Katya Zamolodchikova
Brian Joseph McCook (born May 1, 1982), known by his drag persona Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova[a] (Russian: Екатерина Петровна Замолодчикова), or mononymously as Katya (Russian: Катя), is an American drag queen, actor, author, recording artist, and comedian. Katya is best known for placing fifth on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race and placing as a runner-up on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, as well as for appearing in the World of Wonder web series UNHhhh and the Viceland series The Trixie & Katya Show with co-host and fellow season 7 alum Trixie Mattel.[2][3] Trixie and Katya often appear together as a popular comedy duo.
Katya Zamolodchikova
- Drag queen
- comedian
- actor
- reality television personality
- author
- music artist
2006–present[1]
Miss Congeniality
274K
(October 25, 2023)
20 million
(October 25, 2023)
Early life and education[edit]
Brian Joseph McCook was born on May 1, 1982,[4][5] to Pat and Dan McCook.[6][7] McCook is of Irish descent and was raised in a Catholic household with an older brother and a younger sister.[8] McCook was raised in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and graduated from Marlborough High School in 2001.[9] In a 2019 interview, McCook described growing up as "boring, nondescript, [and] a boiler-plate white suburb".[10] He then attended Boston University for one year before transferring to Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where he studied video and performance art in the Studio for Interrelated Media (SIM) program with a minor in psychology, and first became interested in drag.[9][11]
Career[edit]
Early drag career[edit]
McCook created the Russian drag character Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova in 2006, taking the stage name from a combination of Russian names and one of his favorite gymnasts, Elena Zamolodchikova.[12] When creating his drag character, McCook stated that he was inspired by "female comedians and just funny interesting women like Tracy Ullman, Maria Bamford, Lana Del Rey [and] Amy Sedaris."[13] McCook stated on Drag Race that the Russian-based aspect of his persona was inspired by a professor he had while studying at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, who "never left the house without a full face of makeup [with] six inch stilettos in the snow."[14] McCook is not of Russian descent himself, but took several Russian language courses and used a cassette tape called "Pronounce It Perfectly" to master the accent.[15]
As Katya, McCook hosted a monthly drag show called "Perestroika" at the Jacques Cabaret.[16] Katya became known on the local drag scene in Boston for performing songs by popular Russian artists such as Alla Pugacheva, t.A.T.u. and Glukoza.
RuPaul's Drag Race[edit]
Katya auditioned for RuPaul's Drag Race on Logo TV four times before being chosen to participate in season 7.[17] She is seen auditioning for the show back in Season 3's Casting Extravaganza. She won two challenges before being eliminated in episode 11, finishing in fifth place after losing a lip-sync against Kennedy Davenport. The decision to eliminate her was controversial, as she was popular among viewers.[18] During the Season 7 reunion, she was voted Miss Congeniality by fans. On May 16, 2016, Katya appeared at the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8 to crown the next Miss Congeniality: Cynthia Lee Fontaine. On June 17, 2016, Katya was announced as one of the cast members on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars.[19] She placed in the top three times throughout the season, and eventually finished as a runner-up along with fellow contestant Detox.
Personal life[edit]
In addition to Russian, McCook can also speak French.[39][40] McCook got a hip replacement in 2023.[41][42]
McCook became friends with Brian Firkus (Trixie Mattel) after they starred on seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Speaking about their first joint appearance on World of Wonder's Fashion Photo RuView web series, McCook said: "We weren't that close of friends in the beginning, we didn't know that much about each other. It was never pitched as 'two iconic best friends', it actually turned into a close friendship."[43]
McCook has spoken openly about his experiences with substance abuse, including addiction to alcohol, cocaine, and crystal meth.[44] In January 2018, McCook announced a hiatus from drag for mental health reasons, and his comedy tour as Katya, "Help Me, I'm Dying", was postponed until spring 2019.[45][46] In the first episode of Whimsically Volatile in March 2018, McCook discussed the hiatus in detail. He described suffering a psychotic break after a methamphetamine relapse and briefly returning to live with his family in Massachusetts before entering a rehabilitation center in Arizona.[47] As Katya in a 2022 episode of UNHhhh, McCook shared that he had gotten his tattoos during a manic episode while on drugs but that he did not regret getting them.[48] In April 2024, McCook announced that he would be returning to rehab, postponing upcoming "The Bald and The Beautiful" tour dates.[49]