Katya Zamolodchikova
American drag queen (born 1982) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brian Joseph McCook (born May 1, 1982), known by his drag persona Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova[a] (Russian: Екатери́на Петро́вна Замоло́дчикова), or mononymously as Katya (Russian: Ка́тя), is an American drag queen, actor, author, recording artist, podcaster, and comedian. Katya is best known for placing fifth on the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and placing as a runner-up on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, as well as for appearing in the World of Wonder web series UNHhhh and the Viceland series The Trixie & Katya Show with co-host and fellow season 7 alum Trixie Mattel.[2][3] Trixie and Katya often appear together as a popular comedy duo.
Katya Zamolodchikova | |
|---|---|
Катя Замолодчикова | |
.jpg) Katya Zamolodchikova in 2018 | |
| Born | Brian Joseph McCook May 1, 1982 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Boston University Massachusetts College of Art and Design (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2006–present[1] |
| Known for | |
| Title | Miss Congeniality |
| Predecessor | BenDeLaCreme |
| Successor | Cynthia Lee Fontaine |
YouTube information | |
| Subscribers | 279k (December 20, 2024) |
| Views | 20 million (October 25, 2023) |
| Associated acts | Trixie Mattel |
| Website | welovekatya |
Early life and education
Brian Joseph McCook was born on May 1, 1982,[4][5] to Pat and Dan McCook.[6][7] McCook is of Irish descent and was raised in a Catholic household with an older brother and a younger sister.[8] McCook was raised in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and graduated from Marlborough High School in 2001.[9] In a 2019 interview, McCook described growing up as "boring, nondescript, [and] a boiler-plate white suburb".[10] He then attended Boston University for one year before transferring to Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where he studied video and performance art in the Studio for Interrelated Media (SIM) program with a minor in psychology, and first became interested in drag.[9][11]
Career
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Perspective
Early drag career
McCook created the Russian drag character Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova in 2006, taking the stage name from a combination of Russian names and one of his favorite gymnasts, Elena Zamolodchikova.[12] When creating his drag character, McCook stated that he was inspired by "female comedians and just funny interesting women like Tracy Ullman, Maria Bamford, Lana Del Rey [and] Amy Sedaris."[13] McCook stated on Drag Race that the Russian-based aspect of his persona was inspired by a professor he had while studying at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, who "never left the house without a full face of makeup [with] six inch stilettos in the snow."[14] McCook is not of Russian descent himself, but took several Russian language courses and used a cassette tape called "Pronounce It Perfectly" to master the accent.[15]
As Katya, McCook hosted a monthly drag show called "Perestroika" at the Jacques Cabaret.[16] Katya became known on the local drag scene in Boston for performing songs by popular Russian artists such as Alla Pugacheva, t.A.T.u. and Glukoza.
RuPaul's Drag Race
Katya auditioned for RuPaul's Drag Race on Logo TV four times before being chosen to participate in season 7.[17] She is seen auditioning for the show back in Season 3's Casting Extravaganza. She won two challenges before being eliminated in episode 11, finishing in fifth place after losing a lip-sync against Kennedy Davenport. The decision to eliminate her was controversial, as she was popular among viewers.[18] During the Season 7 reunion, she was voted Miss Congeniality by fans. On May 16, 2016, Katya appeared at the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8 to crown the next Miss Congeniality: Cynthia Lee Fontaine. On June 17, 2016, Katya was announced as one of the cast members on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars.[19] She placed in the top three times throughout the season, and eventually finished as a runner-up along with fellow contestant Detox.
Other projects
Katya has uploaded several web series on her YouTube channel, "welovekatya",[20] including RuGRETs, RuFLECTIONS, Drag 101, Total RuCall, and Irregardlessly Trish, the last of which is about a Bostonian hairdresser who lives in a dumpster. Katya improvises some of her material and also writes with a creative partner, Avi Paul Weinstein.
In November 2015, Katya appeared on the Christmas Queens album, singing a modified version of the song "12 Days of Christmas".[21] Katya also features in Trixie Mattel's album Homemade Christmas in the song "The Night Before Contact".[22]
Along with fellow Drag Race contestant Trixie Mattel, Katya co-hosts a web series on the World of Wonder YouTube channel called UNHhhh,[23] which debuted in March 2016. On August 21, 2017, it was announced that Katya and Mattel would have their own show on Viceland, titled The Trixie & Katya Show, which premiered on November 15, 2017.[24]
Katya had a role in the 2018 film Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia With Hate, directed by Matt Kugelman and starring Bianca del Rio in the lead role. In 2018, Katya co-hosted a podcast called Whimsically Volatile with Craig MacNeil.[25] In November 2019, it was announced on the podcast that Katya will be leaving the show.[26] In the fall of 2018, Katya and Mattel revitalized their web series UNHhhh on WOWPresents Plus as well as YouTube due to the overall popularity and success of the show.
