How Much Money Did Mo Heart Spend On Their RuPaul's Drag Race Looks?
For 24 seasons, new queens and all-stars have joined the cast of "RuPaul's Drag Race" in hopes of becoming America's next drag superstar, per the Gay Times. Each season is full of dazzling dance numbers as queens "lip sync for their lives" in front of RuPaul himself, wearing over the top fashion often hand crafted by the queens in order to stand out from the crowd. The show has won dozens of primetime Emmys and it continues to dazzle fans as the years go on. In 2018, Mo Heart, formerly known as Monique Heart, joined the series to contend for the top spot, per IMDb.
Heart, who changed their name in order to better align with a nonbinary approach to gender and creative vision, has become a fan favorite on the show. They've gone on to create a beauty line called Mo Beauty and has found success as an actor on television series such as "iCarly" and "AJ And The Queen, per Entertainment Weekly. Heart's bold looks are what got the drag queen tons of attention throughout their duration on the show, and, as it turns out, the iconic looks didn't come cheap.
When "RuPaul's Drag Race "first hit the small screen in 2009, DIY looks on a low budget was what was the fashion portion of the competitive series. As the years went on, queens began to drop more coins on their costumes, setting the bar (and the financial burden) much higher for future cast members, per Vice.
The cost of being a queen has gone up
Superstar drag queen Monique Heart reflected on the cost and the difficulty of keeping up with their fellow cast members. With little time to prepare, Heart knew that they had to make the most of her resources. Of the experience, they said, "I think I had a month's worth of time between getting the phone call and leaving. And I really didn't have the money. I had maybe $1,500 total. I could sew, and I knew my silhouette, so I could make stuff work. I knew I had personality and flavor. I mean, it was just hard."
Heart, who told Paper Magazine that car trouble before filming began contributed to an even bigger lack of financial resources, credits the lack of funds to their early elimination. With so much time spent working on handmade costumes, little time was left to focus on choreographing and memorizing routines. When the queen returned for an "All Stars" season of the show, the now financially stable performer dropped $20,000 on supplies. "...I believe it's a myth that you can do Drag Race without money. Or you can — you can go, but you won't win," Heart said of their decision to drop the cash for their second appearance, in Vice. With each look costing anywhere from $100 to upwards of $1000, the cost of royalty can really add up for a drag queen.