American drag performer
Mrs. Kasha Davis is the stage name of Edward Paul Popil Jr. ,[ 1] an American drag queen , actor and television personality from Scranton, Pennsylvania .[ 2] She is best known for competing on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . After appearing on the reality television show, Mrs. Kasha Davis toured internationally, released several musical singles, and performed in film, television and theatre.[ 3] [ 4] [ 5]
Career
Based in Rochester , Mrs. Kasha Davis frequently performs with long-time collaborators and fellow RuPaul's Drag Race alums Pandora Boxx and Darienne Lake .[ 6] [ 7] She has performed "Bosom Buddies", a two-woman show with Darienne Lake nationally and internationally.[ 7] [ 8] [ 9] Prior to Drag Race , Mrs. Kasha Davis starred in and co-wrote the film Mrs. Kasha Davis: The Life of an International Housewife Celebrity with Michael Steck (Pandora Boxx).[ 10] For fourteen years, Mrs. Kasha Davis has co-written and performed with fellow Rochester-based drag queen Aggy Dune in "Big Wigs", a touring diva impersonation theater show.[ 11] [ 12]
Mrs. Kasha Davis has performed her one-woman show "There's Always Time for a Cocktail" at Laurie Beechman Theater in New York, as well as venues in San Francisco, Rochester, London and Brighton in the United Kingdom.[ 6] [ 13] [ 14] [ 15] [ 12] She is also an advocate for and frequent performer in Drag Story Hour , a national event bringing drag queens into libraries and theaters to read books to children.[ 16] [ 17]
Mrs. Kasha Davis at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2022
Since appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race , Mrs. Kasha Davis is currently starring with Deven Green in WOW Presents Plus series Tails of the City: Pets 4 Pets .[ 18] She additionally had a supporting role as Vicki Leaks in the film Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate [ 19] [ 20] and hosted the film's Los Angeles premiere.[ 21]
In June 2019, Mrs. Kasha Davis was one of 37 queens to be featured on the cover of New York Magazine .[ 22] In 2021, director Angela Washko 's documentary film Workhorse Queen premiered at Slamdance Film Festival . The film focuses on Popil's life before and after getting cast on RuPaul's Drag Race .[ 23] In 2023, Davis was announced as a competitor on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars .[ 24] During Episode Three, she landed in the bottom two alongside Darienne Lake , and the winner of the week's "lip-sync for the win", Jessica Wild (who beat the episode's "lip-sync assassin”, Ra'Jah O'Hara , to Kim Petras ’ “Coconuts ”), chose Davis to be eliminated, giving her a placement of 10th out of 12 contestants.
Personal life
Popil was born to Ellen, a cosmetics saleswoman, and Edward Paul Popil Sr.,[ 25] [ 26] a U.S. Marshal ,[ 27] and is married to Steven Levins, who frequently makes out-of-drag public appearances alongside Davis as "Mr. Kasha Davis". He is a stepfather to his two children, Melissa and Jessica, making him one of the few Drag Race contestants with children.[ 28] [ 29] [ 30] He and Levins frequently collaborate on music and video content.[ 31] [ 32] He graduated from Marywood University with a BA in theatre before becoming a principal dancer at the Ballet Theatre of Scranton.[ 33] He has been sober since July 13, 2015.[ 34]
From 1988 to 1998, until coming out as gay, he was married to a woman.[ 35]
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Web series
Discography
EPs
Singles
As lead artist
Title
Year
Album
"Cocktail"
2015
Non-album singles
"Seasoned Queen" (featuring Adam Barta )
"Basic"
2018
As featured artist
Other appearances
References
^ "Edward P Popil Jr" . Ancestry Institute . Ancestry. Retrieved November 12, 2022 .
^ "Q&A with Mrs. Kasha Davis: NEPA native returns home for drag performance | Weekender" . www.theweekender.com . 27 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ Mar, Pollo Del (2015-05-07). "RuPaul's Drag Race Star Mrs. Kasha Davis: I Predict Pearl Will Win Season 7" . Huffington Post . Archived from the original on 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "We've Got Your Summer Plans! WOW Presents Plus Summer Sickening Series Coming Soon! Subscribe Today" . The WOW Report . 2018-06-26. Archived from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "Rachel Dratch flings Bianca Del Rio to hell in 'Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate' trailer" . EW.com . Archived from the original on 2018-07-15. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ a b "Attitude.co.uk | Interview | There's Always Time for a Cocktail with Drag Race's Mrs Kasha Davis" . Archived from the original on 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ a b "In search of sun, two RuPaul's Drag sisters found an opportunity to collaborate – Out & About PV" . outandaboutpv.com . 3 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-08-06. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "Mrs Kasha Davis & Darienne Lake In Bosom Buddies em San Francisco, 26 Janeiro 2018 (After-Work Gay) - Actu-Gay.com" . Actu-Gay.com (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "Mrs. Kasha Davis and Darienne Lake Bring Their Bosom Buddies Show to NYC" . Hornet Stories . 2018-01-27. Archived from the original on 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ Steck, Michael (2008-10-12), Mrs. Kasha Davis: The Life of an International Housewife Celebrity , Edward Popil, Michael Steck, Greg Meyer, archived from the original on 2012-03-25, retrieved 2018-07-09
^ BWW News Desk. "BIG WIGS - A Glamorous Rochester Holiday Tradition" . BroadwayWorld.com . Archived from the original on 2018-08-19. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ a b "Interview : MRS Kasha Davis" . gutter candy . 2015-05-18. Archived from the original on 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "Mrs. Kasha Davis: There's Always Time for a Cocktail" . Time Out New York . Retrieved 2024-02-07 .
