A Drag Race crown? Check!
After finishing season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race as a finalist, Angeria Paris VanMicheals walked back into the werk room with the confidence of a drag champion and was crowned the winner of All Stars 9 — officially entering the coveted Drag Race Hall of Fame! And as seen in a reaction video with fellow finalists Roxxxy Andrews and Vanessa Vanjie, the Southern Belle of ATL had a very emotional response to her crowning.
"Oh my god, I just felt everything, every emotion. Happy, nervous, shocked, proud," Angeria tells Out in an interview. "I wanted to hear my name so bad. I almost didn't even want to look at the screen. I was just so nervous. And then, when I heard it, I genuinely was speechless. I didn't know what to do in that moment. I was just extremely happy. That's the one emotion I knew I could put a finger on. I was just really, really happy."
The All Stars 9 champion adds, "You never know how you're going to act if that happens, and just like I said in that moment, I really didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know what name was going to come out of [RuPaul's] mouth. I had prepared myself for anything, but I don't think I fully prepared myself to hear my name. I thought I did, but I didn't."
ALL STARS 9 LIVE WINNER’S REACTION! 👑 w/ Angeria, Roxxxy & Vanjie | RuPaul’s Drag Race AS9
It's also noteworthy to mention RuPaul's huge compliment to Angeria in their final tic-tac chit-chat. Ru told Angie that she sees a future for her as an actress — echoing a similar praise she once offered to Jinkx Monsoon back in the fifth season of Drag Race.
"I really took it in. It did not go in one ear and out the other," Angeria recalls. "I took it, I bottled it, and I will forever keep that. She made sure that what you see on TV is the moment. She also made sure that I knew that she was serious, like a real mama would. She was like, 'This is what you need to do when you walk into the room. You be on time, know your material, and be nice to everyone.'"
Angie goes on, "It felt like she was preparing me for the future that's to come, and it means a lot to me, because I do want to be in movies and TV shows. I want to continue to do more TV. She was the first drag queen I ever saw on television. I saw her on Sister, Sister and I always knew that I wanted to be that. I feel like I have her blessing now."
Angeria's All Stars 9 win was followed by a wave of wonderful comments from queens who competed in international seasons of Drag Race. It's no secret that Angie is a huge Drag Race fan who watches all of the international seasons and shares social media posts about them. In response, queens from around the world joined in to celebrate Angie's epic victory.
"It feels so incredible, because I really do watch all of them, and I watch it out of the simple fact that this is my favorite show," Angeria says. "I just genuinely love drag, and I love Drag Race. A lot of these queens, I get the opportunity to meet when I go to DragCon, and I have met most of them. And our interactions online, it's just always amazing. They know how much I love and support them, and they always offer me the same back in return."
She continues, "Not even just this weekend [after winning]. From the moment everything was announced that I was on All Stars, they have sent me DMs and messages. Last week, at DragCon, they all sent me so much good vibes and love. It just feels amazing, because they all do have my full support. So, to have theirs, it feels great."
Lastly, the grand finale of All Stars 9 had a totally surprising segment of Vice President Kamala Harris sitting in the werk room and asking Drag Race fans to vote and make their voices heard in the 2024 election.
When asked about the VP's finale cameo, Angie was as gooped and gagged as the viewers at home. "We all gagged," the All Stars 9 winner says. "When I tell you… she came on the screen and we all were like, 'What?' That was, for me, really amazing to see."
Angeria concludes, "She's already such an inspirational figure to all of us and to the community, so it felt really good to see her in our house. It felt like I was looking at what the future looks like. It was a great surprise, and it was definitely a surprise that we didn't see coming."
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9 is now streaming on Paramount+.