# Kelly Mantle

Kelly Leroy Mantle (born July 9, 1976) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, comedian, musician, drag queen, and reality television personality. Mantle appeared as a contestant on the sixth season of the reality TV show RuPaul's Drag Race.

## Early life

Mantle was born to Larry James and Linda Lea Mantle in Oklahoma City but grew up in New Cordell, Oklahoma. She has a brother, Garrette. She self-identifies as being of Cherokee descent from Oklahoma.
Mantle's uncle was professional baseball player Mickey Mantle, who played for the New York Yankees. Mantle graduated with a BFA in Theatre from the University of Oklahoma.

## Career

After college, Mantle went to Chicago to begin a career as an actor. She acted in plays such as The Convention and Royal Flush. Lone Star/Laundry & Bourbon was the first production by OKRA Theatre, a theater company started by Mantle and her friend Tracy Parks, who directed the play.
In 1998, Mantle starred in the Chicago production of Charles Busch's play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. After two years of living in Chicago, she moved to Los Angeles. She later auditioned for the Los Angeles production of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, where she was scouted and signed by a talent agent.
In Los Angeles, Mantle became a member of the band Sex with Lurch, which was formed by singer Robbie Quinne and guitarist Bernard Yin. As part of the group, Mantle used the stage name "Brandy Warhol". The group disbanded in December 2002. Mantle later joined Quinne's follow-up band, the Barbarellatones.
Mantle was also a member of the band Tranzkuntinental. The band was started by Charlie Paulson and Xander Smith and features drag queens Detox, Rhea Litré, Vicky Vox, and Willam Belli.
Currently, Mantle is a member of the band the Rollz Royces with Tammie Brown and Michael Catti. Mantle and Catti have appeared in Tammie Brown's Christmas show Holiday Sparkle at Fubar in West Hollywood.
In 2014 Mantle starred in Confessions of a Womanizer with Gary Busey. The film was released in 2016. Mantle, who is genderfluid, made history when the film's producers sought both supporting actor and supporting actress consideration for her performance and The Academy granted the request.
Mantle starred as Sheila on both seasons of the OutTV and Amazon Prime sitcom The Browns alongside Tammie Brown and in 2022 supported Trixie and Katya on their tour Trixie and Katya Live.

### RuPaul's Drag Race

In December 2013, Logo announced that Mantle was among fourteen drag queens who would be competing on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. She was eliminated in the first episode, lip-synching to "Express Yourself" against Vivacious.

### The Kelly Mantle Show

On December 11, 2024 the first episode of Mantle's podcast The Kelly Mantle Show, executive produced by Trixie and Katya and hosted on the Studio71 network, was released.
| No. in series | Title | Length | Release date |
| 1 | "Tammie Brown Spins Kelly's Head Round and Round" | 44:38 | December 11, 2024 (2024-12-11) |
| 2 | "Coco Peru Is Booked & Busy & Bothered" | 45:56 | December 18, 2024 (2024-12-18) |
| 3 | "Angeria Paris VanMicheals Serves Sweet Southern Tea" | 51:28 | January 1, 2025 (2025-1-1) |
| 4 | "Tammie Brown Takes Us Down To Funkytown" | 37:26 | January 8, 2025 (2025-1-8) |
| 5 | "Mystic & Mediums with Vicky Vox & Cheri Mancuso" | 43:43 | January 15, 2025 (2025-1-15) |
| 6 | "Katya, Kelly, and Cockroaches Have a Kiki" | 39:32 | January 22, 2025 (2025-1-22) |
| 7 | "Tammie Brown is Back Again! Please Send Help!" | 33:53 | January 29, 2025 (2025-1-29) |
| 8 | "Viral Sensation: Brendan Jordan! Like You've Never Seen Her Before!" | 37:47 | February 5, 2025 (2025-2-5) |
| 9 | "Jinkx Monsoon Makes Kelly Mantle Swoon" | 40:58 | February 12, 2025 (2025-2-12) |
| 10 | "Meatball and Kelly Mantle Get Kicked Out Of The Party!" | 40:31 | February 19, 2025 (2025-2-19) |
| 11 | "Tammie Brown Tries To Take Down The Kelly Mantle Show" | 32:31 | February 26, 2025 (2025-2-26) |
| 12 | "Raja Toots The Kelly Mantle Show!" | 50:06 | March 5, 2025 (2025-3-5) |
| 13 | "Laganja Estranja Opens Up More Than Her Legs On The Kelly Mantle Show" | 40:38 | March 12, 2025 (2025-3-12) |

## Discography
### Albums

* Ever Changing (2002)
* Rock-N-Glow (2004)
* Satellite Baby (2006)

### Singles

| Song | Year | Album |
| "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" | 2013 | Non-album single |
| "Main Event" | 2014 | RuPaul Presents: The Covergurlz |
| "Eliminated" (featuring Bownce and Wendy Ho) | 2014 | Non-album single |
| "Keyboard Courage" | 2015 | Non-album single |

