[Music
[Music playing]
[Musi[♪♪♪]ying]
[Ian] I've always been fascinated by those
who achieve greatness.
How did they get there?
Who better to ask than the few who have made the journey
to the very top of their field.
The challenges, the turning points,
the moments that changed everything.
Could you look older and uglier for just the next 12 minutes?
Well, my Botox hasn't kicked in yet,
so I'll just do a lot of this.
[OPERATIC MUSIC]
[Ian] Her fans know her as the Queen of the North--
Brooke Lynn Hytes, the most famous face of drag in Canada.
♪ All hail the queen ♪
Brooke Lynn Hytes rose to prominence
on the 11th season of "RuPaul's Drag Race,"
breaking new ground for Canadians.
It's amazing to be the first Canadian drag
queen on the show.
Like, I have the pressure of the [BLEEP] north
on my shoulders.
[Chuckles]
[Ian] After finishing as the runner up that season,
Brooke Lynn Hytes became the host of "Canada's Drag Race."
Hi, queens Hi.
[Ian] Off stage, Brooke Lynn is actually Brock Hayhoe.
He grew up in Toronto in an ultra-conservative, deeply
religious family, a kid who loved to dance
and went on to train at Canada's
National Ballet School.
But Brock's life was transformed when he discovered
drag, now fulfilling a dream with a larger-than-life
alter ego, Brooke Lynn Hytes.
[Music playing]
[♪♪♪]
You have a lot of fans.
And they'll be thrilled to watch this interview.
But there are also some people who maybe haven't
seen your performances before.
What is it about being a drag queen that you love?
Oh, everything.
A, I'm a very--
I don't like to be told what to do.
And so it gives me the opportunity to be my own boss,
and I'm in complete artistic control
of whatever I want to do.
So I think that's what a lot of drag performers
like is that they get to express themselves.
It's a form of freedom.
They get to create this character
and get to live out their wildest fantasies.
I have a lot more questions about your performances
and also about the politics of drag these days.
But before we get there, let's go way back.
And tell me-- tell me about your childhood.
My childhood.
Well, I was raised in Etobicoke, Toronto.
I'm the youngest of four.
My parents were very Christian.
I had a very Christian upbringing.
And there's not really a lot of artistic people in my family
in the way that I am. So it was hard.
I was always--
I was just different, you know, and I really
stuck out like a sore thumb.
I loved playing with dolls.
I was effeminate, all of these things.
And I felt a lot of shame.
And I was shamed a lot.
And I remember very specifically one time,
we were at my grandmother's house.
And we were playing dress-up or some play or something.
And I remember my aunt grabbing me and goes, you are a boy.
You are not a girl.
And I just was like--
and that always stuck with me.
Then there's the moment where you came out,
I guess, first to your mom.
What was that like?
It was fine.
I mean, at that point, I was like, it's been 18 years.
Like, you've been with me for 18 years.
You have to have some inkling.
And I'm sure she did.
But we were in the kitchen.
And we were looking at the "Toronto Star."
And there was a picture of two men in silver booty shorts
and angel wings kissing.
And we were talking about pride.
And I knew it was coming.
We were just kind of progressing to the question.
And she, very quietly, was like, so do
you think you're gay?
And I was like, yeah, I am.
And then she started crying a little bit.
And I hugged her.
I was like, Mom, it's fine.
And obviously, this cannot be a surprise to you.
There's no possible way this can be a surprise
to anybody in my family.
So it was nice to just say it and get it out there, finally,
because I feel like it had been brewing for so long
that it was a nice release.
So you're dealing with that.
But then you're in a city where we are
right now, the gay village.
Yeah.
And it must have felt so liberating to be
able to be here and walk up and down Church Street.
Yeah, it was great.
I remember the first time I ever did drag.
I was living in an apartment just
across from O'Grady's, like, a half a block up from here.
And I'll never forget the feeling
of walking out of my little studio apartment
in my jeans and heels--
no wig on, by the way--
and walking out the door, and everyone looking at me
and walking down the street and walking into this bar.
And I just felt this rush.
I was like, I felt so brave.
And I was like, I can't believe I just did that.
[Music playing]
So the reason we're here, the reason we came to Crews
and Tangos is that that very stage is where
Brooke Lynn Hytes was born.
And it still smells the same.
[Ian laughs]
It really does.
[Brooke Lynn laughs] Gosh, yeah.
I think it was 2012.
And I was right back in that dressing room right there.
