Trixie Mattel

Brian Michael Firkus (born August 23, 1989), better known by the stage name Trixie Mattel, is an American drag queen, television personality, and singer-songwriter originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She is known for her exaggerated, high-camp style and blend of comedy and acoustic pop.

Brian Michael Firkus was born on August 23, 1989, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and raised in Silver Cliff, Wisconsin.

He is Ojibwe and comes from a Native American family in Crivitz, Wisconsin.

He had an abusive stepfather who would call him a "Trixie" when he acted feminine, which later inspired his drag name.

Her last name was inspired by her affinity for the Barbie Doll and toy company Mattel.

Before deciding on "Trixie Mattel" as his drag name, he originally considered the name Cupcake.

He moved in with his grandparents at age 15.

His grandfather was a country musician who taught him how to play the guitar.

After graduating from high school, Firkus studied at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where he received a BFA in musical theatre and was introduced to drag while performing in a production of The Rocky Horror Show at the Oriental Theatre.

He first performed in drag at LaCage NiteClub in Milwaukee, becoming a regular performer in Milwaukee's drag scene.

He would perform with fellow drag queens Kim Chi and Shea Couleé in Milwaukee, and would also occasionally perform in Chicago.

He attended beauty school in 2014 before withdrawing to participate in RuPaul's Drag Race. Outside of drag, he worked in cosmetics at the time, freelancing at Sephora and working at Ulta and MAC.

In 2015 she competed on the seventh season of the drag competition RuPaul's Drag Race, where she finished in 6th place.

Mattel first gained widespread attention as a competitor in Season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race, in 2015.

She was first eliminated in episode four and later reentered the competition in episode eight by winning the "Conjoined Twins" challenge with Pearl Liaison.

Mattel was once again eliminated in episode 10, placing sixth overall and becoming the first queen to last more than one episode after returning to the competition.

After her run on the show, Mattel performed her stand-up comedy tour Ages 3 and Up from 2015 to 2017.

In October 2015, Mattel guest-starred in a special edition of WOWPresents' Fashion Photo Review with fellow season seven contestant Katya Zamolodchikova.

World of Wonder later launched UNHhhh, a comedy web series featuring the duo.

The series became one of the most successful shows on the WOW Presents YouTube channel and earned them their first Streamy Award nomination for Show of the Year at the 7th Streamy Awards.

Mattel stars in the World of Wonder web series UNHhhh (2016–present), its Viceland spin-off The Trixie & Katya Show (2017–2018), and the Netflix web series I Like to Watch (2019–present), alongside fellow drag queen and frequent collaborator Katya Zamolodchikova.

Together, they form the popular comedy duo known as Trixie and Katya.

In November 2016, Mattel had a guest appearance as herself on American Horror Story: Roanoke.

Mattel's music style is primarily folk and country, with her first and second studio albums, Two Birds (2017) and One Stone (2018), both charting on the Billboard Folk Albums chart at number sixteen.

Mattel self-released her debut studio album Two Birds on May 2, 2017.

The album debuted at number two on the Heatseekers Albums chart, number six on the Independent Albums chart, and number 16 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart.

In December 2017, Mattel released Homemade Christmas, an EP of three recorded Christmas songs that featured Zamolodchikova.

In October 2017, it was announced that UNHhhh would come to an end after its second season.

In 2018, she went on to win the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

Mattel's business ventures include being the founder and CEO of Trixie Cosmetics, a cosmetics brand that launched in 2019.

Her persona is inspired by her love of Barbie dolls; she owns a large collection of Barbies that she has shared in videos on her YouTube channel.

Her third studio album, Barbara (2020), featured an "electro-folk" sound and her EP, Full Coverage, Vol. 1 (2021), consists of Mattel's covers of various songs.

Her comedy special, Trixie Mattel: One Night Only (2020), was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award.

She went on to appear as a judge on the competition series Queen of the Universe (2021–2023).

Mattel's fourth studio album, The Blonde & Pink Albums (2022), served as a double album.

She also produced and starred in the renovation docuseries Trixie Motel (2022).

Along with Zamolodchikova, Mattel published her first book, Trixie and Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood (2020), which became a New York Times bestseller.

She appeared on New York Magazine 's list of "The Most Powerful Drag Queens in America", ranking fourth.

She also operates a YouTube channel focused on beauty and music, with frequent collaborations with fellow drag queens, and celebrities such as Iggy Azalea, Nicole Byer, and Margaret Cho.