Why Thom Filicia Says He Participated in the Show

TV

Thom Filicia is no stranger to TV, having appeared on hit shows like 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.' But the interior designer was new to drag performance when he participated in 'Celebrity Drag Race.'

Published on September 4, 2022

Season 2 of RuPaul’s Celebrity Drag Race has some of our faves transitioning into their secret drag alter egos. For interior designer Thom Filicia, he created the character of Jackie Would. Though he didn’t make it too far into the reality competition series, the journey is one he will never forget.

The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy alum is heavily involved in the LGBTQ+ community and affairs, and he loves a good drag show, but only as a viewer. Filicia spoke with Showbiz about why this show was the perfect chance for him to spread his wings and try something new, giving it 100% commitment. 

Thom Filicia participated in ‘RuPaul’s Celebrity Drag Race to step out of his comfort zone, and the philanthropy component

Felicia never thought he’d ever do a drag show as a competitor. Producers approached his agent, and while he was excited to do it, it turned out that the charity aspect was what registered to him the most. 

“There is a charitable component to this where you raise money for a charity that is important to you. And I did a bone marrow transplant with my brother about nine years ago. And so this was a great opportunity to do something for the Bone Marrow Foundation that brought recognition to them and for saving my brother’s life and other people’s lives and all of their research and raising awareness and raising resources for them. So that was a really cool thing,” he told Shadow and Act.

Filicia also wanted to do something unfamiliar to him. “Also, the idea of doing something I’ve never done before, I’ve literally never done drag before. It was like completely out of my wheelhouse,” he said. “And I thought, ‘Well, I’ve never done this before. I’ve never dressed up as a woman for Halloween or anything.’ And so I was like, ‘This is my opportunity to do this and really have fun with it.’ 

He says he was familiar with drag culture briefly due to his own life and work

While Filicia is a proud gay man who frequents clubs and has enjoyed drag shows as an audience member. He says he has minimal experience in the culture of drag. 

“My familiarity with it was like most people that, but I’m a gay man living in New York City. And so, I have a house in the Hamptons. I’ve been to P-Town Fire Island. I travel all around the country filming TV shows and doing book signings and going to cities and doing shows for my furniture lines and things like that. So going to a drag show or going to a gay bar that has a drag show is not something outside of my world at any level,” he said.

The designer admits he’s not a natural performer

While the experience is one he enjoyed, he joked that he was eliminated right on time. Filicia says the choreography was the biggest challenge, and that lipsyncing is even harder than he thought.

“I am not a performer on stage as a drag artist, it is not something that I was thinking would be part of my wheelhouse. So that was definitely a new journey for me. And I’m very familiar with drag, and I love drag, but dancing and choreography are not my things,” he said with a laugh.

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