Kennedy Davenport, the beloved Drag Race legend, pageant powerhouse, and eternal Dancing Diva of Texas, is stepping into a new spotlight with the premiere of The Kennedy Davenport Center Honors, debuting exclusively on WOW Presents Plus on December 7. Blending glamour, heart, and Kennedy’s signature sharp wit, the special reimagines the awards-show genre through a fabulously queer lens only she could deliver.
Promising “a celebration of queer excellence, where we honor those who have achieved greatness and gotten on my last nerve,” Kennedy leads viewers through a whirlwind of tongue-in-cheek categories designed to highlight her fellow queens’ standout moments – whether inspiring, chaotic, or just plain irritating. Honors include the Eyeroll Award, The Struggle Is Real Award, the MeMe Award, and the Proud Drag Mother Award: When Your Daughter Has a Higher Booking Fee, bestowed upon icons like Acacia Forgot, Bosco, Ginger Minj, Jorgeous, Latrice Royale, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Nicole Paige Brooks, and Sapphira Cristál.
With her trademark charm and unmatchable performance legacy, Kennedy opens up about the creation of this new format, the queens who inspired each category, and her most unforgettable Drag Race moments. In true Davenport fashion, it’s heartfelt, hilarious, and just a little shady – the perfect tribute to the artistry, community, and chaos of drag.
I just have to say I saw you in the Las Vegas show and I thought you were amazing…but we’re here to talk about the only Kennedy Center Honors that I care to watch, which are the Kennedy Davenport Center Honors. How did you envision this show and how did you make it your own?
Well, you know, anything that I choose to be a part of, I have to make it my own in order to be comfortable, in order to be myself so when the pitch came to me about it, my mind immediately got to racing and anticipating like, what could it possibly be? But once we finally put our heads together, it was like, okay, I’m going all out. I mean, when you have the opportunity to just really be yourself and to let your hair down and just talk shit, I mean, it’s the best moment.
You describe the special as “a celebration of queer excellence… and those who’ve gotten on your last nerve.” How did you balance heartfelt appreciation with playful shade?
I think anybody that knows me and gets to know me – and that includes my fan base – to know that everything I say is out of love. I don’t say things to tear people down or, you know, even if I had a harsh critique on somebody, I always have a solution. I offer my help, I offer my assistance, I even offer my closet. I don’t just read and just leave it hanging. I’m going to read and then turn around and be like, let me help you with this, so there is a healthy balance. I’m like your girlfriend or your sister or your auntie who will tell you the truth but says it in love and it’ll be somewhat hilarious. It’s like in the midst of the read, there is something like I love that bitch. She makes me sick. There’s a healthy balance when you live the life of treating people how you want to be treated.
Can you walk us through the process of creating some of the categories, and which category made you laugh the hardest?
I definitely had help creating the categories. No shade, you know it takes a village and it takes the teamwork to make the dream work. So, when some of the categories were presented to me, I just fell out. World of Wonder…how can I say it? They know me, you know, like the back of my hand. So, when they came up with these crazy awards, I was like, I love them all. When you have those types of moments, you have no choice but to fall in line because it just felt right. I liked them all. Oh, my goodness. I love “So Fuck My Drag” and, you know, a lot of them could have that, you know? That’s the only one that really pops into mind. But I really liked all of them and you’ll see that I really poured myself into every category.
Fans still cite so many iconic Kennedy moments from “I’m so excited” to your legendary dance numbers. How did your Drag Race journey influence this new special?
I think Drag Race just opened the door for my talents to be seen, you know, and because my talents were seen, I believe RuPaul and World of Wonder got to really see that, hey Kennedy is really, really loved here and the work I put in off screen with Drag Race Live and doing other things allowed me and afforded me the opportunity to have my own show.
Looking back, is there an achievement or a moment from Drag Race that you would give yourself an award for?
Losing gracefully. I’m just saying Lord, I had a lot of great moments and I really believed that the reward is winning – mainly my improv challenges because I take pride in that and the reward was actually winning and being recognized for not just being a pageant queen but being an all-around entertainer.
You’ve inspired countless performers, obviously, what does honoring the next generation of drag artists mean to you?
It means a lot to me because they are the ones who are carrying the torch and it is their job to carry the legacy. I’ve carried the legacy of the people that have gone before me and now it’s their job to do the same but they have to be in tune with that. They have to be willing to do that. So, it’s very important to me, first of all, and it means a lot to pass down the history of drag and entertainment.
You’re spotlighting queens like Latrice Royale, Jorgeous, Ginger Minj, and Sapphira Cristál. How did you choose which queens to honor and which categories fit them best?
I picked them. I mean, you kind of pick them through relationships, like the relationship that you build with the queens, and that’s how you know that this Drag Queens will fit them perfectly. I can’t pick somebody that I don’t really have a rapport or relationship with, you know?
It’s also about being funny. And I may not even know them like that, but I may see some of their work, or I may see some stupid shit that they did and just call ’em out on it and, you know, it’s still all in love.
I know you’ve got the show Pageant Queens coming up, which I don’t know the outcome of but I’m rooting for you. In addition to that, what else do you have on the horizon? Are there any other things that we can get excited about coming from you?
Ooh. Thanksgiving. You know, I make a feast, honey. Oh, my goodness. You know, I cook the house down. But, outside of Pageant Queens, nothing really. Things really slow down towards the end of the year. I’m hoping to still stay booked but kind of take a little break, because the bills don’t take a break! But I’m just hoping to work enough to be able to relax a bit before the new year starts, but Pageant Queens is the biggest thing that’s going on right now…outside of my own show. I mean, we had such a good time on set and I’m ready for season two.
Check out The Kennedy Davenport Center Honors on Sunday, December 7, exclusively on WOW Presents Plus. Follow Kennedy on Instagram and Facebook.