Sam Star’s journey from Alabama to ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The season finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is scheduled to air Friday and Alabama-based performer Sam Star is among the final contestants competing to win.

On one of the more recent episodes of the show’s 17th season, Star was one of the two bottom contestants, competing against fellow drag queen Suzie Toot to make it to the final episode.

“I was in such a weird headspace being in the bottom that week against Suzie and having to lip sync against her because we had finally gotten close in the competition,” Star said. “At that point, any of the girls could have advanced, and I would have been so happy for them, or me, or whoever it was. For RuPaul to say, ‘Sam, you’re the one who’s staying,’ was crazy, amazing, incredible.”

Star has been on the cast at Al’s on 7th, self-proclaimed as “Birmingham’s premier LGBTQIA+ bar,” for four years. Al’s has been hosting watch parties for local “Drag Race” fans to view the new episodes as they air.

“I’m so grateful, for one, to have had all those nights of experience at Al’s, performing and getting so much stage experience,” Star said.

“It’s crazy,” Star continued. “I mean, for them to be able to see me from performing every weekend there to now they get to see me every weekend on the television screen, it’s crazy. But I know that all those people, they’ll tell you this: They believed in me.”

One person Star said has also believed in her all along is her mother, who was featured on episode 13 of the season during a challenge where the competitors each gave one of their parents a drag makeover.

“I said this all the time, that the last person I thought that was going to step in that workroom would be my mom,” she said. “Y’all saw on the show that I broke down crying. I couldn’t be the tough, sassy drag queen any longer. I had to revert back to little Sam seeing his mom after a long school day. So it was incredible to be able to repay her for all of the years and support she’s poured into me. I got to do that for her on national television. It was incredible.”

Although Star learned about drag through watching “Drag Race,” her first time doing drag was when she was cast as Ursula in a high school production of “The Little Mermaid,” referring to the experience as a “drag awakening.”

Star is originally from Leeds and has been involved in Birmingham-area theatre, including Red Mountain Theatre and Virginia Samford Theatre. She said her background of being from Alabama has definitely had an effect on her journey as a drag queen, and she said it’s an honor to be able to represent her state on television.

“I think it’s definitely made me tougher,” she said. “It’s made me sort of have to stand up for myself in situations where people don’t necessarily support drag queens. But also, I think it’s lit a fire under me to dream bigger and to want to go father to represent all the kids out there like me who didn’t necessarily have that.”

“It’s definitely formed me in a lot of different ways, and obviously, you can see that it’s affected my aesthetics, that I’m old-school Southern pageant queen. I love the pageants,” she continued. “Also, I love some country wear, the cowboy hats, the chaps, all that sort of stuff.”

Star said that making it onto the show made her feel like all her hard work had paid off, and that the opportunity was something she had dreamed and prayed for.

“I would just say to anyone out there who wants to do something bigger and dreams of being a part of something bigger than your small town, you can do it,” she said. “I know that you probably hear that all the time, and I was someone who would hear that and be a little bit cynical too, at times, saying, ‘OK, yeah, everyone says that.’ But I’m telling you, in my case, Sam Star’s case from Leeds, Alabama. If Sam could do it and fight all of these battles and make it all the way to RuPaul’s Drag Race, y’all can do it. Believe in yourself, work hard, and you can do it.”