Eureka O’Hara Spills the Tea on Travel, Music, and “We’re Here”

Eureka O’Hara rose to prominence when they were cast on season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race. After an injury took them out of the competition early, they returned to compete in season 10 where they placed in the top three. They would return to the franchise once more in RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season six where they then placed in the top four.

As a result of their immense talent, so lovingly showcased on the hit TV show, the self-titled “Elephant Queen” was booked on stages around the world and ultimately found themselves, along with fellow Drag Race alumni Bob the Drag Queen and Shangela, as co-host HBO’s hit reality program We’re Here which just launched its third season on November 25.

On the show, Eureka, Bob, and Shangela travel to small cities around the United States where they connect with people who ultimately become their drag children with the goal of putting on a ‘one night only’ performance for the townspeople. It’s a unique twist on the makeover show format that takes things a step further by putting the queens in cities that aren’t necessarily familiar with or welcoming towards the queer community. Just by being there and being themselves, the queens spark conversations and often facilitate change and learning, opening minds and hearts wherever they go, while helping their ‘children’ to heal and embrace their own authenticity.

We sat down with Eureka to discuss the show, their favorite travel destinations, charity work, and their new single “Big Mawma.”

Vacationer: Hello Eureka! Congratulations on the launch of season three and your new single! You, Bob, and Shangela go all over the place on We’re Here. A lot of queer travelers are concerned about going to smaller cities because of their differing attitudes and politics. I was wondering, based on your experience with We’re Here, did you feel safe in all the cities you visited, and would you encourage LGBTQ travelers to visit those small cities?

Eureka O’Hara: You know, I always encourage LGBTQ people to visit everywhere in the world because it means we can be found everywhere. Use your personal senses and your gut feeling. If you think there’s something wrong, trust yourself and remove yourself from the situation. Pay attention and look for signs of people that are accepting and, you know, don’t be afraid! Get out there and explore places because you might be shocked by the people that actually do accept and appreciate people that are different from themselves in these small towns.

I would encourage people to visit any of the cities we’ve gone to on We’re Here. I had positive experiences in each and every town.

That’s wonderful advice, though I would daresay one notable exception might be Granbury, Texas which you visited in the season three premiere. Can you describe your experience while filming that episode?

Granbury was difficult. I think if they weren’t worried about us potentially causing obstruction or the like then we probably wouldn’t have been bothered. They were afraid because they weren’t sure what our intentions were, and people fear what they don’t understand. So, when they were able to just experience us coming into their town to film our show and realized that we weren’t there to take over or disrupt their holiday, they were able to relax a bit and grow from the experience.

I was clutching my pearls watching the episode. It made me so nervous!

It does make you nervous when you’re different, going into these areas where people are prominently heteronormative, and make their values very known. You know?

It’s about respecting people’s boundaries and it’s about being socially respectable in general, you know what I’m saying?

I definitely do. Are there any places that you’re hoping they’ll send you going forward?

I’m hoping we go International, you know, or I would really love to visit Alaska, part of our country that we don’t explore very often.

That sounds amazing! I’ve always wanted to go there myself. So, a lot of people wanted to know if you keep in touch with any of the drag kids that you’ve made on the show.

Absolutely! You know, some of the kids started social media groups and things where they stay connected. They all support each other and give each other advice because they’ve all experienced this together. And then, of course, there’s several of them that I continue to communicate with personally, and then of course there’s some that I’ve fallen out of touch with. It’s just like any other family. But, you know, the love and the work that we did is all still there.

For sure.  You do a wonderful job with these, well, not just kids, but grown people as well. It’s just great. I can see why the show has connected with so many people.

Thank you. A big part of it is about connecting with our inner selves and a lot of times that’s also about connecting with our inner child. When we go through trauma, we have to grow up really fast. We’re not necessarily therapists, but I do think that what we do is a form of therapy. Everyone should be taking a moment every now and then, where they stop, and they reflect and they celebrate themselves for the experiences they’ve been through.

Absolutely right! Switching gears a bit, as an international drag superstar, you’ve traveled to many glamorous places around the world. What have been some of your favorite destinations?

I love going to Hawaii. I also love the UK.  I went to Vietnam recently, a really cultured country. I didn’t expect the love and attention I received there, and this wasn’t even with the TV show, this was with a charity organization I’ve been working with.

Influence the World, right?

Yes.

Tell us a bit about your work with them.

