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Symone (drag queen)

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Symone
Symone at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2022
Born
Reginald Gavin[1]

(1995-01-14) January 14, 1995 (age 29)
Conway, Arkansas, U.S.
Other namesDelilah Alamaine[2]
Erykah[2]
Symone Alamaine[2]
Symone Seymour-Cox[2]
EducationUniversity of Arkansas, Little Rock (BA)
OccupationDrag queen
Years active2013–present
TelevisionRuPaul's Drag Race (season 13)
Websitethesymone.com

Reginald "Reggie" Gavin (born January 14, 1995),[3] known by the stage name Symone, is an American drag queen and model. She is best known as the winner of season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race (2021). She is a member of the queer art collective House of Avalon.[4][5]

Early life

[edit]

Born Reggie Gavin, Symone was raised in Conway, Arkansas,[4] as the youngest of three children, with two siblings who are significantly older.[6] A shy child due to anxiety about being gay, Symone discovered drag as a teenager in 2009 after RuPaul's Drag Race debuted,[6] and began to experiment with makeup and drag, attending senior prom in a dress.[5]

Career

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2013–2020: Drag beginnings

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Shortly after high school graduation in 2013, she performed drag for the first time at Triniti Nightclub under the name Delilah Alamaine.[6] While a student at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, she began to build a following as a performer at Discovery and The Factory, and later changed her stage name to Symone, after a character in a play she wrote in high school.[6] She hosted a series called Symone Says.[4] Of her drag identity, she said Symone represents "the person that I really am. I would say Reggie is a mask I put on every day."[4]

Symone is a member of the queer fashion and pop culture collective House of Avalon along with season 12 Drag Race finalist Gigi Goode.[4] The collective was started in 2016 in Little Rock by designer Marko Monroe, Hunter Crenshaw, and Grant Vanderbilt.[7][8] Vanderbilt is Symone's drag mother.[6]

Symone moved to Los Angeles in 2019 and joined other relocated members of House of Avalon.[9]

2021–present: RuPaul's Drag Race success

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Symone with Vice President Kamala Harris at the 2022 Capital Pride festival

In 2021, Symone gained wider prominence as a contestant on season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race, where she became the show's first Arkansas contestant.[10] She has received positive reception from critics for her drag fashion and persona, which frequently nod to Black cultural icons like Lil' Kim and Grace Jones.[6][5] After the first two episodes aired, pop culture websites Vulture and Jezebel stated that Symone was a frontrunner to win season 13.[11][12] Rihanna sent Symone an Instagram DM after seeing her on the show: "You soooo EVERYTHING! Nasty Lil bitch! I live for every second of it! You're a true joy to watch!"[9]

Symone received media attention for her runway dress worn on episode 9: a white faux leather dress with exaggerated hips, red crystal bullet holes on the back, and a white headpiece emblazoned with Say Their Names.[10][8] As she walked the runway she recited the names of several murdered Black Americans: Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Brayla Stone, Trayvon Martin, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, and Monika Diamond.[10] The dress was designed by Marko Monroe and created by Howie B.[8] Symone said her intention with the dress was to state: "No matter how pretty or beautiful or non-threatening I—and Black people—seem, we're still seen as a threat."[10] Symone ultimately won the season in the grand finale that aired on April 23, 2021.[3]

In August 2021, Symone was a featured performer in Drag Fest, a live music festival.[13] Symone was featured on the cover of the September 2021 issue of Interview.[14] That same month, Symone attended the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards,[15] the 2021 Met Gala,[16] and walked the red carpet at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.[17]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race People's Choice Award for The Competition Contestant of 2021[18] Nominated
2022 Herself Queerty Award for Drag Royalty[19] Runner-up
2022 2021 Met Gala The WOWIE Award for Best Red Carpet Look[20] Won
Jimmy Kimmel Live! The WOWIE Award for Best TV Moment
(Shared with Rupaul)[21] 		Won
House of Avalon The WOWIE Award for Fiercest Party People Won

