A 2018 Netflix docuseries clip showing a drag performer instructing child dancers has re-entered public conversation this week, linked to comments made days earlier by a Texas U.S. Senate candidate.
At a campaign stop, a man approached Democrat James Talarico and struck up a brief exchange.
“Mr. Talarico, so nice to meet you … I was there when you defended the drags,” the man said, before asking a direct question: “Who is your favorite drag queen in Texas?”
Without hesitation, Talarico gave a name. “Oh, my gosh. Probably Alyssa Edwards,” he said.
Alyssa Edwards performs under that stage name; off stage, he is known as Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson.
An exclusive Fox News report noted that Johnson has publicly discussed “working with children” and has voiced support for youth-focused drag performances.
Talarico’s remark prompted the account “Libs of TikTok” to repost archival video from “Dancing Queens,” a 2018 Netflix docuseries centered on Johnson’s dance studio.
In the footage, Johnson is shown directing a group of young students, one of whom he singles out by a nickname.
“Oh, I cannot wait to see what his future holds for him,” Johnson says on camera. “Although I see my mini-me, Justin Johnson in a million years never could have been that at nine years old.”
That student was later identified. The Dallas Observer reported in 2018 that the boy referenced was J.J. Garza, one of the few male children enrolled in the program at the time.
During the segment, Garza had styled himself after Johnson’s own performance persona.
Johnson responded to the moment with praise for the child.
“He knows what he is, but he’s himself, he has a character, he has a personality that just lights up any room, and sometimes people are intimidated by people that are very secure with who they are,” Johnson said.
Johnson went on to draw a comparison to his own upbringing.
“And, for myself I was very insecure, because that had me going into a shell as a little boy. I didn’t know, I had four sisters, they polished their nails, I polished mine,” he said.
Fox News sought comment from Talarico’s Senate campaign regarding the resurfaced clip.
Rather than addressing the footage, the campaign’s response pivoted to criticism of Talarico’s general-election opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Talarico and Paxton are competing for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, with the midterm election weeks away.
The naming of Johnson as a favorite performer drew a public reaction from Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill.
“It’s completely bizarre for any ‘man’ to be able to instantly name their ‘favorite drag queen,’ let alone the name of any drag queen at all,” Gill said.
This is not the first time Talarico’s past statements on drag performances have circulated.
The Washington Free Beacon reported in 2021 that Talarico had headlined an event featuring an 11-year-old drag performer promoted under the name “Kween Kee Kee” and billed as “the absolute cutest & youngest of our drag performers.”
Talarico offered his own assessment of that performance at the time.
“It was an inspiration to watch,” he said. Two years later, in 2023, he made a related comment about the broader Texas scene: “We produce some of the best drag performers in the nation.”
Talarico has also drawn attention for remarks concerning religion, immigration and gender.
He has publicly identified himself as a “Presbyterian seminarian,” yet a 2021 interview clip captured a different framing of his beliefs: “I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity, right? And, like, I always get drawn back into it.”
That same year, he referred to God as “non-binary” and suggested Jesus Christ could be characterized as a “radical feminist.”
On immigration, Talarico has said the southern border should be treated “like our front porch,” with “a giant welcome mat out front.”
He has also stated that there are six genders, a position he later walked back, and has since acknowledged that some of his past statements “missed the mark.” Separately, he has spoken of belonging to a church he called “active” in LGBT rights efforts, which he said sheltered an undocumented family to prevent their deportation.