So, I’m one of the board members and influencers for Influence the World.  One of my friends had this idea of creating a nonprofit based around the idea of giving back to underprivileged children because of an experience they had in Vietnam while on vacation. One of their friends had sent them to an orphanage to give back and spend time with the kids, and through that experience, they realized not only how beneficial it was for their spirit, but also how much those kids enjoyed that time. They realized how easy it was to give a little back and how rewarding it could be. So, we came together and decided to use our social media platforms to showcase and spread these stories throughout the world as a way to raise money for these kids and their communities.

We also create opportunities for people to go into these places with us and visit these people and see the happiness that you can bring some of these orphans just by showing them a little love and a little support because, at the end of the day, that’s what we all want.

So far we’ve done work in Tijuana, Mexico, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and held a benefit concert for Ukraine with more projects to follow.

That’s wonderful! Thank you for doing that. It’s so good of you to use your platform to help people and for such a good cause.

While we’re still on the topic of travel I have a bit of a personal question for you. You proudly call yourself ‘The Elephant Queen’ and I’ve always loved how you’ve embraced your size and turned it out for the world to see. I too am a big-bodied person and I’ve often had a lot of anxiety, specifically around air travel, because of my size.

I hate the dreaded looks of my seatmates when they see they’re sitting next to a big person, and I just hate the overall discomfort of the small seats. I even wrote an article about the strategies I employ when booking my flights to best alleviate the panic. I was wondering if you have encountered the same thing and if you have any plus-size travel tips.

You know, honestly, it’s extremely uncomfortable being a bigger person to fly. It just is. The planes aren’t built for bigger or taller people.

People react. People are uncomfortable. It’s dramatic sometimes, and it can be traumatic if you allow it to be. When I’m not flying first class, I’ll go to the agent and be like, “Hey, I just wanna check in. Is there a seat on the plane that has a seat empty next to it? Because I know there’s going to be drama because of my size.”

You know, and I’ll just be transparent. Don’t put me in an aisle, don’t put me in the exit row, because they’re going to have to move me. Be aware and pre-plan. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need, regardless of your size. I mean, I think that’s the biggest thing – we’re so afraid to be embarrassed.

That is such great advice, Eureka, truly. I am going to have to try that one out. I don’t know why it’s never crossed my mind. Coming from a place of honesty and self-love is always the answer, I guess. Where did you learn that from?

I learned it from my mother and grandmother who I lost in the last few years of my life. They were the main matriarchs in my family and my best friends; and for me, the only family members that really showed me love regardless of the hatred and torment that I received growing up. It’s through them that I learned about what I call the Big Mawma Spirit.

Which inspired the name of your new single “Big Mawma”?

Yes! It’s a song about the unconditional loving spirit within all of us. It’s about that gift. The Big Mawma Spirit is a gift. It’s love. And the biggest gift you can give someone is to love them. The song and upcoming video feature vocals from my girls Katie Kadan and Sarah Potenza from The Voice.

Yes! They were amazing and the video is fire! I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of it before the premiere on December 22. What inspired the concept for the music video?

Well, the video is an expression of gender journey. Everything that I do comes out in my work. My gender journey has been quite a vibrant one and you know, I’ve had my ups and downs. I’ve been trans, nonbinary, cis gay male, and now as I’m currently leaning towards trans female I’ve really grown to find my voice. The video is about gender expression and acceptance, and about our allies and having those people in our lives that just accept us for who we are.

A powerful message indeed. What keeps that Big Mawma spirit alive in your heart?

It’s getting to be myself and live my life and continue to work towards success, working with like-minded people. You know, when you give to others, people are willing to give back. Just try giving a little kindness in your life. And see what happens. Be willing to be kind for no reason and then you’ll receive that in return.

Very true. Well, as you know the holidays are just around the corner, so I was wondering, what do the holidays look like for you this year and what are you looking forward to in 2023?

You know the holidays for me look like a little bit of a relaxing time for me this year. I’m not going to have a lot of family time because I’ve been working so much, so I’m going to be resting at home.

I’m kind of trying to go into the new year looking forward to whatever it brings. I’ve really discovered a lot about myself this year through sobriety and my gender journey. And I’m telling a lot of my story on We’re Here this season. I’m just kind of taking it easy and seeing what comes my way. I really want to act more. That’s my goal, to be seen more as an actor in this industry. That’s where I found comfort and solace. I would love to be that representation for other people in that world, that’s my dream.

Keep up with Eureka on their website and on social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok.