Drag Race UK: Saki Yew is monetising her shock exit in the best possible way
Saki Yew speaks with GAY TIMES about her unforeseen exit from Drag Race UK, her planned impersonation for Snatch Game and whether she’s received an open invite for season seven.
WORDS BY SAM DAMSHENAS SPECIAL THANKS TO JASMINE ALOMA AND SOFIE VAN DE GRAMPEL AT THE BBC With her “Frankenstein” drag – aka the infusion of her Australian, Filipino and Mancunian backgrounds – Saki Yew was one of the most anticipated contestants on this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
Sadly, the theatre queen’s journey came to an abrupt end in episode two when a homophobic shower forced her to withdraw from the competition.
A queen with a sense-of-humour, however, Saki is monetising her misfortune with her own line of bath mats. “Oh, the minute it happened I was like, ‘Absolutely, I’m going to have to bring this out,'” Saki tells GAY TIMES. “I went, ‘How am I going to make money out of this?’” Although her Pork Chop status prevented her from showcasing more of her drag, Saki undeniably made her mark on Drag Race UK with her comedic burlesque routine and “worker bee” runway, as well as her much-needed conversation with Zahirah Zapanta about microaggressions and discrimination faced by queens of Asian descent. “That conversation has just spread like wildfire,” says Saki. “I’ve had DMs from people going, ‘That means so much and I can relate.’” Read ahead for our full exit interview with Saki Yew, where she reminisces on her shock exit from Drag Race UK, whether she’s received an open invite for season seven and which celebrity she planned to impersonate on Snatch Game.