And I was getting ready.
But I just felt so free, and I felt accepted.
And I just felt--
I was buzzing with electricity and adrenaline.
And it was such a great feeling.
And then she said, please welcome to the stage
my newest drag daughter, Brooke Lynn Hytes.
And I looked at the other drag queen.
I was like, huh?
And she's like, girl, that's you.
And I was like, oh, party!
I just went on stage and did my thing.
And that's how I was born.
So there are a lot of key points in your career.
And obviously, Brooke Lynn Hytes being created
on this stage is one of them.
But I wonder if the moment that changed
everything for your life was "RuPaul's Drag Race."
Incorrect.
The moment actually came before that.
OK.
The moment that really changed the course of everything
was when I won Miss Continental.
[Music playing]
And that's probably the biggest female impersonation
pageant in the world.
And it's like the créme de la créme.
It's, like, the best thing-- before "RuPaul's Drag Race,"
it was the biggest thing you could win.
And I won.
And that's what really changed everything for me.
That's what really got me on the drag map.
[announcer] Let's bring out your new winner,
thirteen, Brooke Lynn Hytes.
♪ We are the champions ♪
Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Continental,
Brooke Lynn Hytes.
♪ 'Cause we are the champions of the world ♪
[Music playing]
[♪♪♪]
Never fear.
The queen of the north is here.
Is she international?
[Music playing]
It was a big moment, yes.
It's the biggest platform in the world for drag.
It's a global platform.
And that was the real game changer that really
put me on a different level.
And you literally wowed the judges.
Brooke Lynn Hytes.
[judge 1] All right, Pam Queer.
Oh, wow!
Oh, my god!
Are you kidding me?
[judge 2] Yeah!
[RuPaul] Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho.
So I came out, and I walked down the runway.
And I flipped the poncho up.
I basically flipped it over my head,
and the wig came off at the same time.
It was this really cool reveal.
And I'll never forget it.
It's ingrained in my head forever.
I pfff.
And I walked, and Ru just went [gasps].
And all the judges were just gagging.
Oh, wow!
[judge 1] I guess blondes really do have more fun.
Oh, yes.
She went from "Crooklyn" to Brooke Lynn.
I mean, just watching you tell the story,
I feel like you were-- maybe still are-- living the dream.
Absolutely.
I can't believe it.
I'm so grateful for what I get to do.
It makes me a little bit teary.
Because I can't believe I get to wake up every day,
and this is my life.
And it's hard sometimes.
Like, I think any job, you probably
don't like doing your job all the time, but you love it.
But some days, you wake up, and it's hard.
I struggle with anxiety.
And it's a constant--
I think a lot of entertainers can relate to this-- it's
like there's no stability in the entertainment
industry whatsoever.
And that's terrifying.
But I always forget to come back
to gratitude, to take a minute and just
think about what you get to do and the opportunities
I've had.
And everything has really opened
up for me since that show.
And I just-- I'm so lucky.
[Music playing]
Grown men in dresses with makeup reading to kids.
[SHOUTING]
It's unacceptable.
Learning about dinosaurs or flying.
All are welcome here.
Letting them think that they can be a boy or a girl
and think that this is OK, if adults want to do this at 18,
it's fine.
But do you think a five- or six-year-old need
to be around this?
[APPLAUSE]
Let's talk about the politics.
I mean, this is a strange time.
And so there are angry protests about drag
queens who are reading at libraries, for example.
It's happening in the States, but I think it's
happening in Canada, as well.
Oh, yeah.
And so as you watch that, how do you feel about it?
I'm exhausted.
Queer people are exhausted.
We just want to be able to exist.
We just want-- I don't even want to have to have
a Pride month, you know?
I just want to be integrated into society
like a normal person and not have
to have a month to remind everyone that we're queer,
and we're here.
So it's exhausting.
And I think every minority group can relate to that.
We're just tired of fighting.
We're tired of having to explain
why we should be treated like normal human beings.
And if you don't want your child
to go to drag queen story hour, don't take
them to drag queen story hour.
Let parents parent their child how they want to.
And they're not hurting anybody.
They're teaching them how to be well-rounded, cultured,
accepting individuals.
That's all it is.
So one of the contestants in "Canada's Drag Race"
has gotten some hate online, been called a pedophile.
What about that link that people make between being
a drag performer and somehow linking
that to being a pedophile?
It's just mind-blowing.
Yeah.
I mean, first of all--
I don't even know where to start with that.