Filmography

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Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
2021 Star-Crossed: The Film Heist Girl 2
2022 Bros Marty Feature film [22][23]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 13) Contestant Winner [11]
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race: Corona Can't Keep a Good Queen Down Herself Stand-alone special [24]
2021 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards Herself Guest [25]
2021 Jimmy Kimmel Live! Herself Guest [26]
2021 Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 Herself Amazon Prime Exclusive [27]
2022 Gutsy Herself Episode 1: Gutsy Women Have the Last Laugh [28]
2023 Drag Me to Dinner Herself Hulu original [29]
2023 Celebrity Family Feud Herself Guest [30]
2023 Avalon TV Herself World of Wonder original [31]
2024 Ridiculousness Herself Guest
[32]

Music videos

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[edit]
Year Title Artist Role Ref(s)
2021 "Simple Times" Kacey Musgraves Featured [33]

Web series

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Year Title Role Notes Ref
2021 The X Change Rate Herself Guest [34]
2021 Ruvealing the Look Herself Guest [35]
2021 Whatcha Packin' Herself Guest [36]
2021 Beauty Secrets Herself Guest [37]
2021 Binge Herself Guest [38]
2021 The Awardist Herself Guest [39]
2021-23 The Pit Stop Herself Guest [40][41]
2023 Billboard Cover Herself Guest [42]

Discography

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As part of the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 13

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As lead artist

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Title Year
"Condragulations" (cast version)[43] 2021
"Social Media: The Unverified Rusical"[44]
[edit]
Title Year
"Lucky"[45]
(RuPaul featuring the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 13) 		2021

