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The Vivienne

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The Vivienne (April 12, 1992 – January, 2025) was a Welsh drag performer and the Winner of Season 1 of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.

She later returned to All Stars 7, the first All Winners season of Drag Race. She placed 5th-8th place.

The Vivienne passed away on January 5, 2025.[4][7][3]

Drag Name Origin

"I love Vivienne Westwood, and when I moved to Liverpool everyone used to call me Vivienne, as I was head to toe in Westwood, so when I started doing drag it was a natural progression, but I didn’t want one of those cheap, nasty, slutty drag names so I thought of 'The Vivienne' and here she is, there’s only one of them."[8]

Track Records

Statistics UK Season 1 USA All Stars
Season 7
Ranking: 1st Place
(Winner) 		5th-8th Place
Maxi Challenges Won: 3 (Eps. 1, 4, 6) 3 (Eps. 4, 6, 8)
Mini Challenges Won: 0 0
Times as Team Captain: 1 (Ep. 2) 0
Times in Bottom: 1 (Ep. 5) N/A
Episode Eliminated: N/A Episode 11

Biography

Death

On January 5, 2025, Simon Jones, The Vivienne's manager, issued a statement on Instagram, saying, "It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams – The Vivienne, has passed this weekend. James was an incredibly loved, warmhearted and amazing person. Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career. We will not be releasing any further details. We please ask that James's family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve." Following its release, Drag Race contestants from both the UK and around the world posted their condolences both as comments on the statement and on their own social media accounts.[4][9][10]

Later that day, the World of Wonder Instagram account posted a statement, saying, "We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of James Lee Williams, AKA The Vivienne this weekend. Her talent, humor and kindness were an inspiration. She achieved so much in her career and will be greatly missed. Our deepest condolences go out to her family and friends, who request the time and privacy required to grieve." [11] Additionally, the RuPaul's Drag Race social media posted a statement, saying, "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of The Vivienne. Her talent, humor, and dedication to the art of drag was an inspiration. She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will live on as a beacon of creativity and authenticity – she embodied what it means to be a true champion. Our hearts go out to her family and fans during this difficult time.".[12]

The second episode of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 was dedicated to The Vivienne.

DragCon UK 2025 opened with a dedication to The Vivienne presented by the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 1.[13]

Memorable Quotes

RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 1

  • "Don't get too comfy, girls. This isn't gonna take two minutes. [laughs]" (entrance quote)
  • "[laugh] You liar." (talking to RuPaul about the first Photoshoot Challenge)
  • "Let's go guerls."
  • "OKURRRRRR? Trademark." (as Cardi B)
  • "Don't you start with me, 'cause I won't take it." (as Kim Woodburn)
  • "Who put 50p in Cheryl?"
  • "I haven't, this is my face!" (to Michelle Visage)
  • "I won, I'm telling the girls, I rule the roost."
  • "I'm gonna sell it on Ebay in five years." (referring to her first RuPeter Badge)
  • "I'm Serena Shart. Bond's probably had a go of her, but she's probably gonna kill him."
  • "Well I was having a root through a big box and found all Michelle's old sex tapes, then I found some cricket pads, and this happened." (discussing her posh on a penny look)
  • "Are you local?"
  • "All tea, no collusion, specially with Russia or China." (as Donald Trump in Snatch Game)
  • "This woman's an inspiration. If anyone knew how to fuck up a country it was her." (to Baga Chipz as Margaret Thatcher, as Donald Trump in Snatch Game)
  • "Cheryl Hole, or as you're more affectionately known, Cheryl Baggy Battered Thirsty Hole." (in the Reading Challenge)
  • "I can sing, Cheryl can dance, Crystal is... skinny."
  • "[cough]"
  • "Yeah, it was good..."
  • "♪ Cus I'm a superstar, so lets B-R-A-K... ♪ that's brak!"
  • "♪ Think you can control me, when you both look like men? Don't dictate what I'm wearing, bitch, I'm The Vivienne! I do what I want to, you don't own me, I'm not your possession, you're not my cup of tea, tea, tea, huh! ♪" (verse in "Break Up (Bye Bye) by Filth Harmony")
  • "I'm giving you rich Scouse girl, ladies' day, she's got a bottle of vodka in her bag and she doesn't give a shit."
  • "Come on love, we haven't got all day." (as Kim Woodburn)
  • "You're gonna take someone's eye out with that, my love." (as Kim Woodburn)
  • "I'll be honest with you, now that I've seen you here, you are 20 times the drag queen you are in the outside world, because for the past ten years, I’ve seen Divina in a red wig and a silver dress." (referring to Divina De Campo)
  • "AM DRIPPIN!"
  • "Drippin': keepin' you wet and your fella made up!"
  • "First things first, have you shaved ya minge?" (to her mother)
  • "♪ The Viv calling everyone, you know I'm the number one! Snatching trophies three, two, hah! I'll be your queen, oh, lady! Reigning in every land, come on now, take my hand, let's lift off to the sky, I wanna take you higher! Everybody look up to the night sky, I wanna take you to, to, to, to to the moon! ♪" (verse in "To The Moon")
  • "It's been absolutely great, it's been tremendous thank you." (winner acceptance speech, as Donald Trump)

