*(Los Angeles, CA) – Last Friday, people were on edge to see who would compete on the second episode of RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race.
Cameras panned the stage and a voiceover read, “I’m a comedian, author and talk show host. I have no experience with drag…at all.” As curious viewers wondered, in walks the one and only Loni Love!
The award-winning comedienne started by acknowledging that Drag Race represents confidence. This boldness wasn’t specific to any size, skin tone or race. As a talk show host, Love wanted to go outside of her boundaries, be someone different for a moment and have a good time!
Joined by celebrity competitors actress and former Miss America Vanessa Williams and reality star Tami Roman, Love knew for a fact the competition was about to get real.
The ladies were very excited about the opportunity to reveal who they were throughout their drag race experience. The series challenges RuPaul’s Drag Race fan favorites to give all their A-listers drag makeovers for a chance to win $30,000 for a charity of their choice.
Immediately, Love was tasked, along with Williams and Roman, to create a mocha man look on her own. Before you knew it, the ladies were snatching wigs!
The tracks are out + the wigs are coming off…these ladies did NOT come to play! ?@VWOfficial @LoniLove @TamiRoman #CelebDragRace pic.twitter.com/EJH0UMV9FD
— RuPaul’s Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) May 2, 2020
Before you could blink, ‘Auntie Loni’ [affectionately known by fans] transformed into a beard, plaid shirt, shorts and baseball cap; all while rubbing her stomach.
“Where I’m from, there’s real men,” when RuPaul joked that her character hadn’t changed in a while.
The mini-challenge focused on pitching a new product to encourage men to vote who suffer from ED (electoral dysfunction). Love nailed the dare, joking that she used to vote all the time for primaries, midterms and even school superintendent. An impressed RuPaul crowned her the winner and an opportunity to pair each contestant with their queen supreme.
Love picked RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Season 4) winner Trinity The Tuck to mentor her. During their initial conversation, Love came up with the name Mary J. Ross. The drag name fused her love for both Diana Ross (from Brewster Projects of Detroit where Love grew up) and Mary J. Blige (who exemplifies strength and power).
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As most know, the Emmy winning talk show host of The REAL Daytime is a veteran in the game and has been working throughout the entertainment industry for well over 15 years. Known for her heartfelt spirit, being on RuPaul wouldn’t be anything different.
She talked about how most stand-up comedians are very shy when offstage. The opportunity of competing on d”Drag Race” would give her a chance to push herself to be different.
As the episode progressed, Love teared up explaining how much she has admired the queens of drag. The genuine words shed light on the fact that drag hasn’t always been accepted and embraced. She thanked the drag queens for being who they are and reassuring them that they have meaning. Love realized that doing drag takes more than makeup and hair, it’s something deep within a person…confidence!
Before the next challenge, still in tears, the 2x author opened up to RuPaul.
“I’ve been different all of my life; I’ve been the big girl, the dark-skinned girl. When I saw your show, I saw people who were different like me and had been accepted,” Love admitted. “When you’re an outcast and people look over you, you want to show them what you can do. This is a challenge for me, but I feel at home.”
In Love’s upcoming “I Tried To Change So You Don’t Have To” memoir, she chronicles those moments in which she didn’t necessarily fit in with the others around her. The memoir goes deep within her journey from the projects of Detroit to Hollywood, homelessness, marriage and an Emmy winner in between.
After wiping away tears of joy, the Gracie Award-winning [Cafe Mocha] radio host prepared to perform “Twerkin’ 5 to 9” as Lilly Tomlin with Vanessa Williams and Tami Roman in the classic ‘Rusical’. A worried Love turned into an electrifying artist dressed in a black sequin floor-length jacket hitting each dance step with a twerk. Just when you thought the heat was on, she pulled off her jacket revealing an all-black sports outfit, took a spin and SNATCHED OFF her wig revealing a bob…a real quick change!
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Then came the moment that all had been waiting for, Love to hit the runway. Mary J. Ross strutted down the catwalk in an elegantly fitted, sparkling, hot pink dress with a golden hair updo.
“This is my first time in drag…it’s AWESOME! Mary J. Ross is a woman who’s very confident and she’s fierce. This is my moment to shine and it’s beautiful,” says Love.
