Katherine LaNasa, known for her role as Dana Evans in The Pitt, recently talked about her experience being a judge at the Best in Drag pageant. She described the experience as “just fun as hell,” while also explaining what it means to be a drag queen.
Katherine LaNasa says being a Best in Drag show judge was ‘fun as hell’
During an interview with Variety on the Best in Drag pageant’s pink carpet, the Emmy-winning actress shared her thoughts on judging the pageant.
“Best in Drag is just fun as hell, and it’s about accepting everybody where they are, celebrating people as they are,” LaNasa shared. “I hope that this event teaches people that drag queens don’t kill, and there’s nothing to be afraid of here.”
LaNasa and her husband, Grant Show, joined a star-studded panel of judges. The panel included Cheri Oteri, Judy Greer, Dan Bucatinsky, Kathy Kinney, Camryn Manheim, and Variety’s Marc Malkin.
Best in Drag celebrated 30 years of supporting and raising money for APLA Health’s Alliance for Housing and Healing. The organization provides housing and emergency financial assistance to individuals with HIV/AIDS who are homeless in Los Angeles.
This year, casting director Patrick Rush hosted the event and successfully raised $250,000 for the cause. By the end, the judges named the circus-inspired bearded Miss Wisconsin, Bailey Barnum, as the winner.
Back in 2024, the Best in Drag pageant was also the focus of a documentary titled The Little Pageant That Could. It showed the event’s creation and growth over three decades. Cheri Oteri, another panel member, stated that the documentary inspired her to support the pageant.
“I really was taken by the documentary, which made me want to come [to support],” Oteri shared. “I’d say to let your freak flag fly, because it’s so fun to watch and to be an audience member. It’s wonderful for every gay young person to learn that there are all different types of ways to be gay.”
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on ComingSoon.
