Denali Foxx, or known simply as Denali, is an American drag queen, professional figure skater and figure skating choreographer based in Chicago, Illinois and a contestant on Season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race.
Denali would later return to compete on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Quick Answers
What is the inspiration behind Denali Foxx's drag name?
The drag name 'Denali Foxx' is inspired by multiple sources. 'Denali' refers to the highest summit in North America, also known as 'the tall one' or 'big mountain' in Alaskan native languages. This choice was influenced by her grandmother's stay at the Denali Center. The surname 'Foxx' is derived from her drag mother, Chamilla Foxx.
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How did Denali Foxx's career in figure skating influence her drag performances?
Denali Foxx, known for her figure skating and drag performances, integrates her skating expertise into her drag shows. She made an entrance on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13 in ice skates and was the first to lip sync in them. Her figure skating background led to her 'dance and ice queen' moniker. Denali also leverages her choreography skills, developed during her tenure with the national team and professional touring companies, to choreograph for others, including 2021 US National Silver Medallist Amber Glenn.
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What is the significance of the name 'Denali' in Alaskan native languages?
'Denali' is derived from the Alaskan mountain of the same name, the tallest in North America. In Alaskan native languages, it signifies 'the tall one' or 'big mountain'. The drag queen Denali was named after the Denali Center, her grandmother's care facility, and Chamilla Foxx, her drag mother.
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How did Denali Foxx fare in Season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race?
Denali Foxx, an American drag queen and professional figure skater, competed in Season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Denali secured the 8th position, winning one maxi challenge in episode 3. However, she was eliminated in the 10th episode after landing in the bottom two for the second time and losing to Olivia Lux.
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What is the connection between Denali Foxx and the Alaskan mountain Denali?
The drag queen Denali Foxx, a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race, took inspiration for her name from the Alaskan mountain Denali, North America's highest summit. The term 'Denali' is found in Alaskan native languages, translating to 'the tall one' or 'big mountain'. However, the primary inspiration for her drag name came from her grandmother, who was cared for at the Denali Center. The surname 'Foxx' was inherited from her drag mother, Chamilla Foxx.
Provided by: Fandom
About[]
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 10[]
“Drag’s gold medal bitch has entered the tournament! Denali is an ice-skating athlete turned lip-sync assassin, and she’s trained hard for the Olympics of Drag. Queens beware—she just might triple lutz and leave the other queens skating on thin ice!”[4]
Drag Name Origin[]
Denali may come from the Alaskan mountain Denali, the highest summit in North America. Denali also appears in numerous Alaskan native languages, meaning "the tall one" or "big mountain". It has been confirmed on an Instagram live that her drag name is mostly inspired by her grandmother, because of her being taken care of in a facility called the Denali Center. Her last name comes from her drag mother Chamilla Foxx, which she only uses for social media.
Track Records[]
| Statistics | USA Season 13 | USA All Stars Season 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking: | 8th Place | TBA |
| Maxi Challenges Won: | 1 (Ep. 3) | TBA |
| Mini Challenges Won: | 0 | TBA |
| Times as Team Captain: | 0 | TBA |
| Times in Bottom Two: | 2 (Eps. 4, 10) | TBA |
| Episode Eliminated: | Episode 10 | TBA |
Memorable Quotes[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13[]
- "Let me break the ice!" (Entrance Quote)
- "Winners come in first."
- "I am drag's gold-medal bitch."
- "I hate to be this shallow bitch, but I'm just not a fan of chicken feathers." (Talking about Joey Jay)
- '' ♪ Move aside, it's your girl, Denali, I'm cold as ice, hotter than a tamale. Keep up and I'm Chi-Town tough. Triple Lutz on these sluts 'cause I like it rough. I'm icy, spicy, for you, I'm too pricey, going for the gold, so I'ma get a little feisty. Strong like a Megatron, long like a marathon. AK to Babylon, I'm a phenomenon! ♪'' (verse in “Phenomenon”)
- "Yucatan? Right." (In response to Utica's read in the Reading Challenge)
- "I've been obsessed with lamps since I was, like, a little baby boy."
