Willow Pill | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Willow Pill atRuPaul's DragCon LA, 2022 | |
| Born | January 22, 1995 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Other names | Willow Patterson |
| Education | Colorado State University |
| Occupation | Drag queen |
| Television | RuPaul's Drag Race |
Willow Patterson, known by the stage nameWillow Pill, is an Americandrag performer. She is best known as the winner ofseason 14 ofRuPaul's Drag Race in 2022.[1]
Patterson was raised inDenver, Colorado and attendedArapahoe High School in Littleton Public Schools. Patterson later attendedColorado State University.[2]
In an interview withKGNU in 2016, Willow Pill explained her drag persona was "a mix of 41 and 14... I'm kind of obsessed with little stoner girls as well as older women, like moms, that can't catch a break."[3] Her first performance was at aColorado State University drag show, where she wore "a pink '90s housewife tracksuit, complete with glasses and a pearl necklace." She performed a comedy routine and danced to a mix ofMissy Elliott andGwen Stefani songs.[4]
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In 2022, Willow Pill gained wider prominence as a contestant onseason 14 ofRuPaul's Drag Race, where she won the main challenge on the third episode, earning a cash prize of $5,000. HerSnatch Game performance asDrew Barrymore placed her in the bottom seven,[5] and she participated in the lip-sync tournament on episode eight.[6] She won the first round againstBosco.[6] She placed in the bottom a second time during episode 14, and was required to "lip sync for her life" againstAngeria Paris VanMicheals. Following their performance of "Telephone" byLady Gaga ft.Beyoncé, neither was eliminated, resulting in five contestants advancing to the finale, a first for the series.[citation needed]
On the April 22, 2022, season finale, Willow Pill performed "I Hate People"[7] and defeatedLady Camden in a lip-sync battle toCher's version ofABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" and was declared the season's winner, earning a cash prize of $150,000, the highest amount awarded to date in a regular season so far.[8] After being crowned the winner of season 14, Willow Pill became the second openlytransgender person to win a regular season ofRuPaul's Drag Race in the United States,[9][10] and the sixth openly transgender contestant to win a season of theDrag Race franchise at the time of their crowning.[a]
Willow identifies as trans femme and uses they/she pronouns, making her one of the five transgender contestants of Season 14. She initially opened up about her gender identity in an episode of untucked and later came out as trans via social media during the airing of the season.[11] She and two of her cast-mates, Bosco andJasmine Kennedie, came out as transgender over the progression of the season, making S14 the season with the most openly trans contestants includingKornbread Jeté andKerri Colby, who had openly been out prior to the airing of the season.[12] Patterson has hadcystinosis her whole life.[citation needed]
| Year | Title | Role | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 14) | Contestant | Winner | [13] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | ||||
| 2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 15) | Herself | Guest | [14] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Meet the Queens | Herself | Stand-alone special RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 | [15] |
| 2022 | Whatcha Packin' | Guest | [16] | |
| The Awardist | [17] | |||
| The Pit Stop | [18] | |||
| Folx Presents | [19] | |||
| Meet the Queens | Host RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 | [20] | ||
| 2023 | Sloppy Seconds' | Guest | [21] | |
| Give It to Me Straight' | [22] | |||
| Fashion Photo RuView | [23] |
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | "Sick Bitch" | Yvie Oddly feat. Willow Pill | [24] |
| 2022 | "Taste So Good (The Cann Song)" | Vincint,Hayley Kiyoko,MNEK andKesha (Weedmaps x Cann) | [25] |
| "Angle" | Willow Pill feat.Kornbread Jeté | [26] |
| Year | Award-giving body | Category | Work | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Reality Star | RuPaul's Drag Race | Nominated | [27] |
| Critics' Choice Real TV Awards | Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series (Shared with theSeason 14 cast) | Won | [28] | ||
| People's Choice Awards | The Competition Contestant of 2022 | Nominated | [29][30] | ||
| 2023 | Queerty Awards | Closet Door Bustdown (Shared withBosco,Jasmine Kennedie andKornbread Jeté) | Runner-up | [31] | |
| Drag Royalty | Herself | Nominated | [32] |
Media related toWillow Pill at Wikimedia Commons| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Winner ofRuPaul's Drag Race US season 14 | Succeeded by |
