Lexi Valentine Love,[1] also known as Lexi V. Love[8] and simply as Lexi Love on the show, is an American drag performer and one of the contestants on the seventeenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.
About[]
"Lexi Love is a full-time ‘playmate’ at Play, Louisville: a bar known for its high-energy drag excellence. As a performer, Lexi knows how to turn the party up — but she’s also someone you’d love to kick it with. Having survived a period of homelessness and drug addiction, she has emerged a stronger and more independent queen, and is ready for the re-birth of Lexi to take over the world."[6]
Drag Name Origin[]
Lexi's last name, "Love", comes from her drag mother.
Track Records[]
| Seasons Competed: | USA Season 17 |
|---|---|
| Ranking: | 3rd/4th Place |
| Maxi Challenges Won: | 2 (Eps. 2, 12) |
| Mini Challenges Won: | 1 (Ep. 6) |
| Times as Team Captain: | 0 |
| Times in Bottom Two: | 0 |
| Episode Eliminated: | Episode 16 |
Memorable Quotes[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17[]
- "Why y'all gagging? I haven't even stepped on any necks yet." (entrance quote)
- "You did?" (After Joella said she paid a lot for her entrance look)
- "Knowing her drag family background, I mean, she might be a little bit of a SheDevil." (referencing Trinity The Tuck’s alleged Reddit username when talking about Sam Star entering the Werk Room)
- "I represent drag queens that have a past, you know... have street smarts, have a little grit, and a little grime under their nails."
- "I'm going to smoke and toke those nepo babies." (referring to queens on Season 17 who are part of drag families of previous RuGirls)
- "I don't know if I trust these baby queens and their voting abilities. I don't know if they've ever actually voted."
- "Busted."
- "The house always wins, and you ain't a part of the house." (while Hormona Lisa is choosing which lever to pull)
- "How have you been doing practicing your lip sync lyrics?" (to Kori King)
- "Originally, meeting Sam Star, I was fully under the impression that she was going to be just riddled with SheDevil blood. But I took a drink of the Kool-Aid, and now I'm a Sam Star stan."
- "Okay, who ruined my outfit?!"
- "Gucci." (after her fight with Onya)
- ”Girl, they might as well get a double-headed dildo 'cause they are bottoms together tonight.” (talking about Kori King and Lydia B Kollins)
Trivia[]
- Lexi calls herself "Kentucky's Roller-Derby Doll".[9]
- After the cast reveal came out, Lexi's Instagram was temporarily suspended due to false claims of trademark infringement from Instagram's algorithm.[10]
- Lexi was appointed as the official American Ambassador to the UK-based House of Versace by Krystal Versace.[2]
- Lexi had auditioned for the show five times before finally being cast on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17.[2]
- Lexi is tied with Nymphia Wind for competing in the most amount of challenges without ever lip syncing for their lives, with 13.
- Lexi Love is the only Season 17 finalist to never be in the bottom two.
- Lexi Love is tied with Anetra for the longest gap between challenge wins, taking ten episodes to win her second challenge.
- According to Lexi, she isn't actually based in Louisville, Kentucky and instead drives there every weekend to work from Cincinnati, Ohio where she is actually based.[11]
- Lexi announced that she would be taking a break from drag for her mental well-being on April 27, 2025.[12]
- Lexi has mentioned multiple times about times when fellow cast member, Suzie Toot, has been in her nightmares.
- On June 18, 2025, Lexi got engaged.[13]
Legal Issues[]
In August 2025, a former pornographic actress named Selena Scola who had previously performed under the name "Lexi Love" publicized that she had been sending cease and desist letters to Lexi Love, RuPaul's Drag Race, Paramount, MTV, and World of Wonder to enforce her trademark on the name "Lexi Love", which she claimed she had used for over 20 years.[14] This has resulted in the suspension of Lexi Love's accounts on Cameo, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter)[15][Note 1] and her talent show performance song "She's Giving" being removed from Spotify and Apple Music.[16][17][18]
In statements to Deadline and Out Magazine, Lexi added that the cease and desists from Scola, who describes herself as "a SAG-AFTRA actor, AI architect, producer, and sustainable fashion entrepreneur", were also sent to several venues where she was booked for drag performances, resulting in three cancellations at the time of writing.[16][17] Deadline further reported that despite Scola's claims, the trademark she had on the name "Lexi Love" lapsed in March 2015, only for her to have applied for a new trademark in February 2024 for the purposes of "performing artists being both human clients and digital talent in the nature of digital personas, virtual performers and AI-driven talent", that was granted in January 2025.[16][19]
Lexi also remarked that Scola was attacking her personally for having disclosed her personal history on Drag Race such as her HIV status as defenses for the alleged trademark infringement and damages, and that these attacks began after it was revealed she was cast on Season 17 and Scola's "Lexi Love" social media accounts were mistakenly tagged instead of her own.[16][17] Additionally, Lexi gave a statement saying, "My team reached out and have had no return communication from her and she just keeps reporting my accounts. I offered a licensing agreement, terms, anything but she is just continuing to attack online." [17] In Instagram stories posted on August 28, 2025, Lexi commented that she has had to change the display name on Instagram and TikTok to her dead name to prevent them from being taken down, as she is still legally that name, despite having chosen the name Clair Barnes for herself out of drag.[16][15][20]
On September 11, 2025, Lexi posted to her Instagram Stories that she had received several emails from Instagram revealing Scola had reported her account using her trademark filing, remarking that Instagram was not being responsive to her attempts to counter the claims.[21][22] Sometime after this, she changed her Instagram username from "@mslexilove" to "@lexifromdragrace". The following day, she said she had regained access to her Facebook account.[23] The following week, Lexi opened up a crowdfunding campaign to hire legal counsel to counter Selena Scola's trademark claims.[24]
Gallery[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 Looks[]
.png "LexiLove LSFTC Look (Reveal).png (1.18 MB)")
Videos[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17[]
Filmography[]
TV[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 17) | Self | Contestant (Placed 3rd/4th) | [6] |
Discography[]
| Year | Title | Artwork |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | She's Giving | 
|
| 2025 | This Is Your Moment | 
|
| 2025 | Before Dorothy | 
|
| 2025 | Classic | 
|
External Links[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Lexi Love's @mslexilovesyou account on X (formerly Twitter) was suspended on August 26, 2025, after the initial reporting by Deadline and Out where her Cameo and Facebook accounts were the only ones affected at time of writing.
References[]
[]
| Winner | Onya Nurve |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | 2nd: Jewels Sparkles • 3rd & 4th: Lexi Love • Sam Star |
| Other Contestants | 5th: Suzie Toot (Queen of SDADHH) • 6th: Lana Ja'Rae • 7th: Lydia B Kollins • 8th: Arrietty • 9th: Kori King • 10th: Acacia Forgot • 11th: Crystal Envy (Miss Congeniality) • 12th: Hormona Lisa • 13th: Joella • 14th: Lucky Starzzz |
| Host | RuPaul |
| Judges | RuPaul • Michelle Visage • Carson Kressley • Law Roach • Ross Mathews • Ts Madison |
| Pit Crew | Bruno Carvalho • Bryce Eilenberg • Asaf Goren • Jesse Pattison • Calixto Quan |