From the moment Cynthia Lee Fontaine entered the werkroom, she was an effortless favorite. Her charisma, comedy, and cucu all stood out, making her a beloved icon. Since her last appearance on Drag Race Season 9, Fontaine has gone through quite a journey. Experiencing various health crises, including several back surgeries and a hip replacement. At the same time, her career has reached new heights with the release of her Emmy-nominated documentary Barbette + Fontaine and her being cast on Drag Race All Stars Season 10. Latinitas Magazine sat down with Cynthia Lee Fontaine to talk about all of it.
When I saw you were on All Stars, I was just so excited! On Seasons 8 and 9 you were a joy to watch, and now you’re back! I have to know, how did it feel when you got the call?
Well, my last season was in 2017, Season 9. So since my first season, almost ten years that I had the opportunity to work with World Wonder and film the show RuPaul’s Drag Race. So it was a mix of emotions. I was surprised, but at the same time happy because of everything that I had to endure especially health-wise; battling cancer, which we won the battle! Then three lower back surgeries in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic when we had this freeze situation in Austin.
Oh, yes.
Well, at that moment, I received three lower back surgeries. Hospitals were closed for two days. It got infected, and then the journey for recovery was crazy. Then a couple of years after, I had a full hip replacement. So all these years and then a year and a half of recovery.
Wow.
Then all of a sudden, I get the call, ‘We want you back.’ So I was very happy, surprised because production knew my journey health-wise. And surprised because I’m like, ‘This is the moment. I feel great. I feel fantastic. I can represent my Latinx community. I can represent myself too. I’m ready to be back on the TV show!’
I’m so happy to hear that, but wow. I didn’t realize it was three. I thought it was one back surgery. That’s terrifying.
Listen, even myself, I still don’t believe it. But everything is okay now. I’m more healthy [and] stronger than ever. And can’t wait for you and the world and my Latinx community and my Puerto Rican community to watch me back again on the TV show. Crazy, right?
It’s amazing. So speaking about that, you’ve been through so much but you’re able to still bring so much joy and laughter wherever you go. How do you keep your spirit so light in the face of so much?
I think our Latinx families are the best, you know? Especially those beautiful role models that we have, our mothers and our abuelitas. They impact and influence all of us, especially in my life. My two grandmothers, sadly, they passed away, one during COVID and the other one seven years ago. They taught me in different ways everything that I know and everything that I show through my artistry–my transformation as Cynthia Lee Fontaine. I have Abuela Mercedes who taught me how to have class, how to dress correctly. I still use makeup products that she showed me that are super essential when you do your makeup. And then I have Abuela Lila like the color lilac.
[She showed me] how to be positive, how to have faith, how to have a beautiful spiritual connection. Those two different types of learnings and education became what Cynthia Lee Fontaine is today, but also became my motto of how to be positive and optimistic all the time. So, yes, absolutely. I give all the kudos and I give all the crowns and the flowers to my beautiful abuelitas in my family. Who helped me build not just only Carlos Alfonso Diaz Hernandez behind the mask, but also construct the beautiful character that I’ve been showing for almost twenty years of my career as Cynthia Lee Fontaine.
Wow, that was such a lovely answer. I’m so glad you have that connection. Speaking about the importance of culture and family–Could you talk about what a show like RuPaul’s Drag Race has done for the visibility of Latina queens?
Oh, let me tell you. RuPaul’s Drag Race gives a lot to the Latinx community, especially to the Latinx individuals who have the opportunity to participate in the show. Latin Americans and Hispanics, we are so proud of who we are. We love our culture. We love our food. We love our traditions. And that’s the same pride that we show on the TV show. It’s just so contagious. I have messages all around the world. Holland. Sweden. Thailand. Asian communities and the European communities that say, ‘Oh my god, I’m not Hispanic, and I feel Hispanic just only seeing you on the show. When you talk about your culture when you talk about your language.’ That’s why I do believe the show has a big impact. It gives us this huge platform to express ourselves, but also show a little bit of our culture and traditions as well.
And I want more. And I want more representation. And I want more visibility for our members of the Hispanic community all around the world to have the opportunity to audition for the show because it’s a life-changing experience.
