Jinkx Monsoon
Jinkx Monsoon | |
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Monsoon in 2022 | |
| Born | September 18, 1987 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Education | Cornish College of the Arts (BFA) |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Television | |
| Spouse |
Michael Abbott
(m. 2021; sep. 2023) |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
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| Website | jinkxmonsoon |
Hera Lilith Hoffer (born September 18, 1987), best known by the stage name Jinkx Monsoon, is an American drag queen, actress, singer and comedienne, originally from the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps best-known for winning the fifth season (2013) of RuPaul's Drag Race. She made her Broadway debut in 2023 and has appeared in character roles on television and in cabaret.
Nine years after her first win on RuPaul's Drag Race, in 2022, she returned as part of an all-winners All Stars season, featuring a mixture of crowned queens from several seasons competing against one another for the title of "Queen of All Queens" and a $200,000 prize. Monsoon placed first here as well, becoming the first two-time winner of the show across its many global franchises. Throughout her drag career, she has been noted for her wit and comedic timing, her musical theatre-inspired performances, and for celebrity impersonations, including Judy Garland, Edie "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale, and Natasha Lyonne.
She has also pursued a career in music, releasing two studio albums titled The Inevitable Album (2014) and The Ginger Snapped (2018). She has appeared in cabaret acts. In film, Monsoon appeared with her collaborative and touring partner BenDeLaCreme in the holiday film The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Special (2021) which was later released on Hulu. On television, Monsoon appears in the WOW Presents Plus original Sketchy Queens, a series she created alongside Liam Krug, and the BBC series Doctor Who as the villain Maestro. In 2023 she made her Broadway debut in Chicago as "Mama" Morton, continued in musical theatre as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors in New York and, in 2025, made a Carnegie Hall debut and returned to Broadway in Pirates! The Penzance Musical.