Katya returns to the public eye
The performer behind Katya, from RuPaul’s Drag Race, went to rehab after quitting drag.
Brian McCook, the beloved star of All Stars 2, season 7 and The Trixie and Katya Show, relapsed in Australia after All Stars 2 last year.
He continued to do meth and suffered a ‘complete total psychotic break from reality’.
McCook confirmed he was detained by police this year.
Landlords asked to leave him to leave his home in Los Angeles for being a disturbance to others on drugs.
He also had a heart attack at home brought on by exhaustion.
‘I couldn’t tell what was real or not real,’ he said, saying he suffered from hallucinations.
McCook said he hit ‘rock bottom’ after a loved one almost put a restraining order against him.
Katya: ‘I thought I just had a drug problem.’
‘I wasn’t being paid enough,’ he said, explaining why he quit drag.
‘I didn’t have enough time to sleep.’
He first returned to his mother’s home in Massachusetts for a week. But then he still got high. He then went to Serenity Care Center in Surprise, Arizona.
‘It rocked my world,’ he said, on new podcast Whimsically Volatile.
‘I thought I just had a drug problem. It wasn’t just a drug problem.’
It is unknown when McCook will return to the stage as Katya.
He tweeted yesterday: ‘My stage show “Help Me I’m Dying” will likely be re-titled, mostly due to the fact that I am no longer dying.
‘I can’t wait for you to see it. It is going to be incredible and I am quite sure you will all love it. Peace.’
Support from other queens
Many of his Drag Race queens supported him, including Trixie Mattel and Pearl from season 7.
Winner Violet Chacki told Gay Star News last week: ‘I talk to Katya at least once a week, sometimes more. She’s doing very well. She’s taking a break, resting.’
She continues: ’I’ve been saying no to a lot of stuff this year. I think a lot of girls are at the point where we’re like: “OK. We need to start saying no to things and taking breaks and taking care of ourselves.” I think Katya is a good example of that.’
