Jinkx Monsoon

Hera Lilith Hoffer (born September 18, 1987), best known by the stage name Jinkx Monsoon, is an American drag queen, actress, singer and comedienne, originally from the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps best-known for winning the fifth season (2013) of RuPaul's Drag Race. Nine years later, in 2022, she returned as part of an all-winners All Stars season, featuring a mixture of crowned queens from several seasons competing against one another for the title of "Queen of All Queens" and a $200,000 prize. Jinkx placed first here as well, becoming the first two-time winner of the show across its many global franchises. She made her Broadway debut in 2023.
Throughout her drag career, she has been noted for her quick wit and comedic timing, her musical theatre-inspired performances, and for flawlessly executing several celebrity impersonations, including Judy Garland, Edie "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale, and Natasha Lyonne.
She has also pursued a career in music, releasing two studio albums titled The Inevitable Album (2014) and The Ginger Snapped (2018). In film, Monsoon appeared with her collaborative partner BenDeLaCreme in the holiday film The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Special (2021) which was later released on Hulu. In television, Monsoon appears in the WOW Presents Plus original Sketchy Queens, a series she created alongside Liam Krug, and the BBC / Disney+ series Doctor Who as the villain Maestro.
Hoffer was born on September 18, 1987 in Portland, Oregon to Deanne Hoffer. She has two younger brothers named Jeremy and Jacob. She was raised in the Catholic Church and would attend church with her mother and grandmother Judith but overall, her family wasn't very religious. She first performed in drag when she was 15 years old, at the all-ages Escape Nightclub under the name Heidi Destruction. She took the stage surname Monsoon after Edina Monsoon from the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. Hoffer attended da Vinci Arts Middle School and Grant High School. She worked as a janitor through college and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater from Cornish College of the Arts in 2010.
Hoffer learned she was of partial Ashkenazi ancestry as a teenager; after her maternal grandmother, Judith Irwin-Hoffer, passed away in 2008 from complications of a stroke, she learned Judith was born to Jewish parents of Polish and Finnish descent and had been adopted by an Irish Catholic couple. Hoffer initially told The Times of Israel she was of Russian Jewish ancestry. Hoffer has said that she uses Jinkx Monsoon as a way to connect to her Jewish heritage, describing the character as a "failed Jewish actress who became every gay boy's favorite cabaret act."
After moving to Seattle from Portland, Hoffer and creative partner Nick Sahoyah wrote and starred in multiple Funny or Die webisodes titled Monsoon Season in which she played Jinkx Monsoon as an overbearing, substance addled, near-psychotic mother to Sahoyah's character, Kamikaze Monsoon. In 2011, Hoffer appeared in the Wes Hurley film Waxie Moon in Fallen Jewel.
In June 2011, Hoffer became the subject of a YouTube docu-series by Alex Berry, a Seattle videographer. Named after Death Becomes Her, one of Jinkx's favorite movies, Drag Becomes Him explores Hoffer's life in and out of drag. The series has continued with a full length documentary film also called "Drag Becomes Him'. In October 2013 it was turned into a feature-length film with Seattle-based producer Basil Shadid on board. A Kickstarter campaign in March 2014 successfully raised funds to complete the project, and it premiered at April 29, 2015 at Seattle's Cinerama.
In January 2012, Hoffer appeared as Moritz in the rock musical Spring Awakening at the Balagan Theater in Seattle. Controversy arose from The Seattle Times review by Misha Berson, who said that she was "overly flamboyant" for the role. Dan Savage defended Hoffer's portrayal of Moritz. From July 21 to August 19, she starred as Angel in the 5th Avenue Theatre's production of the musical RENT.
In November 2012, Logo announced that Jinkx Monsoon was among fourteen drag queens who would be competing on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Monsoon was inspired to audition after seeing Sharon Needles on the fourth season of the show. Monsoon won the main-challenges for the episodes "Snatch Game" and "Drama Queens". For the "Snatch Game", Monsoon impersonated Edith Bouvier Beale, nicknamed as "Little Edie." Monsoon also impersonated third-season contestant Mimi Imfurst in the episode "Lip Synch Extravaganza Eleganza". Monsoon later won the season, with two maxi-challenge wins.
In January 2013, Hoffer played Hedwig in the Moore Theatre's production of the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Balagan reprised the production in December 2013 for a week long run with Hoffer and the original cast/production team. In June 2013, she played Velma Von Tussle in the Seattle Men's Chorus/5th Avenue Theatre's production of the musical Hairspray.
Hoffer also performed as Jinkx Monsoon in the original one act cabaret musical The Vaudevillians under the name "Kitty Witless." She was accompanied by musical partner and co-creator Richard Andriessen who performs under the name "Dr. Dan Von Dandy." The Vaudevillians performed at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City from July to November 2013. After touring Australia with The Vaudevillians, she received a nomination for the Helpmann Award for Best Cabaret Performer. In 2013, Hoffer was chosen as one of the Artists of the Year by City Arts magazine along with Megan Griffiths, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Wes Hurley. She played Tallulah/Dennis, the owner of Lipstick Lounge in an episode of Blue Bloods entitled "Manhattan Queens", which aired on January 31, 2014. In 2015, Hoffer joined the cast of Wes Hurley's comedy series Capitol Hill.
