Reality Star and Advocate TS Madison
Whether she’s dispensing advice from the RuPaul’s Drag Race panel last season or giving us a perspective on her life that we have never seen before on The TS Madison Experience, there is nothing TS Madison does that she does not do with her signature brand of pointed honesty and tough love.
Michael Cook: Filming your life for The TS Madison Experience and letting people see where you come from and your history must be pretty surreal, especially for someone who has always been so open. What has it been like for you?
TS Madison: You know, it’s really crazy. You think you’ve told it all. Then you get in there and are telling everyone this story, to some people that know some of it and some that don’t know it at all. Now, I am reliving a lot of that stuff and having conversations about it. Knowing that it is impacting other people’s lives, it is an amazing thing.
MC: You have always been open about yourself and your own journey, but on the show you were open about your family. What was it like to sit with your father on a park bench and have conversations that you knew the entire world would see?
TM: It was kind of scary because, I have to be honest, you don’t know if these people are going to want to bash your dad; he is still your dad. He does represent a set of people who have these thoughts and beliefs about trans people. It was important for me that the world see themselves. He is a direct representative of lots of people out there. I do have to say, I looked good on that park bench (laughs), and I handled myself. I have watched myself become a lady; that was me handling myself like a lady, and I still had some bit of compassion for him.
MC: You got to really spend some time at the judges panel on RuPaul’s Drag Race last season and we really got to see you give some of the girls some fantastic advice. Was it as much fun for you as it looked like, and as it was for the viewers?
TM: Yes, and you know that I am a super huge fan of Drag Race. I love RuPaul like a fat girl loves chocolate chip cookies—and I am that fat girl (laughs)! I fit into that niche. I love drag, I love Ru, I love a good read, a good critique, that is just what I do. It felt like home to me, and the fans responded very well.
MC: You have been an author, a speaker, and a TV star; what is left for TS Madison to do that you have not done?
TM: I think I want to try my hand at doing some stand-up comedy. I want to step on the other side of the lens and produce things that are interesting and that have interesting content.
MC: You worked with Tiffany Hadish on your reality show. Any future collaborators would probably need to be a certain type of artist. What are the qualities that you look for when you decide to possibly collaborate with someone?
TM: You have to be ready for anything. I am full of energy, I am live, loud, and in color. You have to be full of life and not take things too seriously; you have to be able to laugh at pain. I don’t mean that you should not acknowledge it, but you have to laugh at it so you know it has not defeated you. You have to be spontaneous and full of energy, and you can’t be lazy.
MC: It has been a truly surreal and reflective 18 months or so; what do you think you have learned from the last couple years that you will take with you?
TM: One of the biggest things that I will take with me is that you have to appreciate your fans. My fans kept me going through the pandemic. I had started traveling and was touring and that money suddenly stopped. My fans navigated with me and no matter where they are, they made sure that I was good. I want my fans to know how much I love and appreciate every one of them; if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be anything.
MC: When do you feel the most authentically yourself?
TM: When I’m at home with no wig on and I got my cell phone open and some earrings and maybe some lashes. I feel my most authentic self when I am not really glam, because I don’t feel like I’m at work. ▼
Follow TS Madison on Instagram on instagram.com/therealtsmadison/?hl=en
Michael Cook has been a part-time resident of Rehoboth Beach for over a decade. He is currently a contributor to Instinct Magazine, World of Wonder’s WOW Report, and South Florida Gay News. Michael can be found on Instagram: instagram.com/cookie74/?hl=en