Say 'ello to Her Majesty: the RuPaul's Drag Race U.K. season two winner is Lawrence Chaney!
The 23-year-old Scottish superstar took home the crown on last night's season finale, beating out finalists Bimini Bon Boulash, Tayce and Ellie Diamond and taking home top title (and a trip to Hollywood to film her own digital series).
Chaney is not only the first competitor from Scotland to win any Drag Race season, she's also the series' first and only curve queen to ever win in the 12 years the Emmy-winning reality show has been on the air. During season two, Chaney won over RuPaul's judging panel and audiences alike with his undeniable charm, smart sense of humor and bigger-than-life personality.
Rea on for E! News' exclusive chat with newly crowned Drag Race U.K. winner Lawrence Chaney.
E! NEWS: Congratulations! How Does it feel?
LC: I'm still very mind-blown and shooketh. It's weird because you're feeling all the emotions at once it's trying to make it not vomit. It's that kind of overstimulated, fabulous, glitter, you've got a crown now vibes.
E!: How did you celebrate last night?
LC: Luckily enough here we had a private screening of the episode in Manchester, so we were really lucky because, we're socially distanced of course, but we got to spend the finale and watch the finale with the top four, which was great. Having that energy back in the room, all of us girls together, it was really, really nice. And even when the win was announced, RU said, "Lawrence Chaney!" And I was just like [clapping], didn't process it. "Lawrence Chaney." "What?! What?!" I just could not believe it. And then all of a sudden Bimini was like, "Oh I love you. If I was going to lose to anyone, I'm glad it was you. I love you." Everyone was so supportive. And then Tayce was like, "What you trying to say, Bimini? Are you trying to say you'd be mad if you lost to me?" It was so, so fun to feel that energy of the girls again. So they were lucky enough to be able to get drunk last night and celebrate properly, but I wasn't able to as I needed to get up in drag real early in the morning for all these interviews. And here I am!
E!: How does it feel to be a celebrity?
LC: You know, it's just very hard. Madonna's on the phone, she's wanting advice singing. I said, "Madonna, the lyrics are ‘Bing, bang, bong.' Repeat after me Madonna." And she's like, ‘Sing, sang, song." No, Madonna, it's "Bing, bang, bong" first! It's really weird. Getting recognized in public is that stuff you never think about and I'm just so glad that I get to do what I get to do on an international platform.
E!: Have any celebrities or past Drag Race alumni reached out to you to say they are fans?
LC: So many queens. I had Bob the Drag Queen say, "Congratulations, you slag." So take from that what you will. Aquaria's been really sweet, Priyanka's been really sweet. I was really surprised by the warmth from all the other queens, America, Canada. All these places are very far away from Glasgow, Scotland and I was really surprised by how supportive they are of each other. Because you think, "Oh, it's a competition. Everyone will be like at each other's throats and ready to go." But's it's such an upholding, uplifting bubble of positivity. And to be in that kind of a winners' circle is a dream come true.
E!: How does it feel to be the first Drag Race winner ever with curves?
LC: It's bizarre. I'm very really proud and I'm very inspired by all the girls that have come before me. I love Ginger Minj. So I really wanted to prove by going on this season, I wanted to prove you can have nice makeup and be a comedy queen, you can be plus size and still have nice outfits. You know I wanted to prove all that and I hope I have. I would love to be the first plus size cover girl. Who knows?
E!: Fingers crossed!
LC: Well, everything crossed.
E!: Filming stopped halfway through the season due to the coronavirus pandemic, how hard was that seven-month break?
LC: The fans were shocked? Imagine all of us, we were all there with our suitcases not knowing are we coming back? Is the world over? It was really hard because you have a pandemic going on where you struggle to make ends meet with money regardless, but when you think you've made it and you get the phone call from Drag Race, you've spent everything you have, you've got every credit card possible to pay for costumes and wigs and fabulous earrings and stuff like that. When all of a sudden, everything's shut down. No gigs, no anything, it was like purgatory. You weren't able to move on, you weren't able to process it, it was just a pause and I struggled really badly with it. Especially coming back after the break because it was like I have not held a mic and said a joke in seven months. How do you process that?
E!: Envision in a few years you're at the height of your career; what do you see yourself accomplishing?
LC: I want to follow in RuPaul's footsteps, so I want to be hosting TV. Just spreading my stupid, silly sense of humor everywhere. I want to travel the world, make people laugh. I would love a Netflix stand-up special as well. Working there, there's building blocks, but that is the goal. Because I know when I'm down or when I'm doing housework, I'll go on Netflix, I'll go, "Stand-up, let's find that." And then you just watch on repeat, no matter if you've seen it before. You know all the jokes. It's just a nice comforting atmosphere to have humor in our lives now.
E!: Which past Drag Race winners' careers do you look up to?
LC: Trixie Mattel, Bianca Del Rio, Violet Chachki.
E!: Two great comedy queens.
LC: And Violet too, her take on fashion is just so out of the box ad incredible. Again, I want to mix in some of that, you know fierce photo shoots with the fun, live shows. So here's hoping.
E!: Your prize is coming out here to Hollywood to film your own digital series. Do you have any ideas for the show yet?
LC: You're subtly bragging. "Out here in Hollywood!" Yes, I get it, I'm from Glasgow, we are scum! No [laughs], I have so many ideas but I don't know whether to go really slapstick, silly sense of humor. Something that Americans and worldwide people will get. You know, bagpipes, tartan, all that kind of vibe. Or I like a quality about myself where I can…I love talking to people and getting to know them and it means when you have a joke and make a joke at each other later on, it means you can take it. There's no harm because you both understand each other. I love that hind of mix, that duality. I would love to host something where it hones those skills.
RuPaul's Drag Race season 13 continues every Friday at 8 p.m. on VH1.