In the spring of 2019, Katya announced her touring comedy show, "Help Me, I'm Dying". The tour was filmed for a comedy special of the same name that aired on OutTV in Canada in October 2019.[27] It was available on demand in February 2020 and aired on Logo TV on March 4, 2020.[28] In November 2019, Katya and Mattel cohosted a new show on the Netflix YouTube channel called I Like to Watch where they react to various shows on Netflix.[29] In June 2019, a panel of judges from New York magazine placed Katya 13th on their list of "the most powerful drag queens in America", a ranking of 100 former Drag Race contestants.[30]
She released her first book, Trixie and Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood, on July 14, 2020.[31] Published by Plume Books, it was co-written with fellow Drag Race contestant Mattel, debuting at number two on The New York Times Best Seller list for "Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous".[32]
In 2020, Katya and co-host Trixie Mattel launched the weekly podcast "The Bald and The Beautiful."[33] In October Katya confirmed she would release her debut EP Vampire Fitness on November 13.[34] In December, it was announced that Katya and Mattel would co-host the 10th Streamy Awards in Los Angeles.[35]
In August 2021, Katya and Mattel launched a Substack advice newsletter, Gooped,[36] which ran until July 2022.[37]
In 2024 Katya began hosting the sex-positive podcast Who's the Asshole? for Grindr. Early guests included Orville Peck, Jordan Firstman, Trace Lysette and Saucy Santana.[38]
Personal life
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Perspective
In addition to Russian, McCook can also speak French.[39][40] McCook underwent hip replacement surgery in 2023.[41][42]
McCook became friends with Brian Firkus (Trixie Mattel) after they starred on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Speaking about their first joint appearance on World of Wonder's Fashion Photo RuView web series, McCook said: "We weren't that close of friends in the beginning, we didn't know that much about each other. It was never pitched as 'two iconic best friends', it actually turned into a close friendship."[43]
McCook has spoken openly about his experiences with substance abuse, including addiction to alcohol, cocaine, and crystal meth.[44] In January 2018, McCook announced a hiatus from drag for mental health reasons, and his comedy tour as Katya, "Help Me, I'm Dying", was postponed until spring 2019.[45][46] In the first episode of Whimsically Volatile in March 2018, McCook discussed the hiatus in detail. He described suffering a psychotic break after a methamphetamine relapse and briefly returning to live with his family in Massachusetts before entering a rehabilitation center in Arizona.[47] As Katya in a 2022 episode of UNHhhh, McCook shared that he had gotten his tattoos during a manic episode while on drugs but that he did not regret getting them.[48] In April 2024, McCook announced that he would be returning to rehab, postponing upcoming "The Bald and The Beautiful" tour dates.[49]
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself (in drag) | Season 3 - Episode 1, audition clip | |
| 2015 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself (in drag) | Season 7 – placed 5th, won Miss Congeniality | [50] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | Herself (in drag) | Season 7 | ||
| 2016 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself (in drag) | Season 8, Episode 10: "Grand Finale" | [51] |
| Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul | Herself (panelist) | Season 1, Episode 2: "Featuring Amber Rose" | [52] | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Herself (in drag) | Season 2 – Runner-up Season 8 – Special Guest; Episode: "Carson Kressley, This Is Your Gay Life" |
[53] | |
| 2017 | Playing House | Herself (in drag) | Season 3, Episode 8: "Reverse the Curse" | |
| Christmas Queens | Herself (in drag)/Trish | Holiday special | ||
| @midnight | Herself (in drag) | Season 4, Episode 121 | ||
| 2017–2018 | The Trixie & Katya Show | Herself (co-host in and out of drag) | Co-host, 9 episodes | |
| 2018 | America's Next Top Model | Herself (in drag) | Cycle 24, Episode 6 | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself (in drag) | Season 10, Episode 1 | ||