^ "A Review of Mrs. Kasha Davis' "There's Always Time For a Cocktail" -" . 2016-12-18. Archived from the original on 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "Check Out Mrs. Kasha Davis' New Show "There's Always Time for a Cocktail" " . The WOW Report . 2016-11-03. Archived from the original on 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ Peskar, Katie (2017-11-11). "Mrs. Kasha Davis on the importance of drag queens reading books to kids" . Archived from the original on 2019-07-03. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "Drag queen Mrs. Kasha Davis finds her place of peace" . Rochester Democrat and Chronicle . Archived from the original on 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ Desk, TV News. "World of Wonder Announces Sickening Summer Slate Including Nine New Shows Debuting WOW Presents Plus" . Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "Bianca Del Rio Takes Russia By Storm in New Trailer for 'Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate' " . Billboard . Archived from the original on 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate (2018) , archived from the original on 2023-04-20, retrieved 2018-07-09
^ "Miss Vanjie Crashes World Premiere Of "Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate" " . LOGO News . Archived from the original on 2018-06-24. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "On The Cover: The Most Powerful Drag Queens In America" . Archived from the original on 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2019-06-17 .
^ "Angela Washko Shines a Spotlight on a "RuPaul's Drag Race" Alum in Slamdance Doc "Workhorse Queen" " . womenandhollywood.com . Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-15 .
^ Nolfi, Joey (April 20, 2023). " 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8' cast of returning queens revealed" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2023-04-20 .
^ @mrskashadavis (July 19, 2018). "Today at 8:10AM our dad Edward Paul Popil passed away" – via Instagram .
^ @KashaDavis (March 10, 2016). "HEY QWEEN has a bonus video about me & my beloved mom Ellen. She's always in my heart😘😘👑" (Tweet ) – via Twitter .
^ Spevak, Jeff. "Drag queen Mrs. Kasha Davis finds her place of peace" . democratandchronicle.com . Democrat and Chronicle . Retrieved January 7, 2024 .
^ "What If Noted Drag Queen Mrs. Kasha Davis Performed at the White House? | Metrosource" . Metrosource . 2018-06-06. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "5 "Drag Race" Stars Who Are Parents" . LOGO News . Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "Mrs. Kasha Davis talks 'RuPaul's Drag Race' elimination" . Houston Chronicle . 2015-04-01. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ Altomonte, Alex (2015-04-22). "10 Things You Never Knew About Mrs. Kasha Davis" . Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ Cook, Michael. " 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Eliminated Contestant Mrs. Kasha Davis -"There's Always Time For A Cocktail" " . Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2018-07-09 .
^ "Carnegie Mellon University – STUDIO Lecture: Mrs. Kasha Davis" . Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-05-16 .
^ @mrskashadavis (July 13, 2023). "One day at a time. 8 years today" – via Instagram .
^ Feeney, Noal (July 25, 2023). "These Drag Queens Are Parents & They Know Exactly Why Kids Love Drag" . Romper . Retrieved September 15, 2024 .
^ Musto, Michael (May 21, 2018). "You Won't Believe How Bianca Del Rio Met "Hurricane Bianca 2" Co-Star Rachel Dratch" . NewNowNext . Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020 .
^ Molloy, Tim (November 30, 2020). " 'Greenlight Yourself': Slamdance Unveils Full Lineup, Showcase for Filmmakers With Disabilities" . Movie Maker . Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021 .
^ Damshenas, Sam (22 March 2018). "Watch Drag Race fan favourites return for the season 10 premiere" . Gay Times . Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021 .
^ Patterson, Denny (November 11, 2021). " 'The Browns' Are Back in Town with a Second Season" . Out Front Magazine . Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022 .
^ Nolfi, Joey (April 20, 2023). "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8 cast of returning queens revealed" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 20, 2023 .
^ Rice, Lynette (May 1, 2023). " 'Drag Me To Dinner': Hulu Announces Premiere Date For Unscripted Series From Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^ Hinzmann, Dennis (April 8, 2015). "WATCH: Shangela's Bringing You 'Uptown Fish' " . Mic.com . Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020 .
^ White, Brett (May 6, 2020). " 'Drag Race' Queens Get into 'Golden Girls' Drag for New WOW Presents Plus Pandemic Series [EXCLUSIVE]" . Decider.com . Archived from the original on May 23, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020 .
^ RuPaul's Drag Race (April 20, 2023), Meet the Queens of All Stars 8! 🌟 | QUEEN RUVEAL | RuPaul's Drag Race AS8 👠✨ , retrieved April 20, 2023
^ Mrs. Kasha Davis on Sobriety and Drag Story Hour Before Drag Race All Stars 8 | Entertainment Weekly . Entertainment Weekly . April 26, 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-03 .
^ The Queens Of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8" Play Who's Who . BuzzFeed Celeb . May 15, 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-18 .
^ It Takes a Lotta Balls to Be a Lady! - EP by Mrs. Kasha Davis , 2016-05-08, archived from the original on 2018-10-23, retrieved 2018-07-09
^ "WOWPresents Premiere: RuPaul Presents The Covergurlz 2 Music Videos" . 2015-03-02. Archived from the original on 2019-12-15. Retrieved 2019-12-15 .
^ "Single - One Last Christmas Card" . Spotify . Retrieved 2023-07-11 .
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^ "RuPaul Presents The CoverGurlz2" . Spotify . Retrieved 2023-07-11 .
^ "JRED Music Presents... Jared Jones Remixes" . Spotify . Retrieved 2023-07-11 .
^ "Popstar Album" . Spotify . Retrieved 2023-07-11 .
^ "Free To Be (The Remixes)" . Spotify . Retrieved 2023-07-11 .
External links