Brigitte Bidet
Photos: Jon Dean
By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
In the eight years Brigitte Bidet has lived in Atlanta, she has become one of the most well-known drag entertainers and emcees in the drag community. Not even a global pandemic has slowed the blonde bombshell down, who has found different creative ways to get her voice out there, including socially distanced shows, a successful podcast, and a newfound fire for political activism.
You haven’t slowed down at all during this, but how has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your work?
Creatively I’ve been thriving, because there aren’t the normal distractions of everyday life. It’s actually given me a lot of new ideas on how to share Brigitte with the world. I’ve definitely taken a hit financially, but I’m glad to have drag as a creative outlet and a way to stay connected with people virtually. You don’t realize how much of a community there is around the drag scene until it’s put on pause. I miss all of the messy bitches in my life!
You have managed to perform some during the pandemic, but you have chosen only socially distanced shows – can you tell us a little bit about them?
I have been lucky enough to be offered gigs from people who are organizing socially distanced events. There was a lot of digital drag happening at the beginning of the pandemic, and then Wussy and Ree de la Vega organized two amazing Drive-In Drag shows. Everyone is coming up with ways to keep the entertainment alive, but nothing can replace getting a germ-covered dollar bill from someone in a sweaty bar. The vaccine can’t come soon enough…
You have also started the amazing podcast ‘Good Judy’ with Ellasaurus Rex. Tell us about creating a podcast during a pandemic?
Ella and I are both known for being emcees at our shows, so it’s no surprise that the two of us can kiki, gossip, and wax poetic together for hours on end. Jon Dean is our producer, and together the three of us decided that we wanted to make content and digital media that represents our Atlanta queer scene and helps add our voice to the national and global conversations.
What can you expect when tuning into Good Judy?
Good Judy is where Ella and Brigitte get to unpack all of the things life and the world have presented to us each week. We make light of the dark things and celebrate the good things, offering our unique points of view to better understand this crazy time we all share together. Each episode, we have a special guest, who (hopefully!) becomes one of our Good Judys, and we hear about their stories, and triumphs, and challenges. I hope that listeners can come for the humor or the cynicism but leave with deeper insight into what makes us more alike than different. I always feel a little more hopeful after hearing about the awesome things that other people are still managing to do during these strange times.
What’s next for Good Judy?
Good Judy has even more amazing content planned for 2021. Subscribe to our Patreon for bonus material, and stay tuned to us on social media for updates! Instagram and Twitter @goodjudypod – new Episodes of Good Judy every Tuesday and Friday, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you enjoy streaming from! Stay tuned for more updates on social media.
You do talk politics on Good Judy, but you have also gotten even more politically involved lately. What motivated you?
A bitch can only joke about politics so much until people are like, “well what have you done?” I can’t inspire people to get engaged if I’m not letting them in on ways to use their voice and vote. I’m lucky enough to be friends with some amazing organizers and activists who inspire me to be a better ally and more progressive American. Recently I have been working with Future Coalition and Drag to the Polls, helping them create programming to engage the LGBTQ+ community for the upcoming runoff election. VOTE WARNOCK, OSSOFF, AND BLACKMAN, PLEASE!!!
What else do you hope your political activism achieves?
My hope is that I create a permanent connection between political organizers and drag artists. Everyone talks about how inherently political drag is, so naturally, it makes sense to use the platforms and energy of drag entertainment as a way to get out the vote and see the change that we envision.
What’s next for Brigitte Bidet?
I hope to get vaccinated ASAP! There are some exciting things in the works that I hope to get off the ground in 2021. I want to see Brigitte exist not only in a bar but also in a theater with other drag performers. And I definitely hope to continue planning events that engage the queer community to VOTE!
Please tell us where to follow you!
Add me on Instagram and Twitter @brigittebidet to stay ABREAST to the fabulous and exciting things that your local queens, kings, and everything in-betweens are doing. Thank you for letting me entertain you – and I hope to do a cartwheel-split for you in the very near future! XXO