| Room 104 | Ochin'priyatna | Season 2, Episode 3: "Swipe Right" | ||
| 2019 | Tales of the City | Wedding officiant | Episode 7: "Next Level Sh*t" | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Herself (in drag) | Season 1, Episode 6 | ||
| Help Me, I'm Dying | Herself (in drag)/Trish | Television comedy special | [28] | |
| Eastsiders | Summer Clearance | 2 episodes | ||
| 2020 | AJ and the Queen | Magda | Episode 2: "Pittsburgh" | |
| Love, Victor | Herself (in drag) | Season 1, Episode 8: "Boys' Trip" | ||
| 2021 | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee | Herself (in drag) | Season 6, Episode 2 | |
| Lucifer | Drag Queen | Season 6, Episode 2: "Buckets of Baggage" | [54] | |
| The Browns | Matchmaka | Season 2, Episode 5: "Family Function" | ||
| 2022 | Ziwe | Herself (in drag) | Season 2, Episode 6: "Gay Pride!" | [55] |
| Trixie Motel | Herself (in drag) | Episode 8: "Pride Grand Opening" | [56] | |
| RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race | Herself (in drag) | Season 2, Episode 4: "Drag Duet" | [57] | |
| Dr. Jackie: Unlicensed Psychotherapist | Herself (in drag) | Episode 1 | [58] | |
| Sketchy Queens | Herself (out of drag) | Episode 3: "Stage Moms Are People Too" | ||
| The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Titans | Herself (in drag) | Episode 6: "The Ugly Ladies of Wrestling Rematch!" | [59] | |
| From Katya with Love | Herself (co-host) | 8 episode reality series on OutTV USA | [60] | |
| 2023 | The Boulet Brothers' Halfway to Halloween TV Special | Herself (in drag) | Halloween special | |
| Trixie & Katya Live: The Last Show | Herself (in drag) | Veeps special | ||
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | RuFLECTIONS | Herself (in drag) | Chronicling her time on RuPaul's Drag Race season 7 | [61] |
| RuGRETS | [62] | |||
| Irregardlessly Trish | Trish | Series following one of her alter-egos, Trish | [63] | |
| Bestie$ for Ca$h | Herself (in drag) | 1 episode | [64] | |
| Transformations | Herself (out of drag) | 1 episode | [65] | |
| Fashion Photo RuView | Herself (in drag) | Guest co-host for one episode (with Trixie Mattel) | [66] | |
| 2015-2016 | Whatcha Packin' | Herself (out of drag) | 2 episodes | |
| 2016 | I'm Not a Doctor, with Dr. Katya | Herself (in drag) | Produced by World of Wonder | [67] |
| Drag 101 | [68] | |||
| Total RuCall | Chronicling her time on RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race season 2 | [69] | ||
| 2016–2017 | Hey Qween! | 2 episodes | ||
| 2016–present | UNHhhh | Herself (co-host in drag) | Produced by World of Wonder, with Trixie Mattel | [70] |
| 2017 | Painted by Fame | Herself (out of drag) | 1 episode | [71] |
| 2017, 2019–2022 | The Pit Stop | Herself (in drag) | 6 episodes | |
| 2018 | Fashion Photo RuView | Guest co-host for four episodes (with Violet Chachki) | [72][73] | |
| 2019 | Exposed | 1 episode | [74][75] | |
| Runway Rewind | Guest co-host for four episodes (with Violet Chachki) | |||
| 2019–present | I Like to Watch | Herself (co-host in drag) | Produced by Netflix, with Trixie Mattel | [76] |
| 2020 | Trixie and Katya Save the World | Produced by World of Wonder | [77] | |
| 10th Annual Streamy Awards | Co-host in drag with Trixie Mattel, aired on YouTube | [78] | ||
| 2021 | Out of the Closet | Herself (out of drag) | 1 episode | [79] |
| 2022 | Good for You | Herself (in drag) | ||
| 2023 | Sissy That Talk Show | |||
| Sissy That Talk Show/The After Show Podcast | ||||
| I've Had It | Herself (out of drag) | |||
| Just Sayin' | ||||
| 2024 | That's Personal! | Herself (in drag) | ||
| Very Delta | ||||
| Tammie Talks | Herself (out of drag) | |||
| Raw & Real: The Truth Be Told | Herself (in drag) | |||
| The Comment Section | Herself (out of drag) |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Redmond Hand, Private Dick | Informant | Short film | [80] |
| 2017 | Sebastian | Xenia | [81] | |
| 2018 | Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate | Katya/Mitya | [82] | |
| The Quiet Room | David | Short film | [83] | |
| 2019 | Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts | Herself | Documentary | |
| The Queens | Herself | [84] | ||
| Ru's Angels | The Wig Snatcher | Short film | [85] | |
Podcast series
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-2019 | Whimsically Volatile | Herself | |