- "Girl, womanly figure of Mrs. Potato head." (to Kandy Muse)
- “We’re back in the werk roomiana.”
- PERIOD! (After given advice by Anne Hathaway)
- "Hi, gorgeous seashell flower money honey bunches of love! It is so good to be here, henny!" (as JVN in the Snatch Game)
- "Praying to the gay Jesus himself: me!" (as JVN in the Snatch Game)
- "I love Utica, but girl that performance...........Floppiana" (About Utica's performance in the Snatch Game)
- "Now the only thing hotter than Palm Springs is our resident culinary expert: Antoni, so I wrote 'Antoni's Ass Cheeks'." (as JVN in the Snatch Game)
- "I do have a thing for men with the kind of bear that say 'Hold me in your arms until all the pain goes away' but also: 'power drills are in aisle 7 henny'." (as JVN in the Snatch Game)
- "Great assets, turn him over and you can make a benedict!" (as JVN in the Snatch Game)
- ”She is stun-osha in this dreeeeess-iana.”
- ”A skater with a whole lot of class... and a whole lotta ass” (Exit Quote)
Farewell Message[]
"CLARA CLARA, OVER ANY GOLD MEDAL, CROWN OR CASH PRIZE, MY SISTERS WERE THE GREATEST REWARD. ASS OF '13 OFF TO GET SOME D! L8R SK8RS! ♡ DENALI💋"
Trivia[]
- Denali has been doing drag since April of 2018.[5]
- Denali is a 3rd degree black belt.[6]
- Denali is fluent in English and Spanish. She also has Korean[7] knowledge as she used to live in South Korea from 2012 to 2013.[8]
- She is a big fan of K-Pop girl groups, as she mentioned in a live, such as LOOΠΔ, IZ*ONE, ITZY, TWICE, 2NE1, BLACKPINK, Red Velvet, SNSD and Chung-ha).[9]
- Denali's drag mother is Chicago drag queen Chamilla Foxx.[10]
- Denali introduced Priyanka to RuPaul's Drag Race when Season 9 was airing.[11]
- Denali is the first Drag Race contestant...
- ... from the state of Alaska.
- ... to enter the Werk Room wearing ice skates and the second overall to enter it in skates, after Trixie Mattel in All Stars 3.
- ... to lip sync in ice skates.
- However, she is the second Drag Race contestant to lip sync in skates, after Robbie Turner (in roller skates), and is therefore the first one to lose a lip sync in skates.
- ... to win a lip sync after already having lost a lip sync within a single regular season.
- ... to win a Maxi Challenge in her first competitive episode and land in the bottom two in the next.
- ... alongside Lala Ri, to be officially named the lip-sync assassins of their season by RuPaul during the reunion episode.
- Denali is a professional figure skater, was on a national team for five years and has worked with professional touring companies such as Cirque du Soleil and Royal Caribbean. She describes herself as a "dance and ice queen".[12]
- This makes her the second Drag Race contestant to be an ice skater, after Milk.
- Denali has choreographed for 2021 US National Silver Medallist Amber Glenn.
- Denali is the third Drag Race contestant to lip-sync in the first three episodes she appeared in, after Akashia on Season 1 and BenDeLaCreme on All Stars 3. She would later on be followed by Samantha Ballentines on España 2 and Geneva Karr.
- However, BenDeLaCreme went on to lip-sync until the fourth competitive episode.
- Denali has Deuteranomaly (commonly known as red-green colorblindness), meaning she has trouble distinguishing between red and green.[13]
- Denali was arrested for public intoxication and possessing a controlled substance.[14]
- Denali has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Utah.[15]
- Denali is the lowest placing Challenge Winner of Season 13.
- Denali and Olivia Lux are the second queens to have lip-synced to a gospel song, after Rebecca Glasscock and Shannel.
- Coincidentally, both pairs lip-synced to the same song.
- Denali, in Season 13, is the first queen to lip sync 5 times with all different outcomes:
- On Episode 1, she lost to LaLa Ri and got "The Porkchop".
- On Episode 3, she landed in the top two and won over Rosé.
- On Episode 4, she landed in the bottom two, won over Kahmora Hall and kept her spot in the competition.
