“RuPaul’s Drag Race” legend Ginger Minj recently returned to the series to compete on “All Star 10: Tournament of All Stars.” On Friday, June 13, Ginger won the first maxi challenge of the season’s third and final preliminary round, proving why she’s been invited back to compete on three separate “All Stars” seasons since she made her “Drag Race” debut on Season 7 in 2015.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly about her return to the competition series, Ginger revealed that, during the casting process for “All Stars 10” she was diagnosed with autism after completing a psychological evaluation ahead of the season’s May 2025 premiere on Paramount+.
Ginger Minj on Her Emotional ‘Wicked’ Werk Room Moment
Ginger revealed her autism diagnosis while spilling the tea about Episode 7 of “All Stars 10.” In the recently-aired episode, the Bracket Three queens — Daya Betty, Acid Betty, Denali, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Alyssa Hunter and, of course, the “Glamour Toad” herself, Ginger Minj – came face to face with the stars of “Wicked: For Good,” Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Meeting the actresses in the Werk Room, Ginger was brought to tears. When asked why the moment made her so emotional, Ginger told EW: “Ariana [Grande] and I were both on Season 7. I had a connection with her, having met her so long ago. I’ve watched her grow in her career, so it was fun to show the flipside of that, and for her to see how far I’ve come.”
GettyGrande first appeared on “Drag Race” as an “extra-special” celebrity guest judge on Season 7, though she has since returned to the judging panel for the premiere episode of Season 15. But it wasn’t just her connection to Grande that had Ginger’s mascara running.
As a self-proclaimed “lifelong Oz and musical theatre lover,” Gringer said that seeing the trailer for “Wicked” gave her “something to look forward to” as she fought for her life in the hospital.
“I was at my heaviest. I was prediabetic, my blood pressure was out of control, my sugar levels were off the charts…It made me completely spiral, to the point where I genuinely thought I was going to die,” revealed the queen. While the queen has since recovered, and lost an impressive 160 pounds, it was the memory of this moment that brought her to tears as she thanked Grande and Erivo for coming to “Drag Race.”
“To be able to thank the people that pulled me out of the depths of despair was a moment I couldn’t let pass by, but also being the autistic, ADHD person that I am, I had so many racing thoughts in that moment, you overthink everything. I knew if I stopped and thought about it, I wouldn’t get it out. It was a volcanic eruption of emotion that was pent up for so long, and it came out in the form of relief, joy, and thankfulness,” revealed Ginger.
After her interview with EW, Ginger is now the second queen on the “All Stars 10” cast to share their autism diagnosis, following Tina Burner.
The Casting Process for ‘All Stars 10’ led to Ginger’s Diagnosis
Speaking on how she came to her diagnosis, Ginger revealed: “To be candid, I didn’t find out that I was truly autistic – of course I had my assumptions through my life – until we did the casting process for ‘All Stars 10’ and I went in for my psychiatric evaluation. The way I communicated, the therapist said, ‘Are you autistic? Are you on the spectrum?’”
The queen continued, “I had my suspicions, but I said I’d never been tested. He said he’d like me to be tested. So, I did. I got tested, and I am.”
Reacting to the diagnosis, Ginger added, “It put 40 years of my existence into perspective so quickly for me. I’ve learned so many different tools to be like, this isn’t something that should hold me back. It should be more of a superpower, a strength of mine.”
Now, the ‘Superqueen’ is more prepared than ever to tackle the “Tournament of All Stars.”
Getty“That’s what held me back on my other seasons of ‘Drag Race.’ Coming across insincere, because I was so concerned about how other people would perceive me or misunderstand the words I said,” Ginger revealed. “Now, understanding more of who I am, I felt this burden lifted off my shoulders…No matter what happens, it’s so celebratory for me, because it’s the first time I’ve truly competed as myself.”
Fans can catch Ginger Minj on the new episodes of “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars 10,” streaming every Friday on Paramount+.
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’Drag Race’ Star Reveals she was Diagnosed with Autism After ‘All Stars 10’ Psych Exam