### Music videos

| Song | Year | Director |
| "Satellite Baby" | 2007 | — |
| "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" | 2013 | Andrew Putschoegl |
| "Main Event" | 2014 | — |
| "Eliminated" | 2014 | Kija Manharé |
| "Keyboard Courage" | 2015 | Gordon Cowie |

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | The Convent | Dickie-Boy | |
| 2000 | True Rights | Cleo | |
| 2000 | Super Duper | Maddie | Short film |
| 2002 | Superfag | Apacalipstick | Short film |
| 2004 | Straight Eye: The Movie | Herself | Short film |
| 2004 | Buds for Life | Sierra Bonita | |
| 2006 | The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down | Drag Queen | |
| 2013 | American Dream | Katrina | Post-production |
| 2013 | Confessions of a Womanizer | Ginger | |
| 2021 | The Bitch Who Stole Christmas | Wistful Woman/Madelyn | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Undressed | Howie | Episode: "Love It or Leave It Again" |
| 2003 | NYPD Blue | Dan "Monika" Hoffnagle | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Nip/Tuck | Transgender Woman No. 2 | Episode: "Sofia Lorez Part II" |
| 2003 | 10-8: Officers on Duty | Raven | Episode: "Badlands" |
| 2003 | Cold Case | Drag Performer No. 2 | Episode: "A Time to Hate" |
| 2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Robert 'Nina Man Horn' | Episode: "The Goodbye Girl" |
| 2004 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Bartender | Episode: "Ch-Ch-Changes" |
| 2004 | Judging Amy | Velvet | Episode: "Order and Chaos" |
| 2005 | George Lopez | Deep Voice Singer | Episode: "George Buys a Vow" |
| 2005 | Eve | Rudy | Episode: "Moral Minority" |
| 2005 | Cuts | Peter | Episode: "Strictly Bizz-Nass" |
| 2008 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Sparkle | Episode: "Happy Endings" |
| 2009 | Southland | Lacey | Episode: "See the Woman" |
| 2011 | One Night Stand Up | Herself | Episode: "Dragtastic NYC" |
| 2011 | Mike & Molly | Steven | Episode: "Joyce & Vince And Peaches & Herb" |
| 2011 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Kelly | Episode: "Palestinian Chicken" |
| 2012 | Eagleheart | 'Maph | Episode: "Little Dude" |
| 2012 | Rizzoli & Isles | Kitty | Episode: "Melt My Heart to Stone" |
| 2012 | The New Normal | Aubrey | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2014 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Season 6; 13th/14th place (2 episodes) |
| 2014 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2016 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Herself | Episode: "Revenge of the Queens" |
| 2018 | Lucifer | Donovan McCann / Cher | Episode: "Let Pinhead Sing!" |
| 2019 | Modern Family | Drag Queen | Episode: "The Last Halloween" |
| 2020–21 | The Browns | Sheila | 2 seasons |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Love On-The-Line | Himself | Season 1, Episode 9: "The Meet-Cute Part II" |
| 2020 | Queen With a Cause | Herself | Episode: "Palm Oil" |
| 2023 | Bodyody of Work | Herself | Episode: "Kelly Mantle Breaks Down Her Acting Career" |

### Podcasts

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2023 | Very Delta | Guest | |
| 2024-present | The Kelly Mantle Show | Host | |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
| 1994 | Eastern Standard | Peter Kidde | Rupel Jones Theatre |
| 1994 | Red Scare on Sunset | Malcolm | Sooner Theatre |
| 1994 | The Foreigner | Ellard Simms | Rupel Jones Theatre |
| 1994 | Holdenville | | Rupel Jones Theatre |
| 1995 | The Nerd | Willum Cubbert | Weitzenhoffer Theatre |
| 1995 | Lysistrata | | Weitzenhoffer Theatre |
| 1996 | The Convention | Sammy Wilcox | The Comedy Asylum |
| 1997 | Royal Flush | Camille | Athenaeum Theatre |
| 1997 | Lone Star/Laundry & Bourbon | Ray/Hattie | OKRA Theatre |
| 1998 | Four Dogs and a Bone | Victor | Cafe Voltaire |
| 1998 | Vampire Lesbians of Sodom | Madeleine | Aaah! Capella Theatre Cafe |
| 2004 | Dear Bernard | Jon Meshelle | Court Theatre |
| 2006 | Last Easter | Gash | Laguna Playhouse |
| 2007 | All This, And Heaven Too | Jo | Macha Theatre |
| 2008 | The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode | Blair Warner | Macha Theatre |
| 2010 | The Confusion of My Illusion | One-person show | Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center |
| 2010 | Love, Connie | Bambi | Cavern Club |
| 2011 | Hollywood Dream Role | | ACME Comedy Theatre |
| 2011 | Charlie! The Death of Nancy Fullforce | Kitty Glitter | Art/Works Theatre |
| 2012 | Valley of the Dolls | | Sacred Fools Theater Company |