| 2020–present | The Bald and the Beautiful | [86] | |
| 2021 | Hot White Heist | Sorokin | [87] |
| 2024–present | Who's the A**hole? | Host/Herself | |
| 2024 | Hot White Heist 2 | Sorokin |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Other Artists |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Drag U" | RuPaul |
| "12 Days of Christmas" | ||
| 2016 | "Thigh High" | Electric Street Queens |
| 2020 | "Come in Brazil" | Alaska Thunderfuck |
| "Ding Dong!" | Trixie Mattel | |
| "Be Your Own Dentist" | ||
| 2022 | "Muscle Queen" | Vigiletti and Yangabang |
| 2024 | "O mio babbino caro" | Sapphira Cristál |
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Vampire Fitness |
|
| Vampire Fitness (Remixed) |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Come in Brazil" (featuring Alaska Thunderfuck) |
2020 | Vampire Fitness |
| "Ding Dong!"[88](Vigiletti Remix) (featuring Trixie Mattel) |
2021 | Vampire Fitness (Remixed) |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Comedy Digital [89] | |||
| "Read U Wrote U" (RuPaul featuring the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 2) |
2016 | — | Non-album single |
| "The Night Before Contact" (Trixie Mattel featuring Katya Zamolodchikova) |
2017 | 5 | Homemade Christmas |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Drag U"[90] | 2015 | RuPaul | RuPaul Presents: CoverGurlz 2 | [91] |
| "12 Days of Christmas" | — | Christmas Queens | [92] | |
| "Merry Christmas, It's Whateva" (as Trish) |
2016 | — | Christmas Queens 2 | [93] |
| "Bossa Nova Christmas in Outer Space" | Jackie Beat | [93] | ||
| "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" | 2017 | Christmas Queens 3 | ||
| "I.D.F.T. (The Secret Track)" | 2021 | Leigh Allyce Canali | Light and Dark | [94] |
| "Random Ru Girl" | Ginger Minj, Stacy Layne Matthews and Eureka O'Hara | Gummy Bear | ||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award Giving Body | Category | Work | Results | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Streamy Awards | Show of the Year | UNHhhh | Nominated | [95] |
| 2018 | WOWIE Awards | Best Podcast | Whimsically Volatile | Won | [96] |
| 2019 | Queerty Awards | Podcast | Nominated | [97] | |
| Streamy Awards | Unscripted Series | UNHhhh | Nominated | [98] | |
| 2020 | Queerty Awards | Drag Royalty | Herself | Won | [99] |
| Streamy Awards | Unscripted Series | UNHhhh | Won | [100] | |
| Show of the Year | Nominated | [100] | |||
| WOWIE Awards | Outstanding Actor | Love, Victor | Nominated | [101] | |
| 2021 | Queerty Awards | Podcast | The Bald and the Beautiful | Won | [102] |
| Canadian Podcasting Awards | Outstanding Foreign Series | Won | [103] | ||
| Streamy Awards | Show of the Year | UNHhhh | Nominated | [104] | |
| Unscripted Series | Nominated | ||||
| 2022 | Queerty Awards | Podcast | The Bald and the Beautiful | Runner-up | [105] |
| Webby Awards | Best Podcast Ad | Won | [106][107] | ||
| Best Podcast Ad (People's Voice) | Won | ||||
| Arts & Entertainment Social Video | I Like to Watch | Nominated | [108][109] | ||
| Arts & Entertainment Social Video (People's Voice) | Won | ||||
| Streamy Awards | Show of the Year | UNHhhh | Nominated | [110] | |
| Unscripted Series | Nominated | ||||
| Editing | Nominated | ||||
| 2023 | Signal Awards | Best Video Podcast | The Bald and the Beautiful | Bronze | [111][112] |
| Best Co-Host Team | Gold | ||||
| Best "Stan" Podcast | Silver | ||||
| Best LGBTQ+ Podcast | Silver | ||||
| Queerty Awards | Best Read | Working Girls: Trixie and Katya's Guide to Professional Womanhood | Won | [113] | |
| GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Podcast | The Bald and the Beautiful | Nominated | [114] | |
| Shorty Awards | Comedy Podcast | Audience Honor | [115][116] | ||
| Streamy Awards | Show of the Year | UNHhhh | Nominated | [117] | |
| 2024 | Queerty Awards | Web Series | Runner-up | [118][119] | |
Bibliography
- Trixie and Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood. Plume. 2020. ISBN 9780593086704.
- Working Girls: Trixie and Katya's Guide to Professional Womanhood. Plume. 2022. ISBN 9780593186114.
Notes
- In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Petrovna and the family name is Zamolodchikova.
References
External links
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