‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ star Kori King spills on Lydia B Kollins relationship

Kori King found her queen at the end of her RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 run — even if it meant the “Kingdom” crumbled in the process.

Though the drag chaos agent of the year was eliminated at the end of a Betsey Johnson-themed design challenge, she and on-set lover Lydia Butthole Kollins sealed Friday night’s episode when they puckered up for a kiss, finally planting a huge, passionate smooch on each other’s faces as they performed Kori’s swan song in the competition.

As Kori tells Entertainment Weekly, the couple’s love (and Kori’s haunting makeup in her Michael Jackson cosplay) endure, even if her time on Drag Race sadly does not.

Below, in her exit interview, Kori dishes on how she and Lydia came up with the idea to kiss each other on the Main Stage in the heat of the moment, provides an update on her relationship with Hormona Lisa, and claims she would’ve BenDeLaCreme’d herself if she’d won the lip-sync of love that ultimately sent her home.

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RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 continues Fridays on MTV. Read on for Kori’s full exit interview.

ENTERTAINMNET WEEKLY: You are a delightful agent of chaos, especially after your Michael Jackson cosplay online. What inspired that, and have his fans responded?

KORI KING: No, thank God. I don’t check comments at this point. I haven’t heard anything from the Michael Jackson society. It’s just funny; it’s comedy. When I’m getting in drag, I want to laugh. I was in that drag for literally 12 hours, and I was exhausted.

I want to go to the Dunkin’ cup saga, when fans clocked that you might be using one as a piss jar behind you in a recent video. That was a piss jar?

Girl, absolutely. If you’re drunk, coming home from the club? Bitch, the cup is there. I’m too lazy. Sorry, I don’t live in a shoebox. My bathroom is all the way downstairs and I’m in the middle of making queer art. The art can’t leave the room.

Protect queer piss jars. You’re in good company, because Sasha Colby told me she peed on the season 15 stage. Did you have a piss cup on set?

No…. Lexi Love was struggling for her life during the Monopulence runway. “Guys, I’ve got to pee! Y’all I really have to pee!” She almost peed, literally. That is so mother of her.

Let’s move on to your relationship with Hormona Lisa. She said in our exit interview that you didn’t have the best relationship, and that you’re only acquaintances. Why did you have such a negative reaction to her?

Everything I do is heightened, especially on TV, to a magnitude that I find entertaining. The first episode, the way she walked in, I wasn’t a fan of, and being neutral about it isn’t entertaining. Everybody thinks I actually hate people. It’s never that, it’s more that I’m having fun. It’s camp. When I said she was annoying, I didn’t truly hate her, it was a bit at that point. Are we best of friends? No, but we’re cool!

This week, you were eliminated on the Betsey Johnson design challenge. Do you think you deserved to be in the bottom with Lydia? Who else should’ve been in the bottom?

Yes. I looked like Boo Boo the Fool. My outfit was trash, it was hideous, it was garbage. It was the ugliest outfit. I don’t like to brag, but I think it was in the top 10 ugliest sewing outfits of the franchise. Onya Nurve’s outfit was pretty ugly, they could’ve swapped Onya for Lydia…. My outfit was the fool. The whole episode I was like, “I’m going home.”

Your lip-sync kiss with Lydia will go down as one of the all-time greats. Was that planned?

Not really. The song kind of permits it. It was a gut instinct.

What moment did you know she was on board?

We locked eyes and saw the vibe. It’s the last verse! You just feel it.

What did that moment feel like?

I don’t remember because I was a couple of House of Love [cocktails] in. I knew I was going home. I was like, I’m going to have fun today, for me. I’m not going to eat today because I want this House of Love to hit. And it did. Honestly, I don’t remember the lip-sync. I remember the kiss, walking off stage, and my exit line. Everything else? I don’t remember.

Were you surprised that the kiss didn’t save you?

No. Once it was me and Lydia, I did not want to stay at all. I knew how bad Lydia wanted it, and I’d rather have her stay than me. However, if it was me and Onya in the bottom? Baby, I’m bucking! Even if I did win, I would have to find a way [to save Lydia]. I’d have to BenDeLaCreme myself.

You would’ve quit if you won the lip-sync?

Yes, absolutely. I wouldn’t be able to send Lydia home. I’d find a way to swap.

You’ve teased the relationship with Lydia for a while, on and off the show. When did it start, and who made the first move on set?

Lydia made the first move on set, down. She loves to act like she’s so shy. She’s lying! Now we’re officially together. I didn’t know it was moving that fast until I was watching the season. We were already in it on episode 1.

Some fans suspect that the relationship is fake. How do you respond to that?

It was the opposite. I wasn’t even thinking about it. I didn’t even care if the cameras were catching it. We weren’t like Vanjie [and Brooke], making out in front of the cameras to play it up. It was a real relationship. You don’t see it as much in the season, like, they’re dating.

How does Zelda Kollins fit into this equation?

Her daughter? Yeah, that’s her ex that is also her drag daughter, I believe.

They’re not still together?

No.

You’re not lying to me, Kori King? You and Lydia are officially together?

Hand to RuPaul! I was going to say hand to God. Hand to RuPaul!

I’m happy for the two of you. This is such a sweet development!

You didn’t ask if I was dating Hormona.

Are you dating Hormona?

No. I was just mad that you didn’t ask. [Laughs]

Where are the orange shoes RuPaul hated?

Oh, I still have them. When I eventually move to Pittsburgh [where Lydia lives], I’m going to put them in my kitchen in a little shelf.

You’re thinking about marriage and moving to Pittsburgh?

Yeah, I’m that girl. I’m very that.

What else is next for you?

My YouTube channel, make sure to follow me. I’m posting every single week! That’s where you’ll get the good behind-the-scenes tea.