The judges gave rave reviews, saying that she gave a killer performance. Agreeing with the critiques, Ross Matthews pointed out that when you’re the funny person you don’t always have to be the sexy person. Love was commended on tapping deep within to show her body positivity and owning herself.
“I represent so many women out there and I want to make them proud of me. I want them to know that they can do it,” poured out by the Ashley Stewart collection curator. She was very happy for the opportunity and grateful.
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Following the judge’s feedback, Love returns to the workroom where she was met with a special guest…her boyfriend James. He made a cameo appearance cheering her on to take the stage for one last challenge.
The time had come for the contestants to Lip Sync for their charity. Love was ready for one final battle against Williams and Roman to “A Mighty Real” by Sylvester. She gave it her all, even channeling her inner Patti LaBelle by kicking off her shoes.
RuPaul gave kudos to the contestants and crowned Vanessa Williams the episode’s winner. Love was awarded $10,000 for Dress 4 Success, a charity whose mission is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.
Mary J. Ross aka Loni Love, has a heart of gold as she knows what drag queens have gone through. They experience so many ups and downs but have so much confidence. Thanks to RuPaul and Trinity The Tunk, Love learned to be confident in all things. She wants people to realize that there’s more to the drag industry than surface-level thinking. It’s a world of acceptance and confidence.
On Saturday, she caught up with Trinity The Tunk during her #QuarantineWithLoni Instagram Live. They chatted about RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race, the concept of drag, LGBTQ pronouns, etiquette and Trinity’s work with Taylor Swift.
UPCOMING DATES
Loni Love is slated to chat with Black Enterprise via Instagram Live about The Business of Being Yourself. Be sure to #TuneIn on Tuesday, May 5 at 5:30pm EST.
#QuarantineWithLoni returns for Shoutrageous games with fans on Monday (5/5) and Friday (5/8).
On May 12, Loni Love will takeover Blavity‘s Facebook Page for a candid conversation.
Loni’s Girlfriend Check-In with special guests Tami Roman, B. Simone and Robbi Rogers is scheduled to air May 2020 on The Oprah Winfrey Network.
The Emmy winning talk show host is excited about her highly anticipated, “I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To” book. An inspiring, hilarious memoir about learning to resist the pressures of conformity, love yourself for who you are, embrace your flaws, and unlock your true potential is set to release June 23, 2020 (pre-order today).
“I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To” is available for pre-order at www.LoniLoveBook.com.
ABOUT LONI LOVE
Loni Love is currently a co-host of The Real, the one-hour daily talk show on Fox stations. Most recently, The Real has received a 2019 Daytime Emmy nomination for Best Talk show as well as Loni and her co-hosts receiving the nomination for Best Talk Show Hosts. The nationally syndicated show (with a rebroadcast in primetime on cable network BET) was touted by the New York Post as “fun, funny, involved in life, outrageous by nature, warm and, most of all, real.” The show was nominated for four EMMY Awards, including Outstanding Talk Show, and won the EMMY for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Hosts. The Real also won a 2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Talk Series.
Loni has found her niche on The Real (“It’s like a younger, intoxicated version of The View” said Jezebel), as well as the recurring guest DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Loni also currently co-hosts the GRACIE Award-winning radio show Café Mocha with rapper YoYo. They’ve interviewed President Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama as well as superstars like Fantasia Barrino Taylor, Patti LaBelle, Tyler Perry among many others. Café Mocha is the only nationally syndicated show of its kind that was created exclusively BY and FOR women of color. You can catch the show on over 40 stations including SiriusXM Channel 141. Additionally, Loni has guest hosted on Fashion Police and has been a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and E! Along with her work on television, Loni has appeared in myriad movies including Mother’s Day, the successful Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 opposite Kevin James, Soul Plane with Kevin Hart and the Bad Ass franchise with Danny Glover and Danny Trejo. In addition, Loni is the subject of the documentary “Being Loni Love”, which traces Loni’s life story from her early days as a latchkey daughter growing up in Detroit’s Brewster- Douglas housing projects to national stand up comedienne, tv and movie star.
Author (“Love Him or Leave Him but Don’t Get Stuck with the Tab” came out in 2013), popular stand up comedienne, theatre actor, film star, television host, roving reporter and part-time aunt – Loni Love has no plans to slow down. This past summer she hosted the 25th Essence Festival in New Orleans, LA.
source:
Humble Hill PR, LLC.
Alex R. Hill II
[email protected]
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