TV

Alexis Michelle 'resentful' over RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8 voting format: 'That's wrong'

"Am I resentful that, as sisters and competitors putting ourselves on the line in this competition, that we have to do that at all? Yes, I am," Alexis tells EW.

By

Joey Nolfi

Published on July 4, 2023 11:00AM EDT

Is the bus still runnin'? Guess what, Mimi, it is, and Alexis Michelle tells EW's Quick Drag podcast (below) she'll happily drive it through the criticism she's received on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8.

While the season 9 alum and Snatch Game winner made great TV fit for Liza Minnelli's Palace stage, fans have targeted the entertainer for seemingly suggesting that she wouldn't vote for Lala Ri before ultimately pulling Lala's lipstick and sending the fan-favorite queen home to save her New York sister Kandy Muse.

Alexis, who was ultimately eliminated by Jimbo after the roast challenge and a stretch of episodes filled with strategery and alliance-isms, tells EW's Quick Drag podcast (above) why she made the shocking decision, and opens up about her relationship to the fandom and why her PTSD bubbled up on set during production.

Read on for Alexis' Q&A from her exit interview, and listen to Quick Drag to hear the full discussion. RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8 returns Friday on Paramount+.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When listening to your conversation with Lala, I suspected that you did exactly what you eventually confirmed to the other queens this episode: you just said, "I won't forget," not "I won't vote for you." While looking Lala in the eye and saying that to her, how did it feel knowing that she thought you meant you'd save her? Was that difficult?

ALEXIS MICHELLE: No, because I wanted to. I also didn't want to send Kandy packing. I've said publicly it was an impossible decision and people have a lot to say about me saying that. It's true. It sucks, we shouldn't have to send each other home. I did want to save Lala. I wish I could go back and save Lala. People can call me two-faced, and that's fine, because they don't know me and they don't know how genuine and sincere I am. It's a really unfortunate part of this game.

When $200,000 is at stake, things happen. The format prompts you to make decisions.

I've got to tell you, it was kind of the last thing on my mind, and not because I don't need it…. But that wasn't the first thing on my mind. That may sound like bulls--- to people, but kind of the same way on season 9, I lost sight of the competition, I tried to come up with what felt fair. To make good on a big gift or favor that someone did for you, that would be fair, right? But that also discounts any previous relationship or loyalty or agreement or plan that I had with the other girl.

At the beginning of the season, you told me you were nervous about how you'd come off this season, especially with what you went through after season 9. I'm looking at you saying that to Lala, and then saying again, to Jessica, "I can't pick your lipstick. I love you" on camera. Are you thinking how it's going to come off in a year's time when it airs?

No. I think I was not as aware in those moments. A moment I was super aware was when we were picking the roles for the…. true crime [challenge.] That's when I was super aware. If you thought I was boo-hooing about not getting the part I wanted, you're dead wrong…. That was some PTSD. That was like, oh my God, it felt like it was happening again, I felt like I was being misunderstood or twisted around. It was definitely bringing up old trauma. And not even just whatever happened on [season] 9 or the aftermath of how people took it, but my own personal aftermath. The depression was very, very real, and pretty serious. It took a lot for me. I think it's a vulnerable move for anybody to go back to All Stars because there's so much on the line and so much you're risking, and that part of this experience is a very vulnerable experience, so that was a moment where I was super aware and thinking about what happened last time.

In the moments I'm telling Lala how grateful I am and that I'll never forget it, and moments like this week where I'm sitting with — and this will blow everybody's mind and probably only reinforce the snake emojis — Jessica and tossing it back and forth with her, she was probably my closest friend during the whole filming process. So, when I say to my friend, "I can't vote for you," this is a dialogue, this isn't signing a contract, like, This sucks, but I can't, I know I have to make a choice, but I can't. It feels horrible.

It was more figurative.

I remember it was a back and forth of a similar nature. I think Jessica and I both knew in our minds that might be what happened, mutually. We both picked each other's lipstick. I don't hold any resentment against my friend for that. We were in a very difficult position. When you get down to this point in the competition, it's going to happen. You're going to have to make difficult choices, even with friends or people you feel a sense of loyalty with.

You also talked with Kandy, seemingly being on the same page of the earlier discussion of aligning. But, Kandy voted for you. When you said to Jessica, "I can't pick your lipstick, I love you," did you tell her you had something going on with Kandy, and that you'd vote for her?

No. I proposed an alliance to Heidi, Jimbo, and Kandy early on. With the notes. It was certainly never confirmed on camera, and there were different levels of acknowledgement off camera, so, no, that wasn't part of the discussion. But, here's the thing: Jimbo, Kandy, Jessica, me, what would be really hypocritical is if I was like, "Yeah, I can't believe [they] did that." I don't feel that way. We all had s---ty, difficult decisions to make, and we did it. I'm not holding any resentments against my sisters for what their situation is. Am I resentful that, as sisters and competitors putting ourselves on the line in this competition, that we have to do that at all? Yes, I am. I think that's wrong.

Did you think Kandy was voting for Jessica?

I fully knew she was probably going to send me. Fully knew it.

Did she say that to you?

No, but I understand psychology and know how to read people and body language. I wasn't surprised. Let me reiterate: I'm not holding any grudges about it.

From a viewer's perspective, it does seem that a lot of the drama this season involved you. You made great TV and interesting decisions that impacted the game in twisty ways, but you'd go on Twitter and make a statement the next day. Did you consider leaning into it like Naomi Smalls did after voting for Manila Luzon and being like, I gave you the drama, deal with it?

There were plenty of moments I think, out of context, were taken to the extreme, and I think I did lean into those. I am your favorite crying bus driver of All Stars 8. There's no doubt about it. I'll wear the bus driver hat and I will honk the horn…. But, particularly surrounding Lala's elimination, it's hard for me as a person not to come at it a bit more sincerely and straightforward from my heart, because I hold Lala in such high regard. I admired her from afar, like I mentioned in my tribute post to her, this is the beginning of us knowing each other…. It's hard for me to lean into the drama surrounding Lala's elimination because it was gut-wrenching for everybody watching, and it was for me. You can say I was acting, if you want to believe that, fine, it's not up to me to decide what people think about that. It's not even my business. But I can tell you I hated making the decision and I hated having to make the decision.

Did you have that feeling when you signed up for All Stars 8?

Guess what you don't know when you sign up to do All Stars 8? You don't know what the format is. We came off [All Stars 7] where there were no eliminations and an overwhelming positive response from the audience about that format. We hoped. None of us knew what the format was going into this, and I think we all hoped it would be like that again. So, yeah, I actually didn't sign up for that. I knew it was possible, but I didn't know for sure what I was signing up for.

After Lala left, you said, "I'm taking quite a shine to Kandy." Were your crushes also strategy?

Oh my God, no! I wish I was more strategic in that way. The truth is, the spectrum of my attraction is very wide. There were many people on this season who I thought were snacks…. I think I talked about sliding into Jimbo's DMs, when Kandy and I would boil up on something, people would be like, "Y'all just need to f--- already." Kandy and I have playfully talked about that.

Given the amount of pushback you received this season, are you concerned for your career going forward?

While there's certainly no shortage of controversy surrounding my actions this season, I think the majority of people, I've felt an amazing amount of love and support for all that I brought to the season. Whatever we're seeing, whatever is being shown, whatever people are reading into, we're seeing past that [are saying], We see who you are, your heart, your soul, your talent, and what you brought. I'd like to think that anybody who's going to have an impact on my career, that those people can see that, too, and would not judge me or anybody for the way they might come across in a moment — or, in my case, moments!

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

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