thing that’s puzzling to me. You’re so concerned about my business… just let me live. I’m living!
Beyond entertainment, what do you believe is the deeper role and value of the art of drag?
Well, it has had a huge impact on the world at large and people of all races, genders, and sexualities. It doesn’t matter who you are, drag inspires people. It motivates you. It teaches you that there is a better person inside of you. There’s a creative person inside of you, there’s a fiercest inside of you, there’s a rebel inside of you. So, you know, drag is a protest! It’s the anti-everything. We’re gonna throw out all the rules, and we are gonna just play, and create, and that’s the way it should be.
Confronting Conservative Attacks on Drag
Drag has also come under fire recently, with conservative groups in the US trying to ban drag performances. What’s your response to this and to misconceptions like the idea that drag is a danger to young people?
I was on a show called We’re Here on HBO and Max, and we were actually in the trenches in these small towns in America, going to find out the root of the fear, of the hate and where it’s coming from. And you know, it’s wild to think that the people who have the most opinions about drag have never met a drag queen, never been to a drag show, and don’t really know what drag is, and so they only repeat things they’ve heard. Educate yourself! Willful ignorance, to me, is the epitome of stupidity – like you just want to be dumb! You want to have something to be mad about. Those people I don’t have time for. Like, we’re not here to change your mind. I’m not trying to convert you. You can believe what you want to believe, but don’t have your belief infringe upon my life, period!
There’s been buzz around a possible South African version of Drag Race, which would be a first for Africa. What are your thoughts about that, and what advice would you give to potential contestants?
Yes, I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz, and, you know, I was like, Yeah, I’m throwing my ring in to come and be a judge! [Laughs] It is way past time, and I’m so excited at the prospect of it happening. For all the artists who are going to audition, be authentic. Be real. Be yourself. Don’t go in pre-produced and have a canned act ready to go for what you think that the world wants to see. Be you, that’s what the world wants to see. Let them fall in love with you, authentically and organically, and then have your talent back it up. I promise you, you’ll have more success that way.
Resilience, Redemption and Legacy
You’ve spoken about resilience and redemption in your journey. What lessons or experiences have most shaped the person and performer you are today?
Well, you know, it’s humbling going to prison. [Laughs] That will change some things, and you might gain some perspective and some wisdom. It’s okay to make mistakes… Get up and look sickening, and make them eat it, because that’s the building blocks of life. That’s what makes you better. And I try to learn lessons in every situation in my life, when things are going not the way as planned. Instead of being, you know, whiny and crybaby about it, find the lesson, find the reason and be solution-oriented in that way. You’re not dwelling on what’s going wrong, you’re focused on making it right.
Looking back on your career, what do you hope your legacy will be as a performer and as someone who’s used drag to inspire and liberate others?
You know, I want people to just know and remember that I was here for everyone, and I wanted everyone to be their best selves and to channel that inner diva and love themselves and accept nothing less than what they would do for themselves from anybody else.
Latrice Royale Show Details
CAPE TOWN PERFORMANCE
Venue: Barnyard Theatre, Tygervalley Shopping Centre, Bellville
Date: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Time: Show starts at 20:00
Tickets: From R430 each – available at Webtickets.co.za
JOHANNESBURG PERFORMANCE
Venue: The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City
Date: Friday, 21 November 2025
Time: Show starts at 20:00
Tickets: From R275 – available at Webtickets.co.za
