After a six-year hiatus, Wait, What? is back and somehow, it hasn’t missed a beat.
Thanks to their hilarious turn on the last season of “Binge Queens”, Drag Race alums Kimora Blac (season nine) and Derrick Barry (season eight and All Stars season five) are back for the internet’s favorite brain break. Fans let it be known that they wanted this dynamic duo back, and thanks to World of Wonder, the queens return with the same unscripted magic. There’s still no script, no filler, and pure chaos thanks to the chemistry that made the original so iconic.
For Kimora and Derrick, the return feels less like a reboot and more like picking up right where they left off, except with a louder fanbase and even bigger momentum. What started as an unserious, off-the-cuff YouTube series has evolved into a cult favorite, fueled by their effortless chemistry and a format that thrives on not having all the answers.
Now, with audiences rediscovering old episodes and flooding comment sections for more, the duo is stepping back into their signature seats and are ready to laugh, guess, and spiral their way through questions they definitely should know. We had the chance to chat with Kimora and Derrick about this eagerly anticipated return in our exclusive interview.
“Wait, What?” is back after six years. What was your first reaction when you were asked to come back and do the show?
Kimora: Me and Derrick, we’ve been talking about it for a long time because the fans are still watching the older videos, which is mind blowing because we looked completely different compared to now, but we were very excited. Not only do we enjoy doing the show but we also enjoy people watching the show and their reactions to it. It’s such an unserious show, like where you just want to sit and laugh and watch and, so we were very excited. The universe placed us at a good time because the reaction right now is insane. People are loving it, which is music to our ears.
Derrick: Yeah, absolutely. I know Kimora and I, every time we saw each other – I remember in New York specifically – we did a party out in Brooklyn at 3 Dollar Bill, and we were talking about “Wait, What?” and how we can’t wait to have it come back and what’s going to happen with it, everything was up in the air after 2020.
So, flash forward all these years later…we are just powerful manifesters because World of Wonder just came back at the right time and “Binge Queens” was such a good refresh for us just to get back in front of people together. And then I think they knew it was basically, “Hey, let’s test this out and see what people think and right off the bat, they were just so excited to see us and then [the comments section on “Binge Queens”] was flooded with “Wait, What?” comments after that.
Why do you think that “Wait, What?” stuck with people for that long with so many different drag content out there?
Kimora: I think there’s many parts. I think the fans love to see a duo. The fans love to see our growth. Derrick has grown rapidly throughout the years. I’ve grown rapidly throughout the years and to see us together, I think, obviously like Trixie and Katya is such a hit, what other good duo is there within the Drag Race franchise?
Not only that, but I think the topic of the show is just to have fun. Either they’re laughing with us or laughing at us, and both are a win-win, and we wanted to bring jokes back into the world. The world is just a chaotic place right now. And to bring back YouTube…I’ve seen watching YouTube has somewhat declined, and it was like our number one place to go to watch things.
Now it’s TikTok and Instagram and things like that. So, for someone to go back to YouTube just to watch a 13-minute show is nostalgic for us. I didn’t really expect to see “Wait, What?” to go this far in depth and the popularity of it because there’s something about it that makes people feel unserious, and that’s the whole point of the show – just to have fun and talk about things that people think they know the answer to. But you don’t really know the answer to these. Come on. So, it’s almost like a learning thing too.
Derrick: I think for me it’s gameplay where on a lot of other shows, “Binge Queens” being one of them, they want us to critique these girls and we don’t have to do that on “Wait, What?” We can make fun of each other, but we don’t have to make fun of other people to have a storyline or a topic, and I think that’s what makes this so different. You can watch it with your friends, your parents, your grandparents. It’s really bringing all these generations together and it’s not offending people, which I think is, a lot of times, especially in this climate right now, it’s oh, I don’t know. I don’t want to speak my mind, or I don’t want to say anything to get me canceled, or I don’t offend people and “Wait, What?” is really just – if anything – we’re offending our own brains. We should know these things. We already learned these things.
What feels the same about the show and what feels totally different this time around?
Kimora: I think our connection’s the same. Derrick lives in Vegas. I’m in San Diego, so we talk here and there, and I know both of us have such busy schedules, I mean, Derrick’s schedule is insane. I don’t know how she does it, but I think once we enter into the room together, it’s 2019 again. The show is completely unscripted. The only formula to it is have our looks and answer a question. That’s pretty much the formula of the entire game.
And what feels different is, I would say, the reaction that we’re getting. I think in the beginning it was more of trying to sell the game, if that makes sense, and see if people like it. But now it’s people like, oh my God, I watched this back in the day and, to me, those reactions are like, oh my goodness. I can’t believe that people remember, after being gone for so long.
And also, I feel like me and Derrick, we are like the OG Drag Race girls from season nine and before compared to the girls now. Just to see that the viewers have this special connection with us and it’s still alive was pretty awesome.
Derrick: Yeah, I was the last season on Logo and then Kimora was on the first season on VH-1, and that year, our season was Emmy nominated for the first time. Nine had more Emmy nominations, so I feel like it was really picking up traction and gaining a whole new audience and a fan base. And now they’ve been able to go back and watch “Wait, What?” and see the old episodes – and now see new episodes. It’s fun, like a show taking a break, a hiatus, and then coming back later, which is happening a lot now with different streaming services. They’re bringing shows back, so ours was very lucky to be on WOW Presents Plus and come back for a revamp, but the same formula. I remember Kimora was asking, “Are we changing anything? Is it going to be a new background or something?” And they’re like, “Oh no, this was perfect. We don’t want to change a thing.” And I love that because it feels the same, it’s just new content.