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Lucky (feat. The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 13)". music.apple.com. Apple Inc. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Yee, Lawrence (January 2021). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queens Reveal Their Original Drag Names: Beyonce, Yoko Tsunami and … Tonya Hardon??? (Video)". The Wrap. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Nolfi, Joey (2021-04-24). "In 'RuPaul's Drag Race' winner Symone, a star is born: 'I want to rule the world'". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  4. ^ a b c d e Smittle, Stephanie (January 29, 2021). "All hail queen Symone, the Conway, Ark. queen owning the runway on "RuPaul's Drag Race"". Arkansas Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Newbold, Alice (March 12, 2021). ""People Need Drag – It Saved My Life": Symone On Becoming More Than A Fierce Fashion Queen". British Vogue. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Street, Mikelle (January 29, 2021). "Symone Is The New Fashion Queen of 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Jeremy Scott Welcomes You to the House of Avalon". 10 Magazine. October 19, 2020. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Rodgers, Daniel (March 9, 2021). "The story behind Symone's Black Lives Matter-inspired look". Dazed. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Forbes, Jihan (March 10, 2021). "How Symone Came Up With Her Most Iconic Drag Race Looks". Allure. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d Nolfi, Joey (March 8, 2021). "How Symone pulled off the most powerful look in 'RuPaul's Drag Race' herstory". EW.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  11. ^ a b McCallion, Paul (January 2, 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: Pair of Queens". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Alford, Emily (January 1, 2021). "It's a Little Early, But RuPaul's Drag Race Already Seems to Have Found a Winner". Jezebel. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  13. ^ Damshenas, Sam (June 8, 2021). "17 incredible LGBTQ+ friendly events you can attend in the UK this year". Gay Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  14. ^ Princess, Sam (August 26, 2021). ""I Ain't Stopping Anytime Soon": Symone Talks to King Princess About Her Imminent World Domination". Interview. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  15. ^ "Watch RuPaul surprise 'Drag Race' stars Symone and Gottmik at MTV Movie & TV Awards". Entertainment Weekly.
  16. ^ Palumbo, Jacqui (September 14, 2021). "Getting Met Gala-ready with 'Drag Race' star Symone". CNN. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  17. ^ Ermac, Raffy (September 19, 2021). "RuPaul Brought Gottmik & Symone to the 2021 Emmys Red Carpet". Out. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  18. ^ "The Competition Contestant of 2021". People's Choice Awards. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  19. ^ "'The 2022 Queerties". Cheat Sheet. February 24, 2022. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  20. ^ Nguyen, Nikki (2 May 2022). "World of Wonder's 2022 WOWIE Awards at DragCon: Cast Your Votes Now!". World of Wonder. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  21. ^ "Here Are World of Wonder's 2022 WOWIE Awards Winners". World of Wonder. 16 May 2022. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  22. ^ Lemieux, Elizabeth (2022-10-03). "9 Most Unexpected Cameos In Bros". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  23. ^ Goldberg, Leslie (September 23, 2021). "Billy Eichner Sets Historic LGBTQ Cast (With a Twist) for Universal's 'Bros' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  24. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta (February 17, 2021). "VH1 To Release 'RuPaul's Drag Race: Corona Can't Keep A Good Queen Down'; Docu Chronicles Shooting Reality Series During Pandemic". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  25. ^ Nolfi, Joey (May 17, 2021). "surprise Drag Race's Symone and Gottmik at MTV Movie & TV Awards, urge fans to support local drag". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  26. ^ Smittle, Stephanie (August 26, 2021). "Watch RuPaul interview Symone on Jimmy Kimmel Live". Arkansas Time. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  27. ^ Henderson, Taylor (September 13, 2021). "Rihanna Enlists LGBTQ+ Stars & Drag Queens for 3rd Savage X Fenty Show". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  28. ^ Smittle, Stephanie (2022-09-09). "Symone dishes with Hillary Rodham Clinton in new Apple TV series, 'Gutsy'". Arkansas Times. Archived from the original on 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  29. ^ Rice, Lynette (May 1, 2023). "'Drag Me To Dinner': Hulu Announces Premiere Date For Unscripted Series From Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  30. ^ "Willam, Manila, Symone, Ben, & Bianca will be on Celebrity Family Feud". www.reddit.com. May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  31. ^ @worldofwonder (September 26, 2023). "Meet Symone, the superstar of this house!" – via Instagram.
  32. ^ "@Ridiculousness: "It's scientifically proven that there's nothing better than partying on the water… except maybe NEW #Ridiculousness? 🪩🌊 Catch Symone tonight on @MTV starting at 10/9c‼️ #DragRace"". X. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  33. ^ Sinha, Charu (September 10, 2021). "Travel Back to 'simple times' in New Kacey Musgraves Music Video". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  34. ^ The X Change Rate: The Queens of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13, January 1, 2021, archived from the original on November 23, 2021, retrieved November 23, 2021
  35. ^ Symone's Polaroid Entrance Look 🤩 Ruvealing the Look | RuPaul's Drag Race S13, April 18, 2021, archived from the original on August 26, 2021, retrieved August 26, 2021
  36. ^ Symone's Whatcha Packin' 🌟 S13 TOP 4 | RuPaul's Drag Race, April 19, 2021, archived from the original on August 26, 2021, retrieved August 26, 2021
  37. ^ RuPaul's Drag Race Star Symone's Guide to Regal, Runway-Ready Makeup | Beauty Secrets | Vogue, April 4, 2021, archived from the original on November 26, 2021, retrieved November 25, 2021
  38. ^ Nolfi, Joey (April 29, 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race top 4 reunite to spill scalding tea on season 13's wildest moments". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  39. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Winners Reunite for Chaotic Emmys Trivia | The Awardist | Entertainment Weekly". Entertainment Weekly. August 25, 2021. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  40. ^ The Pit Stop AS6 E12 | Trixie Mattel & Symone Crown an All-Star! | RPDR All Stars, September 2, 2021, archived from the original on September 3, 2021, retrieved September 3, 2021
  41. ^ The Pit Stop AS8 E11 🏁 | Bianca Del Rio & Symone Feel The Fame! | RuPaul's Drag Race AS8, July 15, 2023, archived from the original on September 3, 2021, retrieved July 24, 2023
  42. ^ Maren Morris Discusses Drag Bans & Trans Bills With Drag Queens & Kings | Billboard Cover. YouTube. June 7, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  43. ^ "Spotify - The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 13 - Phenomenon". Spotify (US). Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  44. ^ "Spotify - The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 13 - Phenomenon". Spotify (US). Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  45. ^ "Spotify - The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 13 - Lucky". Spotify (US). Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Symone (drag queen).
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of RuPaul's Drag Race
US season 13 		Succeeded by
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