For Monét X Change, the title of her show “Life Be Lifin,’” arriving in Philadelphia on Jan. 18, couldn’t have a more fitting title. Whether podcasting, touring or recording music, Monét X Change continues to be a stunning template for post “RuPaul’s Drag Race” success. We sat down during the holiday season to chat about dipping her perfectly pedicured toe into the world of stand-up comedy and what splashy New York City dream she has in her sights for 2026!
You are finally heading to Philadelphia on Jan. 18, 2025 with your one-woman show, the aptly titled “Life Be Lifin.’” What is it like to finally be bringing the show to cities around the country like Philly?
It’s very exciting. This show has a very special place in my heart and this show has been planned for over two years. To be finally doing it in January, I am just really excited for everyone to hear my stories, the music, and the comedy. I think that people are really going to love it.
As someone who has seen you live numerous times for many years, “Life Be Lifin’” really showcases how you can tell a story along with your other talents.
Thank you so much. That means a lot. My favorite part about this show is that it is about comedy and storytelling, and it has this musical element that the show hinges on. I just love a fully realized idea. I have been doing stand-up for the past two years and this is a little bit different from that. I think that there is a lot of stand-up and comedy in it, but I am excited for people to see a different facet, visage and face of Monét X Change.
Standing on stage alone telling jokes and stories as a comedian seems extremely arduous and nerve wracking. Was it something you were scared to do initially?
I was scared to do stand-up in the beginning because I was like “I cant do this.” My agent said, “I’ve seen your shows. You do standup, you’re just not calling it that.” With that confidence, I just sat down, wrote a bunch of material and started doing stand-up. At first, it was super scary. I was so uncomfortable. It just took me a few shows and now I am obsessed.
I love doing stand up. I love getting up in those comedy clubs to do a weekend and sell out each show and sit there and just really have a good time with the audience. Sometimes, it is material that I have prepared and sometimes it’s material that just comes off the dome and they are there to play with you and are super engaged. I love the feeling of being up there, telling jokes and having a good time. I just love it!
Whether touring with Philadelphia’s own Sapphira Cristál, being the “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” 4 co-winner, or recording your own music, it certainly seems that there is almost nothing that Monét X Change cannot do. Is there anything out there that you want to do that you have not done yet?
My next goal is that I want to do some Broadway. I have been doing some classical stuff, but I want to hit the Met stage. Since I was a little kid, I have always had the desire to work on the Metropolitan Opera stage. That is next on my bucket list. I don’t know in what capacity, but I want to be singing an aria on the Met stage in my life in the near future. That is [on my] 2026 bucket list.
We have seen so many people do stand-up, and sometimes, it does not look nearly as challenging as it probably is. Is there a moment on stage that clicks with the audience, and you are able to say, “I got em?”
I feel like in the first ten minutes, whether stand-up or my one-woman show, it’s like “Oh yeah.” There are certain benchmark jokes that I am going to tell and depending on how they land, I can either know that it is going to be a great night or it’s going to be just all right. When you get a crazed reaction from the audience, you know that they are in for the ride.
For some of the softer moments, I’ve heard gasps, “oohs,” and “ahhs” from the audience, and I know that they’re really in it and really trying to be about it. And I love that, because then I can really play!
Your career is so storied now and you have accomplished so much. Is there ever a time that you’re laying in bed at night and you say to yourself “Wow I have actually done it”?
I’ve been on “Drag Race” at this point more times than Merle Ginsberg [laughs]! But one thing that I really look back on is the whole run of “All Stars” season 7. It’s such a beautiful array and display of all of us in our prime. It was so great and it is so highly regarded by the fans, us, and RuPaul. The moment where we are in our final eleganza looks and he has his moment with each of us on stage…The moment I talked to him on stage and it made the cut and everyone got to see it; that was a true genuine moment.
“Drag Race” is a hard thing to do and there are moments where we are over it, crying or upset, but there were so many moments of joy. That final moment, with RuPaul sitting there looking at us, us looking at him, and us just being so grateful to share this moment with our drag mother on stage was a touching and emotional moment. That’s why we were all crying. It was so sentimental and so sweet. I look back on that moment and I am not just proud of myself, but of all of us and of the entire “Drag Race” family for making the all-winners season happen. It was just so beautiful.
Podcasting is a crowded space, but “Sibling Rivalry” certainly has carved out a unique and successful place for itself. What do you think it is that makes “Sibling Rivalry” so unique that it stands out so much from the pack?
I think one thing that sets [my co-host] Bob [the Drag Queen] and I apart is how candid we are. I think Bob and I are not trying to save face for anyone. We fight in front of everyone, love in front of everyone, and cry in front of everyone. It is truly real, there has never been a moment where we were putting it on, making a moment or doing something for views or clicks; we are the views and the clicks, how we move through the world is that. That is what I think is what always keeps people coming back for more.
That and the misinformation; girl, we will misremember something and say it on the podcast with our whole chest and be fully wrong about it. But we will think we’re right, and I think a lot of people identify with that feeling. Thinking you are right, but being fully wrong.
The new cast of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” for season 17 is poised for greatness following this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. What advice do you have for them or anyone who is on the path to success?
Be you and do it well. Especially now, there are so many girls from the show, so many seasons and hundreds of girls. The only thing that is going to set you apart is being you, because no one else can be you but you. With this new batch of girls, you have people that can do that very well. People like Mistress Isabelle Brooks, she was who she was on TV and post show, she has continued to make content around that and that is what people want to see.
You aren’t going to see Mistress Isabelle Brooks to see Bianca [Del Rio] or Laganja Estranja. You are going to see her. She has done a really good job of being who she is and monetizing it, making YouTube videos for us all to digest that is pleasurable, fun and engaging. That is the tea these days and it’s always been the tea; always being you is the best way to do the thing. It’s the only thing that you can do that is different than everyone else and I think that is true now more than ever.
Monét X Change’s-Life Be Lifin’ tour hits Philadelphia at 8 p.m. on Jan. 18 at Theatre of Living Arts, 334 South St. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/3W3oFqn.