Las Culturistas: "Tangent Zone" (w/ Jinkx Monsoon)

Podcast: Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Episode: "Tangent Zone" (w/ Jinkx Monsoon)
Date: September 24, 2025

Overview

In this vibrant, freewheeling episode, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang welcome the always-iconic Jinkx Monsoon for a deep dive into queer visibility, Broadway, awards season, neurodiversity, and the formative cultural touchstones that shape their art. The trio navigates tangents galore ("Tangent Zone" lives up to its name), riffing on everything from egg aversions and awards show etiquette to the nuanced craft of playing "drunk" on stage and being true to queer voices in a shifting entertainment world. The episode is celebratory, candid, occasionally unfiltered—and packed with signature Las Culturistas energy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Star Culture, Queer Visibility, and Awards Season

• Return of "Star Behavior": The hosts observe a resurgence of bold, unapologetic behavior among artists, contrasting today's "walking on eggshells" to the chaotic revelry of Old Hollywood (02:26–03:06).
  • "Stars are back. Star behavior is back. Hit the vape." – Matt Rogers (02:32)
• Awards Shout-outs and Queer Triumphs: The group celebrates recent Emmy and Tony wins by openly queer friends and colleagues: Hannah Einbinder, Jeff Hiller, Cola Scola, J. Harrison Ghee, and more.
  • "Honestly, the winners were so fantastic this year." – Bowen Yang (03:51)
• Community Over Competition: Jinkx and the hosts discuss how, with less scarcity of roles for queer performers, it's now possible to truly celebrate each other rather than compete for one spot.
  • "The ability to celebrate one another keeps growing. Because we pull each other in—recommending each other for roles, tearing down those stigmas." – Jinkx Monsoon (13:54)

Creating Their Own Platforms

• DIY Queer Artistry: Jinkx credits personal and communal success to taking initiative during times of scarcity: creating shows, self-producing, and bringing other queer performers along.
  • "When no one believed in us, we created our own stuff. You created this [podcast] when the roles were scarce. Cole created their own play… Now that scarcity is not a thing, it is so easy to celebrate each other." – Jinkx Monsoon (11:27, 13:52)
• Broadway Reflections: Jinkx remarks on the surreal experience of entering spaces she once admired, noting the importance of representation and history.

Neurodiversity & Performance

• ADHD as a Creative Asset: Jinkx shares how she channels her ADHD into roles, particularly her turn as Mary in O, Mary!—using her own mental state as an engine for improv and presence on stage.
  • "Two hours before showtime, please don't hit me up with something crucial... This is the first time I’ve ever been cognizant of going onstage with a clear head, then letting my ADHD be Mary’s ADHD." – Jinkx Monsoon (29:23)
• Vape and Routine: Jinkx addresses using vape to manage focus, dispelling notions it's a lack of seriousness.
  • "When I'm hitting my vape, it's not because I don't take my work seriously. It's because the vape fills in the cracks." – Jinkx (31:58)

The Craft of Acting: Voice, Gender, and Playing Drunk

• Exploring the Voice: Lively exchanges about "masking," using different voices for safety growing up, and the gender spectrum in their performances.
  • "I've never really been able to mask it. Matt certainly does." – Bowen Yang (18:41)
• Jinkx's Approach to Characters: She discusses building each character's unique voice, referencing previous roles and techniques honed over years in drag and theater.
  • "Every role I've played—I always start with: I don't like a character having my voice. I want to find, even if it sounds like my voice, the ways it's different." – Jinkx (27:09)
• Playing Drunk is an Art: The group delves into how truly difficult it is to act convincingly drunk, referencing both their own work and advice from acting school.
  • "A drunk person is trying to hide that fact. They're trying to focus." – Jinkx (55:29)

Death Becomes Her: Culture, Power, and Queer Legacy

• Formative Culture: For Jinkx, the movie "Death Becomes Her" is a major cultural touchstone: watched on repeat as a child, it shaped her understanding of power and camp.
• Deconstructing Power Dynamics: Jinkx studies every character's relationship to power, noting parallels between queer experience, historical women’s struggles, and roles like Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp.
  • "People with immense power can either be benevolent or malevolent... I see how people with power behave, and it informs how I approach characters." – Jinkx (56:36–58:27)
• Drag as Cultural Preservation: Jinkx highlights how drag keeps queer cult classics alive—especially through performance, parody, and celebration in nightlife.

Broadway, Community, and Drag Race Impact

• Sisterhood & Support: Drag Race alumni—regardless of season—uplift and network in a way that transcends competition.
  • "Drag Race allotted so many of us a way into doing something we were damn sure we could do." – Jinkx (71:50)
• Range & Misconceptions: Jinkx discusses fears around being pigeonholed as a drag artist, and the importance of embracing what makes her unique.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Scarcity and Community

• "It used to be hard to watch roles go to other performers... because that was the only one that was gonna happen. But now that scarcity is not a thing, it's so easy to celebrate each other." – Jinkx (13:52)

On Neurodiversity on Stage

• "If I'm fully locked in and present with everyone on stage, then my ADHD is seeing every little thing. When people say I'm good at improv, it's because I keep my peripheral open as much as possible." – Jinkx (29:23)

On Pop Culture & Performance

• "Drag queens are the ones who keep it present in queer culture... we are the ones who every year deliver those costumes that make you remember those characters." – Jinkx (61:23)
• "Death Becomes Her is about two women who make things happen because things have happened to them." – Matt Rogers (61:05)

On Manners and Social Decency

• "I don't think so, honey. Where has everyone's manners gone? Because I am so serious... what happened to just common decency?" – Jinkx (91:16)

On Eggs (A Comedic High Point)

• "Eggs: what the fuck? Someone explain to me the egg of it all. It's a bunch of plasma and a yolk... dealing with them, eating them as the thing—I don't like." – Matt Rogers & Jinkx (83:38 and after)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Queer Success at Awards / "Star Behavior" Returns: 02:26–05:27
• Broadway: O, Mary! and Drag Race Triumphs: 05:36–13:52
• Scarcity & Queer Community Building: 11:27, 13:52
• ADHD & Acting Process: 29:23–33:02
• Playing Drunk on Stage / Revisiting Death Becomes Her: 35:38–58:27
• Drag & Cultural Transmission: 61:23–64:36
• Egg Rant: 83:38–87:50
• I Don't Think So, Honey (Manners): 91:16–92:47
• Discussion of MADtv Reunion / Closing: 95:23–96:37

Final Segment: "I Don't Think So, Honey"

• Bowen: Develops a sudden late-in-life makeup allergy.
  • "Itchy itchy boo boo, I don't think so honey." (81:10)
• Matt: Eggs and the agony of eggshells.
• Jinkx: The disappearance of manners and common decency.

Conclusion

This episode is a joyous, candid, and insightful celebration of queer culture and the creative process, featuring some of Broadway and drag’s brightest. Whether riffing about pop culture or unpacking the deeper realities of queer visibility, Jinkx, Matt, and Bowen’s rapport transforms every tangent into essential listening for anyone passionate about LGBTQ+ community, performance, and what it means to make culture—and live it boldly.