That’s awesome. On top of everything you’ve been doing with Drag Race and performing, you also have a documentary out, Barbette + Fontaine. Can you tell me a little bit about what inspired this documentary?
Oh my god. Thank you for asking that question! It’s a very important personal project that I had the opportunity to participate in. This production [is] actually directed and produced by two Latinx members of our Austin Queer community.
Oh, that’s amazing!
Oh yes, the director is the anchor news for CBS Morning News, John-Carlos Estrada. And also, Zak Zeh who is also Latinx all the way from El Paso, Texas. He’s the executive producer of CBS Morning News.
That’s great, we’ve actually had John-Carlos Estrada at some of our events! He’s great.
Latinx team! Everybody on the team of the documentary was Latinx, and the documentary is about two different stories separated by one hundred years. The first story is about the iconic drag trapeze, Barbette. Barbette was a successful drag queen all the way from Round Rock, Texas. Can you believe that? In the 1920s! She got to perform in Moulin Rouge, and also she was a star on Broadway in the 1920s, can you imagine?
Oh wow.
Uh-huh. And then one hundred years apart, my story Cynthia Lee Fontaine, RuPaul’s Drag Race Alumni–well, currently on All Stars 10–activist, singer, and producer, and how our stories collide through resilience, through challenges, illness, and more. It’s a short documentary. Oh my god, we have already, I think, 13 awards, and more than 18 nominations.
That’s amazing. Speaking about the show, what did you think when you first heard it was gonna be tournament-style? Is this completely different?
Well, let me tell you. I think finally, it feels like a sportsmanship competition. I’m a huge fan of football–soccer. My favorite team is Brazil, also Real Madrid, also Mexico. I’m a huge fan, so, for me, it was like, ‘Oh, this is exciting because I like sports.’…I’ve been advocating in Austin for almost fourteen years for LGBTQIA+ rights and for queer rights, and for transgender rights. [When I found out] it was a larger number of competitors, it made me happy because the bigger, the better, especially in these difficult political times that we live in. Not just only the queer community being attacked, not just only the transgender community being attacked, not just only the drag community being under attack, but also the immigrant community. Our beautiful Hispanic community is being under attack.
When our Hispanic community came to this country to work hard and make their dreams come true for their families, for their siblings, for their loved ones, for their future. That was a moment for me that I’m like, you know what? 18 girls is not enough. I want a season with more and more and more girls! Because this is the moment of visibility.
I love that this season is essentially doubling down. We’re gonna have more people and at this time, it’s so important. So you have lived in Austin for years—I would love to know what’s one of your favorite venues to perform in Austin.
Wow. One of my favorite venues to perform in Austin. Well, let me tell you, I’ve been in Austin for almost fourteen, sixteen years. And every single venue in Austin stole my heart. I might say that primarily one of the venues that gave me the chance to perform was by a casting director who’s Latinx, she’s Tex Mex, the one and only, iconic, amazing host, amazing drag, amazing transgender woman, amazing advocate for the rights of the community; Miss Kelly Kline. It was Charlie’s back in the day, and then eventually, Oilcan Harry’s. It gave me the opportunity for almost twelve years to develop myself…At that bar, one of the producers of Drag Race who had a house here in Austin saw me once. When I auditioned for the first time, it was for Season 6, Bianca Del Rio was the winner. They emailed me back and said, ‘The video is beautiful, but we want to see the energy and the vibrant personality that you always show at your hostings’. So imagine how important was that venue for me. I have my respect and my admiration for Oilcan because if it wasn’t for that platform, that producer would not be able to see who I was as an artist, you know?
I mean, your personality, you came through! It was everything. So, obviously, the last question, are we going to hear more about your Cucu this season? I feel like we have to.
Baby, you know, I’m all the way from Puerto Rico. I’m all the way from Austin, Texas. So the Cucu, it’s oversized. It’s bigger than ever representing Texas too. So you will see!
Amazing [Camila laughs] I cannot wait!
You can catch Cynthia Lee Fontaine on Drag Race All Stars airing right now only on Paramount+.
