WATCH: Talarico instantly names favorite Texas drag queen — a performer who says he ‘works with children’
Charles Creitz
Fox News
September 14, 2026
EXCLUSIVE: Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico instantly named Alyssa Edwards when asked at a campaign event to identify his favorite drag queen in the state — pointing to someone who has publicly described himself as “a drag performer that works with children.”
Talarico’s past comments on sexuality and gender issues have become a line of attack in the Senate race, including his remark that “God is nonbinary” and his 2023 praise for Texas having “some of the best drag queens in the nation.”
“Mr. Talarico, so nice to meet you… I was there when you defended the drags,” video shows a man telling the Democratic nominee as he approached to take a photo together at the event.
“Who’s your favorite drag queen in Texas?” the man asks in the video.
Without a pause, Talarico responds: “Oh, my gosh. Probably Alyssa Edwards.”
The exchange comes after the Washington Free Beacon reported on a 2021 event Talarico headlined called “Taylor PRIDE” in Taylor, Texas, where an 11-year-old boy performed in drag under the name Kween Kee Kee.
In the more recent exchange, Talarico’s instant response naming Edwards referred to Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson, whose stage name is Alyssa Edwards. Johnson has been an outspoken advocate for youth drag shows.
“I remember being at World Pride in New York a few years back and sharing the stage with my dance students, one of the most powerful moments of my life,” Johnson said in an interview with Out magazine.
Johnson’s work with young dancers was also featured in the 2018 Netflix docuseries “Dancing Queen.” The Dallas Observer reported that Johnson called one 10-year-old male student his “mini-me,” and that the child dressed as Alyssa Edwards during an episode of the series.
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