Like, the whole grooming thing--
I'm like, maybe we're grooming them to be loving,
accepting individuals.
And if that's what we're doing, I'm 100% OK with that.
I think grooming can be anything-- grooming someone
to be one way or grooming someone
to be a really good person.
Yeah.
Let's just say this out loud.
You're not grooming any kids sexually.
Oh, god, no.
No.
But I'm saying teaching--
No, I'm just saying just to--
Just to be very clear.
No, we're grooming people just to be
loving, accepting individuals.
But does it make you mad?
Yes, especially because the pedophiles are in the church.
The pedophiles are in politics.
I mean, we see it everywhere.
And it's all about fear, and it's all about control.
And then those people in power just abuse it.
They get to do anything they want.
For somebody outside a library, whether it's
in Canada or the United States, holding a sign, enraged
that someone dressed like you or Brooke Lynn Hytes
is in that library reading to children,
if you could walk out of the library
and say something to those people, what would you say?
What are you afraid of?
Like, what is the fear here?
And why are you not OK with this,
but you're OK with taking your child to Hooters?
Why are you not OK with this but allowing your children
to play with guns?
What is the fear?
I think that's what it all boils down to,
the fear of not understanding, the fear of something
different than you.
People were saying it's not age-appropriate.
And in a way, I believe that.
I believe that children should absolutely
be exposed to drag in a child-friendly environment,
something like drag queen story hour or a drag brunch.
And I think that it should be made very clear
that this is an all-ages show.
And I think that the drag performers
should make sure their numbers are
kind of appropriate for that.
Because we can expose children to things without overly
sexualizing things.
Because I believe a child's innocence
is one of the most beautiful, important things,
and that should be protected.
And you can do that in a way where you're also
exposing them to culture and teaching them
about new kinds of people.
So there's a positive message.
And let's finish with another heartwarming, I think,
positive story.
And it involves you being in Nashville
and having a tough time.
Maybe you were depressed?
Yeah.
And your mom and your sister getting on a plane to
come down--
A car, actually. A car?
They drove down? They drove out.
Wow, even more impressive. I know.
They drove down-- That's a long drive.
They drove all night.
They come down to Nashville.
And your mom, who cried when you came out,
reached out to you in Nashville.
Yeah.
Me and my mom, we were-- after I came out, we were fine.
It was a little bit tense, whatever.
But we would still talk, but it was all very
polite, like small talk.
She never really asked me about my life or anything like that.
It was just-- it was kind of like-- it was hard
because I just felt like I was kind of being
iced out a little bit.
So when I moved down to Nashville-- and I forget why,
I think it was a new place, and I just kind of felt lonely,
and I was having a hard time.
And my best friend called my mom and my sister
and told them that I was having a tough time.
And they got in the car, and they drove down.
And I did a drag dinner show every Thursday.
And I walked out, and my mom was sitting there.
And I just-- I started laughing.
I was like, what are you doing here?
It was crazy.
And it was just-- it was just a nice, easy weekend it was fun,
and she was herself again and just talking to me
and asking me questions.
And she was just, kind of, there for me,
which was really nice for me.
And then after she left, she wrote me a really beautiful
letter basically just apologizing
for not really being there.
And the most beautiful line for me was when she said,
I'm sorry I haven't loved you the way I should have,
which really was beautiful and something I
think every kid wants to hear.
Oh, and the front of the card-- it was a card.
And it was a little boy and a little girl holding hands.
And she wrote Brooke and Brock, which I thought that was
the cutest thing ever.
And she signed it "lots of love, always."
And after we had that moment together, I got this tattoo.
And this is the actual handwriting from the letter.
It says lots of love, always.
And this is a daisy, which is her favourite flower.
Beautiful. Yeah.
It's a great story.
Let's finish with this.
For somebody who's never seen a drag performance, who watches
some of the footage that they've seen in this interview
and still feel like that is such a foreign world,
it's such a--
I can't relate to that, what would you say to them?
You don't have to relate to it.
I mean, it's fun.
Drag is all about joy.
We're here-- the purpose of drag is to spread
joy and spread happiness.
That's what we're here to do.
So I feel like there's something
in drag for everybody.
And if you just go into it with an open mind and have fun--
and maybe you don't like it, and that's OK.
But we're still allowed to exist if you don't
like it is the whole thing.
You don't have to like us.
You don't have to agree with us.
But you have to respect us and give us the right to live
our lives the way we want.
[Music playing]
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