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7

  • "Don't you just love a long, hard, stiff, competition? Sorry girls, I was feeling awfully horny." (entrance quote)
  • "You can call me "Viv" by the way, 'cause I know "The Vivienne" is a bit of a mouthful. Or, so I've been told."
  • "Queen of Queens has always been my future since my life found a way, hey, yeah, yeah. Gonna show what the UK's got, I'm ready to start my reign, my reign!" (verse in "Legends")
  • "You've just said it three times darling." (as Catherine Tate in the Snatch Game)
  • "Don't touch me." (when Shea Couleé passed by her during the blocking)
  • "Sorry, I've got no change, love." (when Jinkx Monsoon passed by her during the blocking)
  • "Listen, I finished my gig behind a tree in the forbidden forest and they underpaid, so my only option was a BearBnB, let me tell you it was a dump." (as Goldie Locks in Fairytale Justice)
  • "Let's blame the Scottish person for eating the porridge! I suppose ya think I have a ginger fanny as well." (as Goldie Locks in Fairytale Justice)
  • "All this Bearney's, she couldn't afford Bearney's, it was from IKEA." (as Goldie Locks in Fairytale Justice)
  • "I know nothing of what this lady is talking about, my name is Helga and I am from Germany and I like to eat strudel." (as Goldie Locks in Fairytale Justice)
  • "We do not have Glendale in Germany." (as Goldie Locks in Fairytale Justice)
  • "This is not my grandmother, she has no house, she's homeless, so this story has many holes." (as Goldie Locks in Fairytale Justice)
  • "Like German cheese, many holes." (holding a piece of Swiss cheese as Goldie Locks in Fairytale Justice)
  • "So Gretel sounds like she is also from one of these countries that has an accent like this, so I'm going to stick with this and I have proof that I'm really Gretel, watch. [throws breadcrumbs]" (as Goldie Locks in Fairytale Justice)
  • "I'm Hansel and Gretel and it's true to my character. I'm Hansel and Gretel?"
  • "Your porridge sucked, woman!" (as Goldie Locks in Fairytale Justice)
  • "I've got an English guy to love me, he's got a foreskin and he drinks tea, he loves to love my double decker puss, gonna start a royal family, bangers and mash, we're meant to be, I love it when he sweeps my chimney!" (verse in "2getha 4eva")
  • "Shea Couleé! Calm down Jinkx, that's not a dessert." (in the roast)
  • "However, I don't usually wear blue."
  • "Noelle, please, please, Noelle!"
  • "Ru, stop!"

Trivia

  • The Vivienne was the first ever contestant to be confirmed as a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race UK.[citation needed]
  • The Vivienne was born in Colwyn Bay, Wales and moved to Liverpool at 16.[5]
  • The Vivienne started doing drag in 2007.[14]
  • The Vivienne became the RuPaul's Drag Race UK Ambassador in 2016, and as part of her prize walked the runway of RuPaul's Drag Race during the filming of Season 8 (which was released in a bonus video) and appeared in the audience for the "New Wave Queens" episode.[15]
  • The Vivienne was the first contestant to win a main challenge on RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
  • The Vivienne got married on December 15, 2019 to her husband David.[16]
  • The Vivienne released her first single, "Tonight" in 2020, which started a TikTok challenge called #TheVivienneDanceChallenge. Her fellow Drag Race UK cast members, Cheryl Hole and Blu Hydrangea, as well as Little Mix's Jade Thirlwall, and The Pussycat Dolls' Ashley Roberts, have all made videos for the challenge.[citation needed]
  • As part of her prize for winning RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 1, World of Wonder produced the BBC Three digital series The Vivienne Takes On Hollywood, which followed her as she rehearsed and prepared for the release of her first single "Tonight". The series featured a special cameo appearance from Chad Michaels.
  • The Vivienne stars in the Netflix UK YouTube web series I Like to Watch (UK), where she (in a similar vein to Trixie Mattel and Katya's American version) reacts to Netflix content, with guests that have included Baga Chipz, Cheryl Hole, Monét X Change, Lawrence Chaney, and Tia Kofi.
  • The Vivienne revealed on I Like to Watch (UK) that her out of drag hair during RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 1 was actually a toupee.[citation needed]
  • The Vivienne is the first contestant of Romani descent in the Drag Race franchise.[1]
    • This makes her the first winner of Romani descent.[1]
  • The Vivienne was the first international Drag Race contestant to compete on a RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season.
  • The Vivienne is the first RuPaul's Drag Race UK contestant to win a cash prize.
  • The Vivienne won the fourth and sixth challenges of both seasons she competed on.
    • She also received positive critiques in the acting challenges of both seasons and won two lip syncs on both seasons.
  • The Vivienne competed on the fifteenth series of the British competition series Dancing on Ice and was the first drag queen to compete on the show. She finished in third place.[17]
  • The Vivienne was added to the Season Pass of RuPaul's Drag Race Superstar in July 2022, alongside the tag "Regal".[18]

Gallery

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8 Looks

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17

RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 1

RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 1

RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 4

RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 4 Looks

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7 Looks

Videos

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8

RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 1

RuPaul's DragCon

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7

Filmography

TV

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 Transformations Self Special Guest
2016 RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 8) Self Audience Member
2016 Absolutely Fabulous: le Film Self Featured Drag Artist
2019 RuPaul's Drag Race UK (Season 1) Self Contestant (Placed 1st)
2019 The Big Fat Quiz of the Year Self
2020 Celebrity Juice (Seasons 23 & 24) Self Panelist, 2 episodes
2020 Trump in Tweets Donald Trump Voice-Over
2020 The Great British Sewing Bee (Christmas Special) Self Contestant
2020 Glow Up Does Red Nose Day Self Contestant (Placed 2nd/3rd)
2022 Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeway Self Musical Guest
2022 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (Season 7) Self Contestant (Placed 5th-8th)

Web Series

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2019–2020 Morning T&T Self as Donald Trump
2020–2022 I Like To Watch UK Self with various guests
2020 The Vivienne Takes on Hollywood Self BBC Three digital series
2020 God Shave the Queens Self World of Wonder docuseries
2020 Trump Learns Things Donald Trump
2020 The Pit Stop Self Guest (All Stars 5 Episode 3)
2021 Fashion Photo RuView Self Guest Host (UK Season 2)

Discography

Appearances/Features

Year Title Artwork Notes
2019 "Break Up (Bye Bye)" as Filth Harmony
2019 "To the Moon" by RuPaul feat. The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race
2022 "We Werk Together" by Ant & Dec, The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney & Krystal Versace

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ Queens Tease Campy, Filthy Spinoff Series | Decider — September 25, 2019
  2. ↑ Post by thevivienne_ | Instagram — April 12, 2022
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Stars gather to say goodbye to The Vivienne: Steps' Ian 'H' Watkins and Kim Woodburn are among mourners at funeral after Drag Race UK icon's tragic death aged 32 | Daily Mail — January 27, 2025
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Post by simonjonespr | Instagram — January 5, 2025
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 RuPaul’s Drag Race star The Vivienne has died aged 32 | WalesOnline — January 5, 2025
  6. ↑ James Lee Williams AKA: The Vivienne | Together For Colwyn Bay
  7. ↑ The Vivienne: Drag Race UK and Dancing On Ice star dies aged 32 as Michelle Visage leads tributes | The Mirror
  8. ↑ The Vivienne | BBC Media Center — August 21, 2019
  9. ↑ Post by michellevisage | Instagram — January 5, 2025
  10. ↑ Post by tiakofi | X — January 5, 2025
  11. ↑ Post by worldofwonder | Instagram — January 5, 2024
  12. ↑ Post by rupaulsdragrace | Instagram — January 5, 2025
  13. ↑ Post by rupaulsdragcon | Instagram — January 10, 2025
  14. ↑ Michelle Visage and Drag Race stars lead tributes to The Vivienne after death aged 32 | PinkNews — January 5, 2025
  15. ↑ UK RuPaul's Drag Race Ambassador The Vivienne Walks the Runway | YouTube — April 19, 2016
  16. ↑ 'Drag Race U.K.' Winner The Vivienne Got Married at a Gay Club | Out Magazine — December 16, 2019
  17. ↑ The Vivienne makes history as first drag queen to compete on Dancing On Ice with homage to Cher | ITV News — January 22, 2023
  18. ↑ All queens and seasons in RuPaul’s Drag Race Superstar | Press SPACE to Jump — October 8, 2024
  19. ↑ See Drag Race winners reunite in EW's stunning All Stars 7 portraits | Entertainment Weekly — April 26, 2022

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