Your chemistry is kind of the core of “Wait, What?” and it really makes the show work. How would you describe your dynamic?
Derrick: I love that Kimora always says ying to my yang. Two peas in a pod. That makes me so happy because we have always admired each other and loved each other as drag queens and personalities. I’ve stayed with Kimora before. We’ve had incredible experiences on TV shows, like The Talk, and just nights out in Vegas. I’ve just gotten to see Kimora’s era through moving from Sacramento to Vegas to then moving to OC and now San Diego and she’s seen me in Vegas all along, so it really is just it’s a friendship that has stood the test of time without any drama. I mean, no hiccups, no bumps in the road. And that’s a really hard thing to find in drag, to have a friendship that is: I have her back and she has mine. I think that’s why we can create such magic together because we really are fans of each other – even before we were friends.
Kimora: It’s crazy because between us, if we’re sitting there with a question, I feel like we know what each other are thinking. It’s like I kind of know what she’s going to say right now and the difference between me and Derrick is that she pays attention to detail. It’s like strategic detail and I’m more nonchalant, like whatever, so I think it just balances us out. If I had to pick who is smarter, I would say Derrick is a little bit smarter than me because she’s really dedicated to the question and she’s really dedicated to it. I’m more like, what am I eating today?
Derrick: You’re thinking about your grocery list. Yeah, I love that.
Kimora: My brain is completely outside the building for sure. But yeah, just to piggyback off what Derrick said, I’ve seen Derrick throughout the years and her growth, which is pretty awesome because I knew Derrick back in the day, so I’m able to say that. There’s no other person that I would want next to me on that panel because our energy just fused together and it just works fluidly.
Has the show actually taught you anything useful over the years?
Derrick: Oh yeah. Sure. I’m always learning something. I don’t think we’ve ever aced a test completely and been a hundred percent on it. Even if I get a “C” I’m happy because I’m like, you know what? I learned this stuff a long time ago. I can’t remember everything. I’ve got a lot of choreography and routines going on in my head. I’m lucky to remember anything that has to do with math.
Kimora: It’s taught me that one, I don’t know everything and two, people don’t know everything. We will get certain questions and topics like space. Do you guys really know this? Because if you guys do….I completely missed a year or two at some point, and what’s great is that with the producers, we don’t know the topics until we sit down and we want it that way because we want it as authentic as it can be, so we don’t know the questions. We don’t know anything at all. We want to feel exactly like the viewer. Everything we say is completely raw. We don’t retake anything. We don’t question anything twice. It is completely fluid and natural as it can be – and that’s why I think the people can feel that too.
If you could choose a dream category for a future episode, what would it be?
Derrick: Oh, gosh. I’m really into family trees right now, so I want to do something on ancestry, DNA or something like genealogy because I think there’s a lot of unanswered things that I just do not know. For example, second cousins, third cousins removed. I don’t understand any of that, so I’m hoping for something like that.
Kimora: I would like to know drag. I would like to know makeup. I would love to know more about wars, the ocean, or the evolution of phones. There’s just so much that I think we would like to know that I think the world would want to know too, because we don’t think about these things on a day-to-day basis. Dinosaurs would be cool…is it even real? Did we even go to the moon? These are things that we don’t think about every day.
Derrick: The opportunities are endless with categories, and they have asked us if we have any ideas or concepts that we want to do. They did come up with the eight that we just filmed, but I think moving forward, I would love to just send a list. Kimora, you had great options right there. Everything is just out there, so we could really talk about anything.
And my favorite thing about the show is when Kimora and I sit down, they start recording. I think that’s our cold open, like a lot of people do on a talk show. They have their monologue. Ours is obviously unscripted, but it’s just us sitting and talking, getting ready for the category and some of my favorite moments come from that. I love that part and they can sprinkle them throughout. We have great editors over at World of Wonder and I just love that they don’t even have to tell us. Sometimes they’ll be five, 10 minutes and we’ve been talking and they’re like, “Okay, that was great. Let’s jump in. and we’re like, oh my God. We were just me and Kimora on camera.
Anything coming up that is not, “Wait, What?” for you both?
Derrick: I extended through the end of the year at Drag Race Live, so it will be my seventh year with them in Vegas at The Flamingo. We do six shows a week Thursday through Monday at 9:30 PM and then an additional Friday 7:00 PM show and then we have an 11 o’clock meet and greet. So, you can catch me at Drag Race Live through the rest of the year. And then, other than that, it’s just tour dates and select things coming up.
Kimora: Just touring, traveling, working and patiently waiting for the All Stars call.
I hope you get it. I’m manifesting that for you.
Kimora: Yeah, me too.
Feel free to take “Wait, What?” on tour because I’d be there.
Kimora: Oh my God. I think a “Wait, What?” tour would be so cool.
Derrick: A “Wait, What?” tour would be so much fun. Why have we never even thought of this? See, that’s why we’re “Wait, What?” girls…we’re like, we could tour this?
Catch new episodes of “Wait, What?” on WOW Presents’ YouTube channel. Keep up with Kimora on Instagram. Follow Derrick on Instagram and Facebook and go see her in Drag Race Live in Las Vegas.
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