- On Episode 10, she landed in the bottom two, lost to Olivia Lux and was eliminated.
- On Episode 15, she was chosen as a lip sync assassin by Ru in the reunion and won the lip-sync for her chosen charity against LaLa Ri
- She, alongside LaLa, is also the first pair of queens who both won and lost a lip-sync against the other in the same season.
- Denali is the Drag Race contestant that came out on the runway in the same ordinal number the most consecutive times in a single season, coming out first for six runway presentations in Episodes 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Season 13 (We're Here We're Sheer, Trains for Days, Mixed Bags, Money Bags, Bag Ball Eleganza, Bead It!).
- Denali is one of two queens to place higher than the queen that beat her in the Pork Chop lip-syncs, the other being Rosé.
- Denali posted a video called "When I Grow Up (Ice Version)" after her premiere lip-sync against LaLa Ri, which The Pussycat Dolls supported, commenting "YAAAAASSSS @denalifoxx ICE QUEEN!!!! WE LOVE YOU!"[16]
- Denali's original drag name was Tonya Hard-on, which she featured on one of her verses for one of Season 13's ru-mixes.[17]
- Denali was once called Denali O'Nice.[18]
- She was blocked on X by Tamisha Iman. It is unknown if she has been unblocked yet.[19]
- Denali, during the filming of Season 13, had prepared fully choreographed routines to every lip-sync song.
- 100% Pure Love ended up being the most viewed lip-sync of 2021 on YouTube
- Denali has a sister named Bianca.[20]
Gallery[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13[]
Mini Promo
Cast RuVeal
Mini Trailer
Custom Logo
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13 Looks[]
Promo Look
Cast RuVeal Look
Premiere Look
Confessional Look
Entrance Look
Unaired Lamé You Stay Look
Lady Look
Vamp Look
Phenomenon Look
We're Here, We're Sheer, Get Used to It Look
Trains for Days Look
Mixed Bag Look – Airbag
Money Bags Look
Bag Ball Eleganza Look
Wallpaper Look
Little Black Dress Look
Little Black Dress Look (Reveal)
Bead It Look
Social Media: The Unverified Rusical Look – Russian Bot, Nikita
Yellow Gorgeous Look
Snatch Game Look – Jonathan Van Ness
Fascinating Fascinators Look
Drag Doppelgängers Look – Olivia Lux
Unaired Original Drag Doppelgängers Look with Olivia Lux
Unaired BEAST Couture Look
Unaired Haute Pockets Look
Unaired Drag Excellence Look
Reunion Look
Reunion LSFYC Look
Grand Finale Look
Filmography[]
TV[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 13) | Self | Contestant (Placed 8th) | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race Untucked (Season 12) | ||||
| 2025 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (Season 10) | Contestant (Placed TBA) | [4] |
Discography[]
| Year | Title | Artwork |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Phenomenon | 
|
Social Media[]
References[]
[]
| Winner | Symone |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | 2nd: Kandy Muse • 3rd & 4th: Gottmik & Rosé |
| Other Contestants | 5th: Olivia Lux • 6th: Utica Queen • 7th: Tina Burner • 8th: Denali • 9th: Elliott with 2 Ts • 10th: LaLa Ri (Miss Congeniality + Golden Boot Award) • 11th: Tamisha Iman • 12th: Joey Jay • 13th: Kahmora Hall |
| Host | RuPaul |
| Judges | RuPaul • Michelle Visage • Carson Kressley • Ross Mathews |
| Pit Crew | Jason Carter • Bruno Carvalho • Bryce Eilenberg |
| Winner | TBA |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | TBA |
| Other Contestants | Aja, Bosco, DeJa Skye, Irene the Alien, Olivia Lux, Phoenix • Jorgeous, Kerri Colby, Lydia B Kollins, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Nicole Paige Brooks, Tina Burner • Acid Betty, Alyssa Hunter, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Daya Betty, Denali, Ginger Minj |
| Host | RuPaul |
| Judges | RuPaul • Michelle Visage • Carson Kressley • Law Roach • Ross Mathews • Ts Madison |
| Pit Crew | Bruno Alcantara • Bryce Eilenberg • Calixto Quan |