Willow Pill

Willow Patterson, known by the stage name Willow Pill, is an American drag performer, recording artist, and television personality. She is best known for winning season 14 of ''RuPaul’s Drag Race'' ''in 2022'', where she became the first transgender woman and the first contestant with a chronic illness to win a regular season of the show. Willow Pill’s victory was widely seen as a milestone for transgender representation on ''Drag Race'', a show that had previously faced criticism for its treatment of trans contestants. During her time on the show, she came out as trans femme and spoke candidly about her experience living with cystinosis, a rare genetic disorder she has managed since childhood. She uses she/they pronouns and has said her drag is often shaped by themes of illness, mortality, and gender exploration.

Early life

Patterson was raised in Denver, Colorado and attended Arapahoe High School in Littleton Public Schools. Patterson later attended Colorado State University.

Career

Willow Pill revealed that she had auditioned for ''RuPaul’s Drag Race'' three times before being cast on Season 14. She began performing drag at the age of 21, after having followed ''RuPaul’s Drag Race'' since she was 14. Her first performance was at a Colorado 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 of Missy Elliott and Gwen Stefani songs. She first discovered ''Drag Race'' after seeing a clip of contestant Tammie Brown during Season 1 and was immediately hooked. Over time, queens such as Raja, Jinkx Monsoon, and Adore Delano inspired her to pursue drag more seriously. She officially began performing in 2016, during the airing of Season 8.

Pill’s drag aesthetic is influenced by retro glamour, surreal dream imagery, and vintage photos of her mother from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s. Her Season 14 runway looks often reflected this dreamy, conceptual style, including a “house” look based on a dream about a doll growing too large for its toy home, and a thong dress inspired by a dream in which she dove into a rack of swimsuits at a Tommy Bahama store. In an interview with KGNU 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." Although she did not have a single home bar in Denver, Pill developed her hosting and comedic skills while performing shows at the now-closed Gladys, and she also considers Tracks Nightclub to be an important venue in her drag journey. She shared that Season 14 marked her return to drag after more than a year, having only performed a few times during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, Willow Pill gained wider prominence as a contestant on season 14 of '' RuPaul's Drag Race.'' During the first episode of Season 14, she performed a surreal self-care-themed talent number set to Enya’s “Only Time,” which involved a bathtub, spaghetti, and a toaster oven. The routine was inspired by a video she had made in high school and became one of her most memorable performances. She won the main challenge on the third episode, earning a cash prize of $5,000. Her Snatch Game performance as Drew Barrymore placed her in the bottom seven, and she participated in the lip-sync tournament on episode eight. She won the first round against Bosco. She placed in the bottom a second time during episode 14, and was required to "lip sync for her life" against Angeria Paris VanMicheals. Following their performance of "Telephone" by Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé, neither was eliminated, resulting in five contestants advancing to the finale, a first for the series.

In the season finale, Willow Pill was announced the winner of Season 14 of ''RuPaul’s Drag Race'', receiving the top prize of $150,000, which, at the time, was the highest amount awarded in a regular season. The season finale, filmed at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, marked the show’s return to an in-person event following two pandemic-affected seasons. Each finalist performed an original solo number rather than competing in traditional lip-sync battles. Willow Pill performed "I Hate People" and was selected as the top two alongside Lady Camden to face off in a final lip-sync. In their lip-sync battle to Cher's version of ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)," Willow Pill defeated Lady Camden and ultimately won the crown. Although the finale was filmed in advance, Willow Pill did not learn the outcome until it aired on April 22, 2022. She made history as the first contestant with a chronic illness, as well as the first openly transgender woman to win a regular season of the show in the United States and the sixth openly transgender contestant to win a season of the ''Drag Race'' franchise at the time of her crowning.

Willow Pill’s win came at a time when ''RuPaul’s Drag Race'' was undergoing increased scrutiny and change regarding its inclusion of transgender contestants. In earlier seasons, the show used terms now widely considered transphobic, such as “she-mail,” and host RuPaul previously stated he would not allow trans women to compete. Pill’s visibility as a trans femme winner was seen as a milestone in the franchise’s evolving stance on gender identity and inclusion. Season 14 was also notable for its emphasis on transparency around gender identity, coming-out stories, and chronic illness. For the first time in franchise history, five queens made it to the finale. Pill noted that her chronic illness shaped not only her performance style but also her decision to be open about her health on such a large platform.

Willow Pill's original finale song, “I Hate People,” co-written with Leland Lopez, was Emmy-eligible which is a rarity for reality show contestants. She described the song as a satirical response to frustrations with society and government during the pandemic. Following her win, she released a single titled “Angle” along with an accompanying music video. She also collaborated with Yvie Oddly on the track “ Sick B*tch” from Oddly’s debut album '' Drag Trap'', released in 2020.

Personal life

Willow Pill was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, where she lived until the age of 26 before relocating to Chicago. She is trans femme and uses they/them and she/her pronouns, making her one of the five transgender contestants of Season 14. Willow Pill 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. She and two of her cast-mates, Bosco and Jasmine Kennedie, came out as transgender over the progression of the season, making S14 the season with the most openly trans contestants including Kornbread Jeté and Kerri Colby, who had openly been out prior to the airing of the season.

Willow Pill has spoken publicly about living with cystinosis, a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder that primarily affects the kidneys and other organs. In her “Meet the Queens” interview, Willow Pill shared that she takes over 20 medications daily to manage the condition. She has stated that her chronic illness has deeply shaped both her identity and her drag, explaining that many of her looks and performances are inspired by her relationship with illness, death, and darkness.

When Willow Pill publicly came out as trans femme during Season 14, she shared more details in an Instagram post, where she explained that chronic illness had delayed her gender journey. She described how her medical condition, cystinosis, caused both physical and emotional pain that complicated her relationship with her body. Pill wrote that her transplant at age 15 and the ongoing effects of muscle atrophy, PTSD from medical experiences, and a high medication load made the process of transitioning more complex. Despite these challenges, she began medically transitioning, including undergoing facial feminization surgery in November 2021.

Willow Pill has spoken about her connection with fellow Denver drag queen and ''Drag Race'' Season 11 winner Yvie Oddly, calling her an early inspiration and collaborator. They first met at a student drag show and reconnected through a college documentary project Willow Pill created about Yvie Oddly. She noted that they have supported one another in shaping a personal relationship to drag that differs from traditional expressions of the art form.

After winning ''Drag Race'', Willow Pill stated that she intended to put part of her prize money into a college fund for her future children and keep the rest in savings with the goal of retiring early, ideally by age 35.

Filmography

Television

Web series

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

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Living people
20th-century American LGBTQ people
21st-century American LGBTQ people
American transgender entertainers
American transgender women
Colorado State University alumni
Drag performers from Denver
LGBTQ people from Colorado
People with rare diseases
Willow Pill
Transgender drag performers