Owning 2020 with Brigitte Bidet

How do you describe your 2020? Though 2020 may have been a blur for everyone, Atlanta drag queen Brigitte Bidet kept busy this whole year long with virtual drag shows like “Tossed Salad”, a drive-in drag show with Out on Film and Lexus, and a whole series of virtual appearances including Atlanta Pride with Todrick Hall. As part of Legendary Children, which has been dubbed the “Andy Warhol of the local drag scene”, Bidet hails from the same drag family as Violet Chachki and Dax ExclamationPoint. As a trained dancer and a professional comedian, Brigitte Bidet brings a lot more to the table than barbie doll looks! She’s even teamed up with Drag Out The Vote to encourage local young voters to get registered and get involved with social justice… Yep! That’s how you flip 2020.

In talking about her approach on 2020, Bidet advised,

“There was a really exciting surge of digital content for drag performers at the beginning of the pandemic. It was honestly a gold mine, and spoke to how much people support the art of drag performance in general,” says Bidet. “But as with anything, the world is tired. The fatigue of social distancing and the overall disruption of life as we knew it has taken a toll on everyone. But my heart goes out to the people still performing in public, taking the risk of exposure for a gig. I’m very grateful for the team at Wussy for creating safe, socially distanced events like the Drive-In Drag Shows and the digital events.”

Whether appearing in Netflix’s Dumplin’ in 2018 or recently releasing several music videos and live performances during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bidet has made her mark on drag culture. In addition to a selection of shows, in 2020 Bidet launched a new podcast “Good Judy Pod” produced by Wussy Mag which she co-hosts with drag artist Ellasaurus Rex. So far, the podcast has had a range of LGBTQ+ celebrity guests, including Lady Bunny, Detox, Jujubee, Abhora, Jinkx Monsoon, and BenDeLaCreme. New episodes available every Tuesday and Friday- available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you stream your podcasts.

Good Judy Artwork by Nick Sheridan

“Ella and I started Good Judy as a way to stay connected to our community throughout the pandemic,” says Bidet. “It was a way to offer lighthearted commentary through a lens of queerness; a sort of digital meetup where we can dish about the woes of life, and then follow it up by interviewing someone that inspires us.”

Brigitte Bidet is Atlanta’s drag diva, prima-ballerina, and entertainer extraordinaire. Before the pandemic, Bidet was keeping herself busy with weekly gigs and events all throughout the city of Atlanta. In previous years, she has been voted “Best Drag Queen”, “Hostess with the Mostess” and “Best Event Emcee” by the readers and staff of Creative Loafing Atlanta.

Brigitte has adapted to the challenges of 2020 by moving her shows to various digital platforms, and also performing in socially distanced, drive-in events planned by Wussy Mag and Ree de la Vega. She also recently started working again for the W Hotel Midtown, where she hosts Drag Bingo on Thursday nights.

Outside of drag, Brigitte Bidet is known as Joshua Rackliffe, a dance artist with CORE Dance. The drag and dance crossover is a throughline of Joshua’s work as an independent artist. In 2020, he was selected to be included in an international contemporary dance cooperation between Core Dance in Atlanta and Machol Shalem Dance in Jerusalem, Israel. His work will be presented in both Atlanta and Israel in 2021 as a result of this project.

Photo Credit: Jon Dean