Who is Trixie Mattel? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Brian Michael Firkus

Age: 35 Years, 35 Year Old Males

American Men

Height: 1.80 m

U.S. State: Wisconsin

Grouping of People: Gay

Notable Alumni: University Of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

City: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

More Facts

education: University Of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

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Career

A troublesome relationship with his stepfather paved Mattel’s career as a drag queen. His feminine behavior provoked his stepfather who called him Trixie as an insult. When he was 18, he performed in the musical ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ in which he played a character called Trixie. Since then, Mattel used Trixie as his stage name. He counts Barbie among his most inspiring celebrities and decided to use ‘Mattel’ as his second name as a homage to Barbie. This also stemmed from the fact that he wasn’t allowed to own a Barbie as a child.

Mattel decided to carve his persona and look based on Barbie, and everybody soon referred to him as the ‘person who looked like Barbie.’ He went on to study Musical Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2008, he started performing drag and first performed at LaCage NiteClub. He went on to become a regular in the drag scene.

In 2014, he enrolled in a program at the Institute of Beauty and Wellness but dropped out to take part in RuPaul’s ‘Drag Race’. Mattel entered the 7th season and was eliminated early in the fourth episode. This became a controversial elimination and Mattel was brought back in the eighth episode, only to be eliminated in episode 10. At the end of the season, Mattel was placed sixth in the competition. His controversial exit, however, made him the most popular contestant. After this, Mattel appeared alongside fellow contestant, Katya Zamolodchikova, in the web series ‘UNHhhh’. This ran for 73 episodes.

The duo collaborated again in ‘The Trixie & Katya Show’ in 2017. In the same year, they starred in a stage adaptation titled ‘Trixie and Katya’s High School Reunion’ which was based on the cult film ‘Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion’. Since then, he has been touring the world and performing in many venues. His most popular show is the stand-up comedy titled ‘Ages 3 and Up’. Mattel also showcased his abilities as a singer when he released his first studio album, ‘Two Birds’, in May 2017. In an effort to raise money for the GaymerX foundation, he streamed on Twitch alongside the famous streamer 8BitDylan in October 2017. He has also taken part in the ‘Haters Roast: The Shady Tour’ alongside other members from RuPaul’s ‘Drag Race’ as part of their alumni tours.

In 2018, he returned in RuPaul’s ‘Drag Race: All Stars 3’. He eventually went on to become the winner after defeating Kennedy Davenport in a lipsync competition. He released his second album, ‘One Stone’, in March 2018, which was well received by the audience. Mattel also appeared as himself in a cameo role in FX’s ‘American Horror Story’. He recently announced his latest comedy tour, ‘Now with Moving Tours’, which started in April 2018. He has mentioned that he’d like to continue working as a stand up and continue producing music.

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Controversies & Scandals

Trixie Mattel was eliminated in the fourth episode of ‘Drag Race’ which led to many people objecting this decision. Many fans started using the hashtag #JusticeforTrixie to highlight their dissatisfaction with the competition. The outrage generated ensured that Mattel was welcomed back to the series.

Personal Life

Trixie Mattel was born August 23, 1989 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is half Ojibwe and traces back to a Native American family. Trixie is openly gay and currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Trivia

Trixie Mattel converted to vegetarian at an early age of nine. He registered on the gay dating app, Grindr, as Trixie. However, Grindr deactivated his profile because they said he was promoting himself when he sent his pictures as GIFs.

His primary musical influences are Dolly Parton, June Carter Cash, Jason Isbell, and Kacey Musgraves.

Trixie Mattel Biography