On May 6, 2014, Monsoon released her debut studio album The Inevitable Album through Sidecar Records. The album is a blend of blues, jazz, traditional pop, and cabaret, and was inspired by artists like Bette Midler, Marlene Dietrich, Peggy Lee, Amanda Palmer, and Regina Spektor. The song "The Bacon Shake" features Fred Schneider of The B-52s, and tells of "a bawdy, after-hours gentleman's club and this woman is 'getting the boys thirsty,' and it turns into a big dance that everyone joins."
In May 2017, Monsoon appeared in the celebrity roast of Michael Musto alongside Bianca Del Rio, Orfeh, Michael Riedel, Randy Rainbow, Crystal Demure, Countess Luann de Lesseps, Judy Gold, and Randy Jones. The roast which was produced by Daniel DeMello and directed by Rachel Klein, was hosted by Bruce Vilanch and introduced by Rosie O'Donnell.
On January 12, 2018, Monsoon released her second studio album The Ginger Snapped through Producer Entertainment Group. The album is inspired by 90s grunge, garage rock, and ska, and features appearances from Amanda Palmer, Fred Schneider, and Lady Rizo. She released an animated music video for the song "Cartoons and Vodka", which sees Monsoon transform into various cartoon styles, including Betty Boop, The Jetsons, Sailor Moon, Doug, Dragon Ball Z, Steven Universe, Beavis and Butt-Head, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, Peanuts, Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and The Fairly OddParents. The same month, Hoffer voiced the character Emerald on Steven Universe in the episode "Lars of the Stars".
In 2019, Hoffer was cast as Calliope in a North American tour of the musical Xanadu, though the tour was later cancelled. In June 2019, a panel of judges from New York magazine placed Monsoon 18th on their list of "the most powerful drag queens in America", a ranking of 100 former Drag Race contestants. In 2020, Hoffer appeared in the Hulu original Christmas film Happiest Season. The same year she starred in and co-wrote The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Special, a feature-length holiday film with fellow Seattle drag queen BenDeLaCreme based on their various Christmas shows over the years. The duo toured the show around the world in 2021. The tour was renewed in 2022 and 2023.
In April 2022, it was announced that Monsoon would be competing on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, the first all-winners edition of the franchise. She won the Snatch Game in the second episode with her impressions of Natasha Lyonne and Judy Garland. She also won the fourth, fifth, ninth, and tenth episodes. On July 29, 2022, she was crowned the winner and anointed with the title "Queen of All Queens" with a cash prize of $200,000.
In November 2022, it was announced that Hoffer would join the Broadway company of the musical Chicago, playing the role of Mama Morton for eight weeks, becoming the first drag queen to perform in a major Broadway musical.
In April 2023, it was announced that Monsoon would be joining the cast of the fourteenth series of Doctor Who (Season 1) which was to be screened jointly between BBC and Disney+ playing a "major role". It was later revealed that Monsoon would be playing the villain "Maestro" in the episode "The Devil's Chord", which aired in May 2024.
From April 2, 2024 to May 26, 2024, Monsoon portrayed Audrey in the Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors.
In 2017, Hoffer stated she identified as "non-gendered" or non-binary, and went by singular they pronouns when not in drag. In an April 2017 interview, Monsoon stated, "I've never identified as fully male. I've always identified as more gender fluid or gender ambiguous, but I never knew the vocabulary to explain it for myself."
In a 2024 interview, Monsoon stated that she identifies as trans-femme non-binary and uses she/her pronouns. In the same interview, she said she'd begun hormone replacement therapy and had undergone facial feminization surgery.
Hoffer has narcolepsy, a fact that she revealed in the season five premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race.
In January 2021, Hoffer married her partner Michael Abbott in a small ceremony at home with their friends and family witnessing through video call. The marriage was officiated by comedian Deven Green. In February 2024, Abbott announced they had separated.
In April 2024, Hoffer legally changed her name to Hera Hoffer, but still kept her stage name of Jinkx Monsoon.
She had lived in Seattle, Washington up until 2018. In October 2018, she moved back to Portland and currently lives in a house named Monsoon Manor.
Hoffer is very outspoken on her Instagram and Twitter about US President Donald Trump and LGBT equality. She is a Democratic Party supporter and donated to both Elizabeth Warren's and Bernie Sanders's campaigns to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2020. She is a public supporter of trans rights and frequently makes posts on social media advocating for trans people.
Hoffer's drag persona is inspired by her mother and the comedians Lucille Ball, Maria Bamford, Deven Green, and Sarah Silverman. Her drag persona's last name, Monsoon, is derived from the character Edina Monsoon from the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. Hoffer also performs as the drag character Deirdre A. Irwin, who is a Southern medium.